Wardley CofE Primary School

Wardley CofE Primary is a warm and supportive school where pupils are keen to learn and behave exceptionally well. Inspectors judged behaviour and attitudes and personal development to be outstanding, with pupils proud of the ‘Wardley Way’, showing strong understanding of diversity, and benefiting from a well-designed PSHE programme, trips, clubs and community roles. Early years provision is also outstanding, giving children a strong start and preparing them well for key stage 1. Reading is a high priority and pupils achieve well in most subjects. The quality of education and leadership and management are good. The curriculum is broad, ambitious and has recently been redesigned with vulnerable learners and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities in mind. Staff are well trained to adapt learning, pupils with SEND are identified swiftly, attendance has improved, and governors provide effective support and challenge. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main area for improvement is assessment in some subjects where the curriculum is new. Staff do not consistently check pupils’ learning or identify and address gaps, so it is not always clear that pupils have securely learned prior content before moving on. The inspection took place during a leadership transition, with an interim senior leadership team in post following the previous headteacher’s departure, and no overall effectiveness grade is awarded under current inspection arrangements.

Strengths

• Pupils thrive in a warm, supportive school climate and are keen, enthusiastic learners.
• Behaviour and attitudes are exemplary; pupils embody the school’s ‘Wardley Way’ values.
• Personal development is outstanding, with a strong PSHE programme preparing pupils for life in modern Britain.
• Early years provision is outstanding and gives children a strong, well-prepared start to school.
• Reading is a high priority; phonics is expertly taught and most pupils are fluent readers by the end of key stage 1.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and recently redesigned with vulnerable learners and pupils with SEND in mind.
• Pupils with SEND are identified swiftly and staff are rigorously trained to adapt the curriculum for them.
• Attendance has improved and the school is persistent in addressing absence.
• Pupils benefit from a carefully designed programme of trips, visits, clubs and community projects.
• Governors provide effective support and challenge, and staff value the collaborative culture.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In some recently revised subjects, assessment does not effectively check pupils’ learning.
• Gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not accurately identified or addressed in some subjects.
• Pupils do not always secure prior learning before moving on to new content.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Wardley CofE Primary School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Wardley CofE Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Wardley CofE Primary School had 23.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 16.9% of pupils at Wardley CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Wardley CofE Primary School received £6,615 and spent £6,582 for each of its 219 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £101,000 (£462 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is Wardley CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wardley CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Wardley CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wardley CofE Primary School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Wardley CofE Primary School have?

Wardley CofE Primary School has 219 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wardley CofE Primary School cover?

Wardley CofE Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Wardley CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Wardley CofE Primary School?

Wardley CofE Primary School is at Moss Bank Road, Wardley, Swinton, Manchester, M27 9XB.