Birchfields Primary School

Birchfields Primary School is a caring, welcoming primary where pupils feel a strong sense of belonging and typically achieve well. Inspectors found high expectations for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and behaviour and attitudes are exceptionally strong. Pupils are courteous, understand the school's values, and benefit from a broad, knowledge-rich curriculum, strong reading provision, effective early years practice and bespoke support for pupils with SEND. The school also works closely with families on attendance and provides a wide range of trips and clubs. The main area for improvement is pupils' written and spoken communication. Over time, the school has not placed enough emphasis on developing oracy and writing, so some pupils make errors that persist. Leaders have recently raised expectations in this area and need to ensure these changes help pupils become more fluent and accurate speakers and writers. Safeguarding is effective, and leadership, governance and staff support are strengths. The inspection took place in October 2024 under the graded inspection framework, so no overall effectiveness grade was given. Since the previous inspection, an interim headteacher and a new chair of governors have been appointed, and the headteacher also leads another local primary school.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel they belong and say everyone matters.
• High expectations support most pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, to achieve well.
• Pupils behave incredibly well in lessons and at social times and have highly positive attitudes to learning.
• The curriculum is broad and knowledge-rich, with clear sequencing from the early years.
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and deliver the curriculum well.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported through bespoke pathways and close work with families and professionals.
• Reading is a strength, with high-quality texts, a well-stocked library and effective phonics teaching.
• Early years provision gives children plentiful stories, songs and good preparation for key stage 1.
• Pupils are courteous and respectful, contributing to a harmonious school atmosphere.
• The school works tenaciously with families and agencies to improve attendance.
• Personal development is strong, including health, careers, leadership roles and extra-curricular activities.
• Governors provide effective support and challenge, and staff feel valued with attention to workload and well-being.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' written and spoken communication skills have not had enough focus, leaving some errors uncorrected over time.
• Recently raised expectations for oracy and writing need to be embedded so pupils become more fluent and accurate.

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 Birchfields Primary School attended 93.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.8% 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, 0.2% of pupils at Birchfields 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 Birchfields Primary School had 19.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.6% 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, 14.5% of pupils at Birchfields Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.7% 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 Birchfields Primary School received £7,840 and spent £7,725 for each of its 589 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £193,000 (£328 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 Birchfields Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Birchfields Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Birchfields Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Birchfields Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Birchfields Primary School have?

Birchfields Primary School has 592 pupils on roll.

What age range does Birchfields Primary School cover?

Birchfields Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 49% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Birchfields Primary School?

Birchfields Primary School is at Lytham Road, Fallowfield, Manchester, M14 6PL.