Manchester Mesivta School

Manchester Mesivta School is a small Orthodox Jewish school with 233 pupils and a much higher-than-average proportion of pupils receiving SEN support. Safeguarding standards are met, and inspectors found an inclusive culture in which leaders know pupils well, identify needs promptly and provide personalised support, including for disadvantaged pupils. Leadership is ambitious and self-aware, governors provide appropriate support and challenge, staff feel valued, and personal development, careers education and behaviour are notable strengths. Pupils feel safe, are respectful and benefit from a broad range of clubs, trips and charitable activities. However, achievement remains a significant concern. By the end of Year 11, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, do not attain well enough, and sixth-form attainment has also been below national averages over time. Some pupils have significant gaps in reading, writing and mathematics, and teaching quality remains uneven. Recent changes to assessment, marking and feedback are not yet embedded, so gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not always identified and addressed promptly. Attendance is also too high, with persistent absence well above national averages, although leaders’ recent actions are beginning to have a positive impact. Leaders have recognised the school’s weaknesses and are taking decisive action. They have redesigned the curriculum so pupils study the full curriculum, strengthened behaviour expectations and improved support for pupils with SEND. Current pupils are making better progress, but the impact of these changes is not yet secure across all areas. The school has clear strengths in inclusion, leadership and personal development, but outcomes and attendance remain below where they should be.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe.
• Leaders foster an inclusive culture and prioritise pupils with SEND.
• Staff identify the needs of pupils new to the school promptly.
• Leaders use funding for disadvantaged pupils purposefully and evaluate its impact.
• Leaders have detailed knowledge of pupils and ensure teachers receive useful information.
• Governors understand the school’s priorities and provide support and challenge.
• Staff feel valued and are supportive of the school’s direction.
• Professional development is closely matched to staff needs and school priorities.
• The personal, social, health and economic education programme is effective.
• Pupils understand fundamental British values and respect differences.
• Careers education includes employer visits, one-to-one guidance and work placements.
• Pupils benefit from clubs, trips and charitable activities.
• Behaviour has improved and pupils are respectful and welcoming.
• Pupils with SEND are supported well to manage their behaviour and access learning.
• The curriculum has been redesigned to give pupils time to study the full curriculum.
• Pupils who struggle with reading, writing or mathematics receive help to catch up.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils, including those with SEND, do not attain well enough by the end of Year 11.
• Outcomes in national examinations have remained below national averages.
• Sixth-form attainment has been below national averages over time.
• Early entry to examinations has contributed to weak sixth-form outcomes.
• Some pupils have significant gaps in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Teaching quality remains uneven across the school.
• Recent changes to assessment, marking and feedback are not embedded.
• Teachers do not always identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge promptly.
• Some staff expectations of what pupils can achieve are not high enough.
• Attendance remains high and persistent absence is well above national averages.
• Some pupils are still not in school as often as they should be.
• Leaders need to strengthen attendance management so the gap with national attendance diminishes rapidly.

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 Manchester Mesivta School attended 87.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 42.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 12.9% of pupils at Manchester Mesivta School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 Manchester Mesivta School had 15.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 23.6% of pupils at Manchester Mesivta School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Manchester Mesivta School received £8,423 and spent £8,742 for each of its 235 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £0 (£1 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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What is Manchester Mesivta School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Manchester Mesivta School is Needs attention, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Manchester Mesivta School last inspected by Ofsted?

Manchester Mesivta School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Manchester Mesivta School have?

Manchester Mesivta School has 233 pupils on roll.

What age range does Manchester Mesivta School cover?

Manchester Mesivta School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Manchester Mesivta School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.2, and 41% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Manchester Mesivta School?

Manchester Mesivta School is at Beechwood, Charlton Avenue, Prestwich, Greater Manchester, M25 0PH.