Higher Failsworth Primary School

Higher Failsworth Primary School is performing well, achieving a 'Good' rating in all inspected areas including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The school is noted for its caring and supportive environment, where pupils feel safe and valued. Despite the positive atmosphere and ambitious curriculum aims, there were concerns regarding historically low attainment levels in certain subjects relative to national averages. However, the current focus on curriculum enhancement and addressing students' needs, especially for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), is showing promising results.

Strengths

• The school provides a kind, welcoming, and caring environment.
• Pupils exhibit excellent behaviour and attitudes to learning.
• Strong emphasis on personal development and understanding of British values.
• Effective identification and support for pupils with SEND.
• Well-structured approach to teaching reading, facilitating reading confidence among pupils.
• Rich extracurricular opportunities that enhance student learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects show a lack of effective learning activities that hinder understanding.
• Monitoring processes for curriculum impact are in the early stages in a few subjects.

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 Higher Failsworth Primary School attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.6% 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, 0.7% of pupils at Higher Failsworth 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 Higher Failsworth Primary School had 36.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.8% 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, 12.9% of pupils at Higher Failsworth Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% 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 Higher Failsworth Primary School received £7,092 and spent £7,111 for each of its 396 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £357,000 (£902 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

All schools in Oldham · Oldham local authority: places and applications

What is Higher Failsworth Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Higher Failsworth Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2024.

When was Higher Failsworth Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Higher Failsworth Primary School was last inspected in September 2024.

How many pupils does Higher Failsworth Primary School have?

Higher Failsworth Primary School has 396 pupils on roll.

What age range does Higher Failsworth Primary School cover?

Higher Failsworth Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 40% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Higher Failsworth Primary School?

Higher Failsworth Primary School is at Stansfield Road, Failsworth, Oldham, Greater Manchester, M35 9EA.