The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School

The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School has been rated as requiring improvement, particularly in the quality of education and early years provision. While the school fosters a vibrant community where pupils feel safe and included, the academic progress of students, especially in the early years, has significant gaps due to previous weaknesses in curriculum delivery. Recent efforts to improve the curriculum have been recognized positively, but current gaps in knowledge hinder the overall achievement of pupils. Compared to its last inspection, the school's overall effectiveness has declined from good to requires improvement, indicating a need for further development in pedagogical strategies and curriculum clarity.

Strengths

• Pupils are proud of their diverse school community.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils.
• Effective safeguarding measures in place.
• Well-designed curriculum enhancements in most subjects.
• High attendance and improved behaviour among pupils.
• Strong support and training for staff.
• Active involvement of pupils in leadership roles and community contributions.

Areas for Improvement

• Early years curriculum lacks clarity on knowledge and skills.
• Gaps in pupils' knowledge from previous curriculums have not been adequately addressed.
• Teachers do not regularly revisit previous content for deeper learning.

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 The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.8% 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, 0.7% of pupils at The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic 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 The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School had 25.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 27.4% 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, 19.7% of pupils at The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.0% 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 The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School received £7,867 and spent £7,915 for each of its 406 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £35,000 (£87 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 Manchester · Manchester local authority: places and applications

What is The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School have?

The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School has 406 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School cover?

The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School?

The Divine Mercy Roman Catholic Primary School is at 20 Blue Moon Way, Rusholme, Manchester, M14 7SH.