Seymour Road Academy

Seymour Road Academy continues to demonstrate a good standard of education, building on its previous inspection findings. The school fosters a supportive and engaging environment, encouraging students to excel academically and socially. Pupils enjoy their school experience, consistently achieving well in various subjects, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), who are inclusively integrated into school life. Positive relationships between pupils and staff contribute to a welcoming atmosphere where learners feel valued and motivated. Despite these strengths, there are some areas for improvement, primarily concerning consistency in assessment practices and writing skills among a minority of pupils. Some teachers occasionally do not adequately assess students' prior knowledge, leading to premature progression to new content. Additionally, a few pupils struggle with grammar and punctuation, which adversely affects their writing quality. The school is aware of these challenges and is focused on addressing them to enhance overall achievement.

Strengths

• Strong, caring relationships between staff and pupils
• Ambitious and well-structured curriculum
• Effective support for pupils with SEND
• High levels of pupil engagement and enjoyment in learning
• Positive behavior and attitudes in lessons
• Inclusive practices fostering a sense of responsibility among pupils

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent use of assessment strategies by some teachers
• Minority of pupils lacking secure understanding of grammar and punctuation

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 Seymour Road Academy attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.8% 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, 1.3% of pupils at Seymour Road Academy 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 Seymour Road Academy had 20.2 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, 13.2% of pupils at Seymour Road Academy 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 2024–25 Seymour Road Academy received £7,532 and spent £7,057 for each of its 458 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,350,000 (£2,949 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Wise Owl Trust, income was £7,712 and spending £7,438 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Seymour Road Academy is part of Wise Owl Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Briscoe Lane Academy Manchester
• Park View Community Primary Academy Manchester
• Old Hall Drive Academy Manchester
• Peel Hall Primary Academy Manchester

What is Seymour Road Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Seymour Road Academy is Good, from an inspection in September 2024.

When was Seymour Road Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Seymour Road Academy was last inspected in September 2024.

How many pupils does Seymour Road Academy have?

Seymour Road Academy has 448 pupils on roll.

What age range does Seymour Road Academy cover?

Seymour Road Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Seymour Road Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Seymour Road Academy?

Seymour Road Academy is at Seymour Road South, Manchester, M11 4PR.