Old Trafford Community Academy

Old Trafford Community Academy is a welcoming, improving primary school where pupils are happy, feel safe and are ready to learn. Behaviour and personal development are strong, early years provision is effective, and leadership—including trust and governance—provides effective support and challenge. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school has taken decisive action to improve the curriculum, including for pupils with SEND, and recent work is having a positive impact. However, the quality of education remains the main area for improvement. Published outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are low, and pupils are not yet achieving as well as they could. Early reading and phonics are well taught, but reading beyond phonics is less developed, and some pupils do not develop a love of reading or talk confidently about stories. In several wider curriculum subjects, implementation is at an early stage, older pupils have gaps in knowledge, and leaders’ checks on teaching and learning are not sharply focused enough in some subjects. Attendance work is rigorous and improving, and pupils’ wider development is carefully considered. The school and trust have plans in place to address the identified weaknesses, particularly around the wider curriculum, reading for pleasure and consistent curriculum implementation.

Strengths

• Welcoming school with clear ‘be ready, respectful and safe’ rules
• Pupils are happy, feel safe and learning is rarely disrupted
• Strong behaviour and attitudes across the school
• Effective early years provision
• Well-taught, consistent phonics and early reading
• Broad, ambitious and sequenced curriculum, including for pupils with SEND
• Teachers use questioning and adaptations well to support learning
• Calm and orderly classrooms
• Rigorous attendance processes that are driving improvement
• Personal development promotes safety, respect and aspirations
• Trust and governors provide effective challenge and support
• Staff well-being and workload are considered

Areas for Improvement

• Quality of education requires improvement, with low published outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics
• Reading beyond phonics is less well developed
• Some pupils do not show a love of reading or discuss stories confidently
• Wider curriculum subjects are at an early stage of implementation
• Older pupils have knowledge gaps from the previous weaker curriculum
• Teachers do not consistently identify and address gaps in learning in some subjects
• Checks on teaching and learning are not sharply focused in a small number of subjects
• Learning is not consistent enough across some 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 Old Trafford Community Academy attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.1% 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, 2.6% of pupils at Old Trafford Community 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 Old Trafford Community Academy had 16.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.1% 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, 13.9% of pupils at Old Trafford Community Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.7% 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 Old Trafford Community Academy received £8,461 and spent £7,827 for each of its 336 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £440,000 (£1,309 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of Focus Academy Trust (Uk) Ltd, income was £7,160 and spending £6,808 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 · Trafford local authority: places and applications

Old Trafford Community Academy is part of Focus Academy Trust (Uk) Ltd, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Manor Green Primary Academy Manchester
• Lyndhurst Primary and Nursery School Oldham
• Freehold Community Academy Oldham
• Coppice Primary Academy Oldham
• Roundthorn Primary Academy Oldham
• Deeplish Primary Academy Rochdale
• Rudheath Primary Academy and Nursery Northwich
• Shibden Head Primary Academy Bradford
• Thornton Primary School Bradford
• Boothroyd Primary Academy Dewsbury

What is Old Trafford Community Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Old Trafford Community Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Old Trafford Community Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Old Trafford Community Academy was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Old Trafford Community Academy have?

Old Trafford Community Academy has 324 pupils on roll.

What age range does Old Trafford Community Academy cover?

Old Trafford Community Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Old Trafford Community Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Old Trafford Community Academy?

Old Trafford Community Academy is at Malvern Street, Old Trafford, Manchester, M15 4FL.