West Didsbury CE Primary School

West Didsbury CE Primary School continues to demonstrate solid performance as a good school. Pupils are highly engaged and develop strong relationships with both staff and each other, which contributes to a positive learning environment. The school places a strong emphasis on reading, and students progress well in this area due to effective phonics instruction. Recent feedback from parents indicates general satisfaction and support for the school.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy a supportive and welcoming school community.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious, and well-designed for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Pupils achieve well through strong subject knowledge and effective teaching.
• There is a strong emphasis on reading, with nearly all pupils reading fluently by the end of Year 2.
• Pupils learn to keep themselves safe and can articulate healthy relationship concepts.

Areas for Improvement

• Some foundation subjects lack clear identification of essential knowledge and vocabulary.
• Subject leaders need further training to ensure curriculum coherence and progression.

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 West Didsbury CE Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.0% 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, 0.2% of pupils at West Didsbury CE 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 West Didsbury CE Primary School had 26.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.3% 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, 8.0% of pupils at West Didsbury CE 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 2024–25 West Didsbury CE Primary School received £7,013 and spent £6,101 for each of its 412 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £511,000 (£1,241 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Thrive Church of England Academy Trust Ltd, income was £5,950 and spending £5,888 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

West Didsbury CE Primary School is part of Thrive Church of England Academy Trust Ltd, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Didsbury CofE Primary School Manchester
• St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden Manchester
• St Elisabeth's Church of England Primary Stockport
• St Luke's CofE Primary School Salford

What is West Didsbury CE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for West Didsbury CE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was West Didsbury CE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

West Didsbury CE Primary School was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does West Didsbury CE Primary School have?

West Didsbury CE Primary School has 402 pupils on roll.

What age range does West Didsbury CE Primary School cover?

West Didsbury CE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are West Didsbury CE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is West Didsbury CE Primary School?

West Didsbury CE Primary School is at Central Road, West Didsbury, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M20 4ZA.