Higher Lane Primary School

Higher Lane Primary School is a happy, inclusive school where pupils feel safe and valued. Safeguarding is effective, personal development and wellbeing are a particular strength, and pupils’ behaviour and attendance are good. Pupils benefit from a wide wider offer, strong pastoral care and many opportunities to take on leadership roles. The school is part of Vision Multi Academy Trust and has a resourced provision for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, and it also uses alternative provision. Leaders have overhauled the curriculum, early years provision is strong, and pupils typically achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2. Inclusion is a clear strength, with prompt identification of needs and tailored support. However, achievement is less secure in some foundation subjects. Pupils do not always articulate or retain what they have learned, sometimes struggle to connect prior and new learning, and the quality of work in some subjects is not high enough, reflecting weaknesses in the previous curriculum. Writing is a specific concern: inaccuracies and letter formation limit pupils’ ability to communicate knowledge across subjects. Teachers’ assessment in some wider-curriculum subjects is not used well enough to shape future teaching. Disadvantaged pupils have historically underachieved in reading and writing, though recent improvements are helping them make more progress. The report’s next steps focus on strengthening assessment across the wider curriculum and improving writing and letter formation so all pupils can communicate their knowledge effectively. Overall, this is a school with strong care, inclusion and personal development, and improving academic outcomes in foundation subjects and writing are the main priorities.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met through an open, positive culture.
• Personal development and wellbeing are carefully woven into school life.
• Pupils develop respect for difference and are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• A wide range of opportunities and pupil leadership roles build confidence, communication and resilience.
• Pastoral support is impressive and helps disadvantaged pupils attend regularly and enjoy school.
• Attendance is typically above the national average and persistent absence is below the national average.
• Pupils behave well, act with kindness and courtesy, and bullying is very rare.
• The curriculum has been carefully overhauled and is sequenced with precision.
• Staff have strong subject knowledge and adapt learning well for pupils with SEND.
• Early years provision gives children a good start and builds a love of reading.
• Inclusion is strong, with prompt identification of needs, tailored support and full access to clubs and trips.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities and consider staff wellbeing.
• Parents and carers hold the school in high regard and value its care and communication.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not achieve well enough in some foundation subjects.
• Pupils sometimes struggle to articulate what they know and to connect prior learning with new content.
• The quality of pupils’ work in some subjects is not high enough because of deficiencies in the previous curriculum.
• Too many pupils in some year groups lack essential knowledge.
• Pupils’ writing often contains inaccuracies, including letter formation, which limits achievement across subjects.
• Teachers’ checks on understanding in some subjects are not used well enough to inform future teaching.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes in combined reading, writing and mathematics, and in writing, remain below national averages despite recent improvements.

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 Lane Primary School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.3% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Higher Lane 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 Lane Primary School had 27.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.9% 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, 10.6% of pupils at Higher Lane Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 5 pupils.

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 Higher Lane Primary School received £6,744 and spent £7,049 for each of its 501 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £131,000 (£261 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of Vision Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,729 and spending £7,658 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 · Bury local authority: places and applications

Higher Lane Primary School is part of Vision Multi Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Sunny Bank Primary School Bury
• Parrenthorn High School Manchester
• East Ward Community Primary School Bury
• Peel Brow School Bury

What is Higher Lane Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Higher Lane Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Higher Lane Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Higher Lane Primary School was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Higher Lane Primary School have?

Higher Lane Primary School has 491 pupils on roll.

What age range does Higher Lane Primary School cover?

Higher Lane Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Higher Lane Primary School?

Higher Lane Primary School is at Egerton Road, Whitefield, Manchester, M45 7EX.