Benchill Primary School, Manchester
Benchill Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Manchester. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 201st-highest of the 258 schools in Manchester with published results, and 11,173rd of 14,452 across England. It was 85% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Manchester (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Benchill Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils at Benchill Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 63% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 74% in Manchester and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 58% in reading and 65% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Benchill Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 40 families put Benchill Primary School as their first choice and 97 named it as one of their preferences, for 40 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Benchill Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Benchill Primary School are Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Catholic Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 65% reading, 63% maths); Haveley Hey Community School (0.6 miles, Good, 70% reading, 68% maths); Newall Green Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 66% reading, 59% maths); and Baguley Hall Primary School (0.7 miles, Requires improvement, 69% reading, 82% maths).
Benchill Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Catholic Primary SchoolHaveley Hey Community SchoolNewall Green Primary SchoolBaguley Hall Primary School
What parents say
15 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Benchill Primary School (as of September 2025): 80% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (93%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Who goes there
64.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 31.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (52%), Black (14%) and Mixed (12%).
In 2026, 70 pupils (14.6%) received SEN support and 39 (8.1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Benchill Primary School has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 30 places, 27 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Martinscroft (Manchester Metrolink), about 790 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Brookfield Gardens (near), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Benchill Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Benchill Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 0.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Benchill Primary School are Saint Paul's Catholic High School (0.8 miles), Manchester Enterprise Academy (0.9 miles), Dixons Newall Green Academy (1.1 miles) and Dixons Brooklands Academy (1.3 miles).
Saint Paul's Catholic High SchoolManchester Enterprise AcademyDixons Newall Green AcademyDixons Brooklands Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from September 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Benchill Primary School excels at creating a warm, respectful community where pupils behave well and feel safe. The school brings learning to life through enriching experiences like musical instrument lessons and author visits, helping children think about their future aspirations. Staff build strong relationships with pupils and provide excellent tailored support for those who need extra help.
Key Strengths
- Strong behaviour and positive relationships between staff and pupils create a happy, safe learning environment
- Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities
- Early years provision is good, with children developing strong phonics knowledge and mathematical understanding
- Rich enrichment opportunities including music lessons, author visits, and various clubs inspire pupils to try new things
Areas for Improvement
- Too many pupils lack the reading skills needed for future learning, particularly in answering questions about texts
- Curriculum not clearly defined in several subjects, causing pupils to struggle acquiring and remembering important knowledge
- Staff do not routinely check that pupils have understood new learning, leading to knowledge gaps
- Inconsistent curriculum development means improvements in some subjects like music and science have not yet reached other areas
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Musical instrument lessons, author visits, mini-police roles, science clubs, sewing clubs, debating clubs, dance clubs, breakfast club, after-school clubs
Benchill Primary School is in the early stages of developing an improved curriculum with increased ambition for pupils. While behaviour and attitudes are good, the quality of education requires improvement, particularly in reading skills and curriculum consistency across subjects.
At a Glance
64.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEN unit: Speech and language, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
15 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 58% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 63% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 69% to 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
21.6
Avg class size
28.4
Infant (KS1)
22.5
KS2
21
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Benchill Primary School
Before and after school care
Benchill Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Manchester
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Benchill Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Benchill Primary School is in Manchester; for families living there:
Apply to Manchester for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 22
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 22 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 15 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Manchester is 22 (the median across 222 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Benchill Primary School
Will you get a place at Benchill Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Benchill Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Benchill Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Benchill Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Manchester, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Benchill Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Manchester got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
85%
Available places
453 pupils
532 places
79 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Manchester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Manchester
Across Manchester council
Places available
7,530
Applications
5,736
Got 1st preference
95.0%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Manchester council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
70
SEN Support
39
EHC Plans
22.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Benchill Primary School has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 30 places, 27 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
479
Total Pupils
244
Boys
235
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
28
Teachers
17.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,399
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,538
Per pupil
£3745k
Total funding
£468k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.4%
Overall absence
18.9%
Persistent absence
439
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Questions parents ask about Benchill Primary School
What are SATs results like at Benchill Primary School?
Of the pupils at Benchill Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 72% reached the expected standard in reading and 63% did so in maths.
What is Benchill Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Benchill Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Benchill Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Benchill Primary School is oversubscribed, Manchester allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Benchill Primary School?
Benchill Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 85% of its 532 places.
How big are the classes at Benchill Primary School?
Classes at Benchill Primary School average 21.6 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Benchill Primary School?
Benchill Primary School has around 479 pupils on roll. 65% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Benchill Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
Benchill Primary School has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 30 places, 27 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Benchill Primary School?
6.4% of sessions were missed at Benchill Primary School in 2024/25. 18.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Benchill Primary School?
Apply through Manchester's coordinated admissions process, naming Benchill Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Benchill Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Benchill Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Benchill Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 22 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 15 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Manchester is 22 (the median across 222 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Benchill Primary School?
Benchill Primary School is at Benchill Road, Wythenshawe, Manchester, M22 8EJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)