Birchfields Primary School, Manchester
Birchfields 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 February 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 188th-highest of the 258 schools in Manchester with published results, and 10,716th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Manchester (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Birchfields Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils at Birchfields Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 65% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 74% in Manchester and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 66% in reading and 60% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Birchfields Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 59 families put Birchfields Primary School as their first choice and 130 named it as one of their preferences, for 66 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Birchfields Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Birchfields Primary School are Cringle Brook Primary School (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 84% reading, 88% maths); Longsight Community Primary (0.5 miles, Good, 71% reading, 61% maths); St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme (0.5 miles, Good, 89% reading, 81% maths); and Alma Park Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 76% reading, 83% maths).
Birchfields Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Cringle Brook Primary SchoolLongsight Community PrimarySt James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-RusholmeAlma Park Primary School
What parents say
20 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Birchfields Primary School (as of September 2025): 90% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 25% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (25%).
Who goes there
58.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 83.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (80%), other ethnic groups (9%) and Black (5%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Levenshulme Rail Station, about 820 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lytham Road (near), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Birchfields 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, Birchfields Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Birchfields Primary School are Manchester Enterprise Academy Central (under 0.1 miles) and Levenshulme High School (0.7 miles).
Manchester Enterprise Academy CentralLevenshulme High School
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 February 2018, 8 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's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils feel happy to be part of this caring and welcoming school. They have a strong sense of belonging and settle in quickly, including pupils who arrive at different points during the year. Pupils told inspectors that 'everyone in this school matters' and that everybody 'should have the same chances to succeed'.
The school has established a culture where there are high expectations for pupils' achievement, including for disadvantaged pupils and for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils typically rise to these expectations and most achieve well. They appreciate recognition and rewards for their efforts.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has redoubled its efforts in designing a broad, knowledge-rich curriculum. It has determined the important knowledge that pupils should learn and the order in which teachers should introduce it from the start of the early years. This helps children in the early years to be well prepared for key stage 1.
Most pupils typically learn well across a range of subjects. Nonetheless, over time, the school has not placed sufficient emphasis on the development of pupils' written and spoken communication skills. As a result, pupils make mistakes in their spoken language and in their written work. These mistakes linger throughout their time at school.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2018 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
58.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
20 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 66% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 60% to 65% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 58% to 63% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.9
Avg class size
26.9
Infant (KS1)
27.7
KS2
21
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Birchfields Primary School
Welcome Meeting Slides
18 Sep 2026
Welcome Meetings
4 Sep 2026
Classes for September 2026
30 Jun 2026
School Newsletter Week Beginning 15th June 2026
15 Jun 2026
Survey - New After School Club
10 Jun 2026
School Newsletter Week Beginning 1st June
5 Jun 2026
From Birchfields Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Birchfields Primary School
Before and after school care
Birchfields 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
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Birchfields Primary School.
- Cringle Brook Kids Club660m away · Not yet graded
- Alma Park Kids Club930m away · Not yet graded
- Manchester Learning Zone990m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Birchfields Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Birchfields 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
- 44
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 9
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 44 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 35 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
9 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 Birchfields Primary School
Will you get a place at Birchfields Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Birchfields Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Birchfields Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Birchfields 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 Birchfields 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
89%
Available places
563 pupils
630 places
67 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(7)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
86
SEN Support
28
EHC Plans
19.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
592
Total Pupils
315
Boys
277
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
33
Teachers
17.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£57,023
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,979
Per pupil
£3994k
Total funding
£453k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.3%
Overall absence
20.8%
Persistent absence
538
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
Birchfields Primary School
Questions parents ask about Birchfields Primary School
What are SATs results like at Birchfields Primary School?
Of the pupils at Birchfields Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 73% reached the expected standard in reading and 65% did so in maths.
What is Birchfields Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Birchfields Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Birchfields Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Birchfields 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 Birchfields Primary School?
Birchfields Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Birchfields Primary School?
Classes at Birchfields Primary School average 25.9 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Birchfields Primary School?
Birchfields Primary School has around 592 pupils on roll. 58% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Birchfields Primary School?
6.3% of sessions were missed at Birchfields Primary School in 2024/25. 20.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Birchfields Primary School?
Apply through Manchester's coordinated admissions process, naming Birchfields 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 Birchfields Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Birchfields 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. Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Birchfields Primary School: Cringle Brook Kids Club (660m away, registered, not yet graded), Alma Park Kids Club (930m away, registered, not yet graded) and Manchester Learning Zone (990m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Birchfields Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 44 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 35 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 9 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 Birchfields Primary School?
Birchfields Primary School is at Lytham Road, Fallowfield, Manchester, M14 6PL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)