Chowbent Primary School, Manchester
Chowbent Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Manchester. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 242nd-highest of the 258 schools in Manchester with published results, and 13,289th of 14,452 across England. It was 70% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wigan (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Chowbent Primary School in detail
Chowbent Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I am proud to welcome you to Chowbent Primary School, a caring and inclusive school at the heart of Atherton, Wigan, where every child is valued and supported to achieve their full potential. As a small school, we are proud of the strong family atmosphere that exists throughout our classrooms."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am, from £4.00 per day.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils at Chowbent Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 54% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 79% in Wigan and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 73% in reading and 77% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Chowbent Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 17 families put Chowbent Primary School as their first choice and 41 named it as one of their preferences, for 19 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 Chowbent Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Chowbent Primary School are St Philip's CofE Primary School, Atherton (0.1 miles, Good, 80% reading, 80% maths); Parklee Primary School (0.4 miles); Meadowbank Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 87% reading, 87% maths); and St Richard's Roman Catholic Primary School Atherton (0.5 miles, Good, 54% reading, 75% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Chowbent Primary School.
St Philip's CofE Primary School, AthertonParklee Primary SchoolMeadowbank Primary SchoolSt Richard's Roman Catholic Primary School Atherton
What parents say
39 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Chowbent Primary School (as of September 2025): 87% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (92%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).
Who goes there
36.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 10.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (85%), Black (7%) and other ethnic groups (6%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Atherton Rail Station, about 460 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Car Bank Street (opposite), 210 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Chowbent Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Chowbent Primary School are Atherton High School (0.5 miles) and Fred Longworth High School (0.8 miles).
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); 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 May 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Chowbent Primary School provides an ambitious curriculum where children build their understanding step by step, with teachers using regular checks to adapt their teaching. The school nurtures happy, well-behaved pupils who take pride in their work and celebrate each other's achievements. Beyond academics, the school offers wonderful enrichment through music, sports, residential visits and community involvement that help children develop teamwork, resilience and independence.
Key Strengths
- Ambitious curriculum with well-considered links between subjects and strong subject leadership
- Skilled early reading instruction with most pupils reading accurately and fluently by end of year 2
- Effective support for pupils with SEND to follow the same ambitious curriculum as their peers
- Peaceful and orderly school with an atmosphere of mutual respect and positive behaviour
- Strong enrichment through music, sports, residential visits and cultural experiences
Areas for Improvement
- Sometimes teachers do not check if all pupils are concentrating and have understood key teaching points, causing some pupils to waste learning time
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with leaders maintaining an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Choral singing, musical instruments, cricket, outdoor adventure, residential visits, museum and gallery visits, charity support, litter picks
Chowbent Primary School has successfully maintained its good standards since the previous inspection. Pupils are proud to attend this nurturing school with a happy, calm atmosphere where they benefit from strong academic and pastoral care.
At a Glance
36.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
39 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 declined from 73% to 61% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 77% to 54% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 80% to 57% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.5
Avg class size
22.3
Infant (KS1)
26.7
KS2
6
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 Chowbent Primary School
Before and after school care
Chowbent 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 Wigan
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Chowbent Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Chowbent Primary School is in Wigan; for families living there:
Apply to Wigan for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 12
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 10 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
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 Wigan is 10 (the median across 146 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 Chowbent Primary School
Will you get a place at Chowbent Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Chowbent Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Chowbent Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Chowbent Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wigan, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Chowbent Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wigan 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
70%
Available places
146 pupils
210 places
64 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 Wigan council
Places available
3,894
Applications
3,541
Got 1st preference
88.7%
Got preferred school
97.3%
All primary applications across Wigan council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
21
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
19.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
147
Total Pupils
87
Boys
60
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
16.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£58,251
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,482
Per pupil
£1064k
Total funding
£70k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.8%
Overall absence
13.8%
Persistent absence
130
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
Chowbent Primary School
Questions parents ask about Chowbent Primary School
What are SATs results like at Chowbent Primary School?
Of the pupils at Chowbent Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 61% reached the expected standard in reading and 54% did so in maths.
What is Chowbent Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Chowbent Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Chowbent Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Chowbent Primary School is oversubscribed, Wigan allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Chowbent Primary School?
Chowbent Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 70% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Chowbent Primary School?
Classes at Chowbent Primary School average 24.5 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 Chowbent Primary School?
Chowbent Primary School has around 147 pupils on roll. 36% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Chowbent Primary School?
5.8% of sessions were missed at Chowbent Primary School in 2024/25. 13.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Chowbent Primary School?
Apply through Wigan's coordinated admissions process, naming Chowbent 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 Chowbent Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Chowbent 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 Chowbent Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 10 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 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 Wigan is 10 (the median across 146 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Chowbent Primary School?
Chowbent Primary School is at Laburnum Street, Atherton, Manchester, M46 9FP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)