Didsbury CofE Primary School, Manchester
Didsbury CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Manchester, part of Thrive Church of England Academy Trust Ltd. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 258 schools in Manchester with published results, and 637th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.2 first-choice applications for every place. It was 94% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Didsbury CofE Primary School in detail
Didsbury CofE Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Welcome to Didsbury CE Primary School. Didsbury is a 1 form entry primary school set in the heart of Didsbury village. We enjoy very close links with our parish, providing excellent education for the children of this community for over 400 years."
Coming up: an open day on Friday 15 January 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Manchester
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 96% of Year 6 pupils at Didsbury CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 92% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 74% in Manchester and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (93% in reading, 90% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Didsbury CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 37 families put Didsbury CofE Primary School as their first choice and 182 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 7 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Didsbury CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Didsbury CofE Primary School are Beaver Road Primary School (0.2 miles, Outstanding, 82% reading, 82% maths); St Catherine's RC Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 76% reading, 67% maths); West Didsbury CE Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 81% reading, 86% maths); and Broad Oak Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 93% reading, 81% maths).
Didsbury CofE Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Beaver Road Primary SchoolSt Catherine's RC Primary SchoolWest Didsbury CE Primary SchoolBroad Oak Primary School
The trust
Didsbury CofE Primary School is one of 5 schools run by Thrive Church of England Academy Trust Ltd, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
8.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
Didsbury CofE Primary School had 14 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Didsbury Village (Manchester Metrolink), about 170 metres away (roughly a 2-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Grange Lane, 70 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Didsbury CofE Primary School issued 5 suspensions, 2.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Didsbury CofE Primary School are The Barlow RC High School (0.4 miles), Parrs Wood High School (0.7 miles) and Didsbury High School (1.2 miles).
The Barlow RC High SchoolParrs Wood High SchoolDidsbury High School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2022 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Early years (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
8.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 96% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 92% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 86% to 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.4
Avg class size
27.3
Infant (KS1)
28.0
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Didsbury CofE Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Didsbury CofE Primary School.
- PSCL - St Catherine's RC Primary School600m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Didsbury CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Didsbury CofE 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
- 26
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 11
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 11 serious and 15 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
1 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 Didsbury CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at Didsbury CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Didsbury CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Didsbury CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Didsbury CofE 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 Didsbury CofE Primary School for 2016 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
94%
Near capacity
194 pupils
207 places
13 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
33
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
18.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
222
Total Pupils
120
Boys
102
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
15.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,810
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,304
Per pupil
£1059k
Total funding
£11k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
10.7%
Persistent absence
169
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
Didsbury CofE Primary School
Questions parents ask about Didsbury CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at Didsbury CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at Didsbury CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 96% reached the expected standard in reading and 92% did so in maths.
What is Didsbury CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Didsbury CofE Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2022. At its previous graded inspection in 2008 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Didsbury CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Didsbury CofE 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 Didsbury CofE Primary School?
Didsbury CofE Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 94% of its 207 places.
How big are the classes at Didsbury CofE Primary School?
Classes at Didsbury CofE Primary School average 27.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Didsbury CofE Primary School?
Didsbury CofE Primary School has around 222 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Didsbury CofE Primary School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at Didsbury CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 10.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Didsbury CofE Primary School?
Apply through Manchester's coordinated admissions process, naming Didsbury CofE 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 Didsbury CofE Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Didsbury CofE Primary School: PSCL - St Catherine's RC Primary School (600m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Didsbury CofE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 11 serious and 15 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 1 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 Didsbury CofE Primary School?
Didsbury CofE Primary School is at Elm Grove, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 6RL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)