Longford Park School, Manchester
Longford Park School is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Manchester, part of The Sovereign Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2024.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Longford Park School in detail
Longford Park School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Thank you for showing an interest in our school. We are a small, specialist setting on the boundary of the Manchester/Trafford areas. At Longford Park School, our core values underpin all we do. They are: I believe in myself and others I belong to the school's community I become the very best I can be"
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Longford Park School are St John Vianney RC School (0.7 miles, Good); SMS Changing Lives School (1.4 miles, Requires improvement, selective); Thompsons Academy trading as Navigators (1.5 miles); and The Orchards (1.8 miles, Good).
St John Vianney RC SchoolSMS Changing Lives SchoolThompsons Academy trading as NavigatorsThe Orchards
The trust
Longford Park School is one of 5 schools run by The Sovereign Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
64.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 3.3% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (69%), Mixed (16%) and Black (9%).
Almost every pupil at Longford Park School has an education, health and care plan (90 of 90 in 2026). The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Longford Park School has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs and moderate learning difficulties: 87 places, 94 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Stretford (Manchester Metrolink), about 620 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Marston Road (opposite), 220 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Longford Park School issued 10 suspensions, 12.7 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its April 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Personal development.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Behaviour & attitudes (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
64.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEN unit: Speech and language, Autism, SEMH +1
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 20% to 31% (2024 to 2025), while maths has improved from 8% to 13% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Longford Park School
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Longford Park School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Longford Park School is in Trafford; for families living there:
Apply to Trafford for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
0 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 Trafford is 11 (the median across 103 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
103%
Over capacity
90 pupils
87 places
3 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Manchester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Manchester
Across Trafford council
Places available
3,679
Applications
3,221
Got 1st preference
81.0%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All secondary applications across Trafford council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
90
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Longford Park School has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs and moderate learning difficulties: 87 places, 94 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
90
Total Pupils
78
Boys
12
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
5.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,060
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
14.0%
Overall absence
38.2%
Persistent absence
89
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
Longford Park School
Questions parents ask about Longford Park School
What are SATs results like at Longford Park School?
Of the pupils at Longford Park School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 31% reached the expected standard in reading and 13% did so in maths.
What is Longford Park School's Ofsted rating?
Longford Park School was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in April 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2013 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Longford Park School?
No fixed boundary. When Longford Park School is oversubscribed, Trafford allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Longford Park School?
Longford Park School has around 90 pupils on roll. 64% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Longford Park School have specialist SEN provision?
Longford Park School has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs and moderate learning difficulties: 87 places, 94 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Longford Park School?
14% of sessions were missed at Longford Park School in 2024/25. 38.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Longford Park School?
Apply through Trafford's coordinated admissions process, naming Longford Park School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Longford Park School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 0 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 Trafford is 11 (the median across 103 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Longford Park School?
Longford Park School is at 74 Cromwell Road, Stretford, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M32 8QJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)