Manston St James Primary Academy, Leeds
Manston St James Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Leeds, part of Abbey Multi Academy Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 118th-highest of the 182 schools in Leeds with published results, and 10,218th of 14,452 across England. It was 86% 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 Leeds (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Manston St James Primary Academy in detail
Manston St James Primary Academy in its own words
In its own words: "At Manston St James Primary Academy we believe every child in our care is a unique child of God."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include dance and drama.
The school runs after-school care until 6:00pm.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils at Manston St James Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 66% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 76% in Leeds and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 80% in reading and 69% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Manston St James Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 29 families put Manston St James Primary Academy as their first choice and 107 named it as one of their preferences, for 31 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 Manston St James Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Manston St James Primary Academy are Manston Primary (0.2 miles, Good, 66% reading, 76% maths); St Theresa's Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 87% reading, 85% maths); Swarcliffe Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 75% reading, 59% maths); and Cross Gates Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 83% reading, 87% maths).
Manston St James Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Manston PrimarySt Theresa's Catholic Primary SchoolSwarcliffe Primary SchoolCross Gates Primary School
The trust
Manston St James Primary Academy is one of 8 schools run by Abbey Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
82 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Manston St James Primary Academy (as of September 2025): 71% would recommend the school, 81% say their child is happy there and 41% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (83%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (41%).
Who goes there
16.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 58 pupils (18%) received SEN support and 3 (0.9%) 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 a moderate learning difficulty.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Cross Gates Rail Station, about 840 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Manston Avenue (opposite), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Manston St James Primary Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Manston St James Primary Academy issued 5 suspensions, 1.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Manston St James Primary Academy are John Smeaton Academy (0.5 miles), Leeds East Academy (0.7 miles) and Temple Moor High School (1.2 miles).
John Smeaton AcademyLeeds East AcademyTemple Moor 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; 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2015, 11 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 thrive at this caring and nurturing school. There is a strong commitment to supporting pupils' emotional needs. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and caring. Pupils trust adults to take care of them. The majority of parents and carers are positive about the work of the school. They recognise the improvements in behaviour and communication.
The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement and is committed to improving outcomes. The new leadership team has swiftly identified key issues to address in the curriculum and pupils' behaviour. There has been strong impact in these areas. Previously published outcomes do not reflect the quality of learning current pupils benefit from. Pupils now achieve well across most subjects, including reading and mathematics.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The curriculum has been thoughtfully designed so that pupils' learning builds over time. Key vocabulary has been identified and teachers help pupils to use it during their learning. Pupils talk confidently about their learning and can explain their thinking. For example, pupils describe using column methods to become quicker when solving problems in mathematics. The curriculum is carefully adapted to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) can access their learning successfully.
In mathematics and reading, most pupils have the necessary knowledge to leave school ready for the next stage in their learning. However, achievement in writing is more variable and not all pupils achieve consistently well. The school has recently started to address this through improvements to the writing curriculum. The school has prioritised the development of pupils' vocabulary and linking the teaching of writing to high-quality texts.
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 January 2015 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
16.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
82 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 80% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 66% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 54% to 59% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.0
Avg class size
23.2
Infant (KS1)
29.7
KS2
12
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Manston St James Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Manston St James Primary Academy.
- Dizzys Kids ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Manston St James Primary Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Leeds's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Manston St James Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Manston St James Primary Academy is in Leeds; for families living there:
Apply to Leeds for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 14
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 10 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
2 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 Leeds is 18.5 (the median across 308 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 Manston St James Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Manston St James Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Manston St James Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Manston St James Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Manston St James Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Leeds, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Manston St James Primary Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Leeds 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
86%
Available places
353 pupils
409 places
56 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Leeds
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leeds
Across Leeds council
Places available
10,125
Applications
8,039
Got 1st preference
92.4%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Leeds council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
58
SEN Support
3
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
323
Total Pupils
161
Boys
162
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,650
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,102
Per pupil
£1956k
Total funding
£89k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.7%
Overall absence
15.5%
Persistent absence
335
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
Manston St James Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Manston St James Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Manston St James Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Manston St James Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 75% reached the expected standard in reading and 66% did so in maths.
What is Manston St James Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Manston St James Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Manston St James Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Manston St James Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Leeds allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Manston St James Primary Academy?
Manston St James Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 86% of its 409 places.
How big are the classes at Manston St James Primary Academy?
Classes at Manston St James Primary Academy average 27 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Manston St James Primary Academy?
Manston St James Primary Academy has around 323 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Manston St James Primary Academy?
5.7% of sessions were missed at Manston St James Primary Academy in 2024/25. 15.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Manston St James Primary Academy?
Apply through Leeds's coordinated admissions process, naming Manston St James Primary Academy 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 Manston St James Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Dizzys Kids Club (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 Manston St James Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 10 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 2 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 Leeds is 18.5 (the median across 308 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Manston St James Primary Academy?
Manston St James Primary Academy is at Sandbed Lane, Crossgates, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS15 8JH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)