Old Trafford Community Academy, Manchester
Old Trafford Community Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Manchester, part of Focus Academy Trust (uk) Ltd. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2022. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 194th-highest of the 258 schools in Manchester with published results, and 11,035th of 14,452 across England. It was 87% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Trafford (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Old Trafford Community Academy in detail
Old Trafford Community Academy in its own words
In its own words: "Old Trafford Community Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We comply with statutory requirements and adopt a best practice approach to safeguarding and safer recruitment at all times."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils at Old Trafford Community Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 65% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 84% and 82% in Trafford and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (69% in reading, 64% in maths).
Getting a place at Old Trafford Community Academy
For September 2026 entry, 24 families put Old Trafford Community Academy as their first choice and 69 named it as one of their preferences, for 25 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 Old Trafford Community Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Old Trafford Community Academy are St Alphonsus RC Primary School (0.1 miles, Outstanding, 90% reading, 86% maths); St Wilfrid's RC Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 92% reading, 92% maths); Seymour Park Community Primary School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 89% reading, 86% maths); and Rolls Crescent Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 74% reading, 70% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Old Trafford Community Academy.
St Alphonsus RC Primary SchoolSt Wilfrid's RC Primary SchoolSeymour Park Community Primary SchoolRolls Crescent Primary School
The trust
Old Trafford Community Academy is one of 15 schools run by Focus Academy Trust (uk) Ltd, an academy trust.
What parents say
44 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Old Trafford Community Academy (as of September 2025): 82% would recommend the school, 82% say their child is happy there and 79% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (96%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (75%).
Who goes there
55.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 69.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (36%), Black (28%) and Mixed (12%).
Staffing
Old Trafford Community Academy had 22 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 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 Cornbrook (Manchester Metrolink), about 570 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Malvern Street (cnr), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Old Trafford Community Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Old Trafford Community Academy issued 17 suspensions, 4.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Old Trafford Community Academy are Eton Academy (0.5 miles), Oasis Academy MediaCityUK (1 mile), Trinity CofE High School (1.1 miles) and AldridgeUTC@MediaCityUK (1.5 miles).
Eton AcademyOasis Academy MediaCityUKTrinity CofE High SchoolAldridgeUTC@MediaCityUK
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; DfE school workforce census; 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 agoOverall
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?
The rules of 'be ready, respectful and safe' are at the heart of this welcoming school. They are woven through the curriculum and school life. Pupils learn about differences and being respectful to others. This contributes to the sense of unity and partnership that is felt throughout the school. Pupils are happy in school. They are ready to learn and learning is rarely disrupted.
The school has high expectations for all pupils. Pupils achieve with increasing success at this improving school. Recent work to improve the curriculum, supported by the trust, is having a positive impact. However, the quality of education in essential areas such as reading, writing and mathematics requires improvement as reflected in the published low outcomes for pupils.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has taken decisive action to improve the curriculum. It has identified the important knowledge that all pupils need to learn. The carefully sequenced curriculum is suitably broad and ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
The school has focused on ensuring that learning in the key areas of reading, writing and mathematics is secure. Teachers follow an agreed lesson structure that supports pupils in revisiting prior learning before learning the next step. Teachers provide meaningful adaptations to support pupils with SEND. This enables pupils with SEND to access learning alongside their peers in class. Teachers use questioning skilfully to check and challenge pupils' learning before they move on. This is having a positive impact on the progress that pupils are now making through the English and mathematics curriculums, although they are still not achieving as well as they could. This is reflected in the published outcomes of 2023 national tests.
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 Requires Improvement at its December 2022 inspection - down from Good.
Rated Good for
Personal development, Early years.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Behaviour & attitudes (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
55.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
44 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 remained stable at around 71% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 65% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 60% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
21.6
Avg class size
18.5
Infant (KS1)
23.6
KS2
15
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Old Trafford Community Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Old Trafford Community Academy.
- Redbrick Academy Old Trafford380m away · Not yet graded
- Trafford Learning Vocational Centre760m away · Not yet graded
- LSC @ Rolls Crescent Primary School780m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Old Trafford Community Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Trafford's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Old Trafford Community Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Old Trafford Community Academy 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
- 27
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 27 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 23 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
5 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
Your chances of a place at Old Trafford Community Academy
Will you get a place at Old Trafford Community Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Old Trafford Community Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Old Trafford Community Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Old Trafford Community Academy.
- Trafford publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Old Trafford Community Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Old Trafford Community Academy for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Trafford 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
87%
Available places
330 pupils
380 places
50 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 Trafford council
Places available
2,990
Applications
2,238
Got 1st preference
94.5%
Got preferred school
99.6%
All primary applications across Trafford council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
45
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
17.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
324
Total Pupils
159
Boys
165
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
14.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,906
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,455
Per pupil
£2522k
Total funding
£276k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.5%
Overall absence
22.1%
Persistent absence
317
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
Old Trafford Community Academy
Questions parents ask about Old Trafford Community Academy
What are SATs results like at Old Trafford Community Academy?
Of the pupils at Old Trafford Community Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% reached the expected standard in reading and 65% did so in maths.
What is Old Trafford Community Academy's Ofsted rating?
Old Trafford Community Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2022, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Old Trafford Community Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Old Trafford Community Academy is oversubscribed, Trafford allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Old Trafford Community Academy?
Old Trafford Community Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 87% of its 380 places.
How big are the classes at Old Trafford Community Academy?
Classes at Old Trafford Community Academy average 21.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Old Trafford Community Academy?
Old Trafford Community Academy has around 324 pupils on roll. 56% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Old Trafford Community Academy?
6.5% of sessions were missed at Old Trafford Community Academy in 2024/25. 22.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Old Trafford Community Academy?
Apply through Trafford's coordinated admissions process, naming Old Trafford Community 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 Old Trafford Community Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Old Trafford Community Academy: Redbrick Academy Old Trafford (380m away, registered, not yet graded), Trafford Learning Vocational Centre (760m away, registered, not yet graded) and LSC @ Rolls Crescent Primary School (780m 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 Old Trafford Community Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 27 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 23 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 5 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 Old Trafford Community Academy?
Old Trafford Community Academy is at Malvern Street, Old Trafford, Manchester, M15 4FL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)