Rack House Primary School, Manchester
Rack House Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Manchester. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2021. That was 5 years ago, so the rating may not reflect the school today. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 46th-highest of the 258 schools in Manchester with published results, and 3,408th of 14,452 across England. It was 95% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2021)
- 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 Manchester (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Rack House Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils at Rack House Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 86% 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 (85% in reading, 86% in maths).
Getting a place at Rack House Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 42 families put Rack House Primary School as their first choice and 95 named it as one of their preferences, for 45 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 Rack House Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Rack House Primary School are St. Aidan's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.2 miles); Button Lane Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 57% reading, 65% maths); Northenden Community School (0.9 miles); and Lime Tree Primary Academy (0.9 miles, Outstanding, 79% reading, 82% maths).
Rack House Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 2 of them.
St. Aidan's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyButton Lane Primary SchoolNorthenden Community SchoolLime Tree Primary Academy
What parents say
42 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Rack House Primary School (as of April 2026): 95% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).
Who goes there
48.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 27.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (52%), Asian (17%) and Mixed (9%).
Rack House Primary School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs and moderate learning difficulties: 7 places, 7 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Northern Moor (Manchester Metrolink), about 750 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Sale Circle (adjacent), 180 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Rack House Primary School 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
Rack House Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Rack House Primary School are Dixons Brooklands Academy (0.9 miles) and Sale High School (1.1 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); 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 · 11 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Rack House excels at supporting all pupils to succeed, with particular strength in helping disadvantaged children and those with additional needs achieve at high levels in core subjects. The school creates a warm, inclusive environment where children feel safe and secure, with caring staff who listen to pupils' concerns. Children benefit from a carefully designed curriculum and strong teaching that helps them progress well and prepare for their next stage of learning.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional support for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs - they achieve much better than national averages in core subjects
- Strong teaching of reading, writing and mathematics with quick identification of pupils needing extra help
- Well-designed inclusive curriculum that allows pupils with additional needs to learn alongside their peers in mainstream classrooms
- Caring, orderly school environment with positive behaviour and effective anti-bullying approaches
- Strong leadership team with effective governors who challenge and support the school
Areas for Improvement
- Some gaps in knowledge and underdeveloped skills in a small number of subjects beyond reading, writing and mathematics
- Insufficient detail in curriculum planning for certain wider subjects, leaving teachers unsure what to prioritise
- Attendance remains a focus area despite improvements - continuing to work on reducing term-time holidays
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - the school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding where all legal requirements are met and pupils feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Robotics club, gymnastics club, music, trips to places of worship, museums and local theatres, school council
Rack House Primary School is an inclusive, well-led primary school with strong achievement in reading, writing and mathematics, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. The school provides effective support for pupils with special educational needs and creates a safe, nurturing environment where pupils thrive.
At a Glance
48.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language, Autism, SEMH +1
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
42 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at April 2026 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 84% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 82% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.6
Avg class size
26.5
Infant (KS1)
28.8
KS2
17
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Rack House Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Rack House Primary School.
- School of Play @ Button Lane590m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Rack House Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Rack House 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
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 on a bicycle.
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 Rack House Primary School
Will you get a place at Rack House Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Rack House Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Rack House Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Rack House 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 Rack House Primary School for 2014 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
95%
Near capacity
398 pupils
420 places
22 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
69
SEN Support
22
EHC Plans
19.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Rack House Primary School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs and moderate learning difficulties: 7 places, 7 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
460
Total Pupils
221
Boys
239
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
20.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,599
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,058
Per pupil
£2784k
Total funding
£283k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.9%
Overall absence
17.9%
Persistent absence
364
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
Rack House Primary School
Questions parents ask about Rack House Primary School
What are SATs results like at Rack House Primary School?
Of the pupils at Rack House Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 84% reached the expected standard in reading and 86% did so in maths.
What is Rack House Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Rack House Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2025, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2021, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Rack House Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Rack House 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 Rack House Primary School?
Rack House Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 95% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Rack House Primary School?
Classes at Rack House Primary School average 26.6 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Rack House Primary School?
Rack House Primary School has around 460 pupils on roll. 49% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Rack House Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
Rack House Primary School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs and moderate learning difficulties: 7 places, 7 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Rack House Primary School?
5.9% of sessions were missed at Rack House Primary School in 2024/25. 17.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Rack House Primary School?
Apply through Manchester's coordinated admissions process, naming Rack House 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 Rack House Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Rack House Primary School: School of Play @ Button Lane (590m 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 Rack House Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 on a bicycle. 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 Rack House Primary School?
Rack House Primary School is at Yarmouth Drive, Northern Moor, Manchester, M23 0BT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)