Rushbrook Primary Academy, Manchester
Rushbrook Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Manchester, part of Bright Futures Educational Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. 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 77% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- 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 Manchester (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Rushbrook Primary Academy in detail
Rushbrook Primary Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I am proud to welcome you to Rushbrook Academy, the ‘Rushbrook family’ as we are known. We have a Nursery for 40 children aged 3-4 years old and we have a three-form intake from Reception upwards. We have a free breakfast club each day for all of our pupils and many after school enrichment clubs."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at Rushbrook Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 68% 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 (69% in reading, 71% in maths).
Getting a place at Rushbrook Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 42 families put Rushbrook Primary Academy as their first choice and 88 named it as one of their preferences, for 44 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 Rushbrook Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Rushbrook Primary Academy are Oasis Academy Aspinal (0.5 miles, Good, 90% reading, 90% maths); Gorton Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 59% reading, 59% maths); Old Hall Drive Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 79% reading, 75% maths); and Sacred Heart RC Primary School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 89% reading, 80% maths).
Rushbrook Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Oasis Academy AspinalGorton Primary SchoolOld Hall Drive AcademySacred Heart RC Primary School
The trust
Rushbrook Primary Academy is one of 11 schools run by Bright Futures Educational Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
61% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 63.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (29%), Black (26%) and White British (15%).
In 2026, 106 pupils (20.7%) received SEN support and 55 (10.7%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Rushbrook Primary Academy has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 40 places, 40 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Ryder Brow Rail Station, about 690 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Sandown Crescent (near), 220 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Rushbrook Primary 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
Rushbrook Primary Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Rushbrook Primary Academy are Cedar Mount Academy (0.2 miles) and Reddish Vale 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; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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 · 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?
Pupils are happy at this warm and caring school. They know that staff will listen to them. Pupils appreciate the care and guidance that is offered to them by the school.
The school is ambitious for the achievement of its pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils display positive attitudes towards their learning. They achieve well in most subjects.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has worked successfully with the trust to secure improvements to the quality of its curriculum. Trustees and members of the local governing body have an accurate picture of the work of the school. They hold the school to account for its work.
The school has designed an ambitious curriculum that meets the learning needs of pupils, including those with SEND. The curriculum provides clarity for teachers about the knowledge that they should teach to pupils and when they should do so. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes gain a positive start to their education. They settle into school life quickly due to the strong relationships that they enjoy with staff.
From Ofsted's June 2024 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 June 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
61.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEN unit: Speech and language, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 68% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 68% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 67% to 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.3
Avg class size
25.5
Infant (KS1)
27.7
KS2
22
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Rushbrook Primary Academy
Speak Out, Stay Safe
14 Jul 2026
Year 3 Trip to HOME
12 Mar 2026
Youth Sport Trust Transformational Achievement Award
12 Mar 2026
TT Rockstar Day - February 10th 2026
2 Feb 2026
We are Scientists!
30 Jan 2026
Transformational Achievement Award Finalists
22 Jan 2026
From Rushbrook Primary Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Rushbrook Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Rushbrook Primary Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Manchester
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Rushbrook Primary Academy.
- Progressive Sports770m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Rushbrook Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Rushbrook Primary Academy 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
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot.
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 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 Rushbrook Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Rushbrook Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Rushbrook Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Rushbrook Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Rushbrook Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Manchester, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Rushbrook Primary Academy 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
77%
Available places
485 pupils
630 places
145 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(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
106
SEN Support
55
EHC Plans
31.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Rushbrook Primary Academy has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 40 places, 40 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
513
Total Pupils
268
Boys
245
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
29
Teachers
17.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,489
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,285
Per pupil
£3542k
Total funding
£424k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.0%
Overall absence
23.3%
Persistent absence
467
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
Rushbrook Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Rushbrook Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Rushbrook Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Rushbrook Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 68% reached the expected standard in reading and 68% did so in maths.
What is Rushbrook Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Rushbrook Primary Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2022 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Rushbrook Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Rushbrook Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Manchester allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Rushbrook Primary Academy?
Rushbrook Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 77% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Rushbrook Primary Academy?
Classes at Rushbrook Primary Academy average 23.3 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Rushbrook Primary Academy?
Rushbrook Primary Academy has around 513 pupils on roll. 61% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Rushbrook Primary Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Rushbrook Primary Academy has a SEN unit for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 40 places, 40 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Rushbrook Primary Academy?
7% of sessions were missed at Rushbrook Primary Academy in 2024/25. 23.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Rushbrook Primary Academy?
Apply through Manchester's coordinated admissions process, naming Rushbrook 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 Rushbrook Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Rushbrook Primary Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Rushbrook Primary Academy: Progressive Sports (770m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Rushbrook Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot. 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 Manchester is 22 (the median across 222 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Rushbrook Primary Academy?
Rushbrook Primary Academy is at Shillingford Road, Gorton, Manchester, Lancashire, M18 7TN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)