St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden, Manchester
St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Manchester, part of Thrive Church of England Academy Trust Ltd. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 169th-highest of the 258 schools in Manchester with published results, and 9,801st of 14,452 across England. It was 94% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- 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
St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden in detail
St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden in its own words
In its own words: "Welcome to St. Wilfrid's Church of England Primary School. St. Wilfrid's is part of the Thrive CE Academy Trust. We are committed to a distinctively Christian and Anglican educational experience, which is encapsulated by our core values of Belonging , Believing and Becoming ."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils at St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden reached the expected standard in reading and 70% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 74% in Manchester and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 85% in reading and 83% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden
For September 2026 entry, 44 families put St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden as their first choice and 89 named it as one of their preferences, for 44 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden are Northenden Community School (0.4 miles); Benchill Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 72% reading, 63% maths); St. Aidan's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.9 miles); and Rack House Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 84% reading, 86% maths).
St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 2 schools.
Northenden Community SchoolBenchill Primary SchoolSt. Aidan's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyRack House Primary School
The trust
St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden is one of 5 schools run by Thrive Church of England Academy Trust Ltd, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Staffing
St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden had 22 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 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 Benchill (Manchester Metrolink), about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Harling Road (near), 160 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden issued 4 suspensions, 1.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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 workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from March 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are happy to attend this friendly and welcoming school. They look forward to their time spent learning and playing. The school has a strong community spirit, fostered in part through the close bonds that older pupils develop with their younger peers.
Pupils build warm and trusting relationships with staff. They are confident that staff will help them to resolve any issues that may arise. Pupils typically behave well, treating one another with kindness and respect. At playtimes, pupils enjoy participating in a variety of games and activities.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school and the trust are united in their vision for pupils' education. This begins from the start of the early years, where the school has crafted a well-considered curriculum with a strong focus on developing children's communication and language. This prepares children in the Nursery class for learning how to read. From the beginning of the Reception class, expert teachers deliver a highly effective phonics programme. Pupils practise reading regularly, using books that contain the sounds that they already know. Staff swiftly identify pupils who struggle with reading. The school ensures that these pupils get the additional help that they need.
In most subjects, the school has clearly defined what pupils should learn and the order in which this should be taught. It has thought carefully about how learning is organised over a two-year cycle, to enable pupils in mixed-aged classes to learn all that they should. Teachers benefit from regular opportunities to work collaboratively with their colleagues to design learning, which helps to alleviate workload demands.
From Ofsted's June 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 March 2019 inspection - up from Inadequate.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
27.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 85% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 83% to 70% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 78% to 52% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.3
Avg class size
26.6
Infant (KS1)
28.0
KS2
12
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden 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
- 16
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 9 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
4 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 St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden
Will you get a place at St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Manchester, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden for 2017 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
94%
Near capacity
296 pupils
315 places
19 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
56
SEN Support
15
EHC Plans
20.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
340
Total Pupils
184
Boys
156
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
15.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,278
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,462
Per pupil
£1859k
Total funding
£115k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.4%
Overall absence
12.3%
Persistent absence
268
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden
What are SATs results like at St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden?
Of the pupils at St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 73% reached the expected standard in reading and 70% did so in maths.
What is St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden's Ofsted rating?
St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden?
No fixed boundary. When St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden is oversubscribed, Manchester allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden?
St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden was not full in 2025: it ran at 94% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden?
Classes at St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden average 28.3 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 St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden?
St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden has around 340 pupils on roll. 27% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden?
5.4% of sessions were missed at St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden in 2024/25. 12.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden?
Apply through Manchester's coordinated admissions process, naming St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden 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.
How many road collisions happen near St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 9 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 4 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 St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden?
St Wilfrid's CofE Aided Primary School Northenden is at Patterdale Road, Northenden, Manchester, M22 4NR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)