School Chooser

Boarshaw Community Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedCouncil446 pupilsNurseryManchesterRochdale
School Chooser Score
33
Below
similar schools
Likely range 18 to 53, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 40% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, October 2022
Reached the expected level at 1156%England 63%
Attendance93.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families41%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull446 pupils, 446 places
Pupils per teacher23.5School workforce census

Boarshaw Community Primary School is a council school in Manchester for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 446 pupils and every place is taken. About 41 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 33 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 40% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Stanycliffe Lane, Middleton, Stanycliffe Lane Middleton Manchester, Manchester, M24 2PB0161 653 9536boarshawprimary.co.ukMrs Jackie Harland headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 13 October 2022 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

61 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1156%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level3%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score102.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score104.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 79%79%20172018: 62%62%20182019: 70%70%20192023: 65%65%20232024: 48%48%20242025: 56%56%2025
Since 2017: -23%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017RochdaleEngland
Pupils tested616357402929
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths56%48%65%70%62%79%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths3%0%5%5%0%7%4%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score102.0103.0103.0104.0103.0104.0104.3105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score104.0103.0105.0105.0105.0104.0103.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0104.0102.0106.0107.0105.0105.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard66%62%74%73%72%83%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard77%71%86%85%90%86%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)66%56%68%78%79%90%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.5-0.7-0.2+1.2
Maths progressMaths progress score+3.0+0.3+1.4+2.8
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged56%37%57%70%53%72%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged55%58%71%71%71%91%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 3 of the 4 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
56%55%
Gap 1 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
50%63%
Gap 13 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
53%56%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%3%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Full430 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
102% full

The school is full, with 10 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have grown by 12% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Rochdale council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll446Census January 2026
Places446100% full
Pupils from low-income families41%41% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English27%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support19%86 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan9%42 pupils with a plan
Average class size28.115 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils20%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)40%£261,950 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls237 / 209
White British pupils49%

Specialist SEND provision. SEN unit with 24 pupils, for autism, speech, language and communication.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Rochdale with autism provision.

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.6 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 28.6 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (55), Autistic spectrum disorder (47), emotional and mental health (13), Moderate learning difficulty (9), Hearing impairment (2), Multi-sensory impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll446468441428376339
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals41%42%41%47%49%46%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language27%27%27%26%21%19%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support18%18%15%14%19%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans8%7%6%6%4%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school20.6%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils9.82024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission4.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.4%6.7%7.2%8.2%4.4%4.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence1.7%1.4%1.6%2.6%2.0%1.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence4.7%5.2%5.5%5.6%2.4%3.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence20.6%21.7%22.4%27.0%12.1%14.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate9.85.78.710.46.8
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions01310

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers19.0full-time equivalent, 19 people
Pupils per teacher23.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants43.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,142
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.32024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£7,233England £7,738. Total £3.4m
Income per pupil£7,322England £7,697. Total £3.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,520England £3,480
Money in reserve5%Not much put by: £158k, £337 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£41kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,233spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate0 per 1,000 people100% lower than the England average
Typical house price£207,000Rochdale
Nearest bus stop160 mAcresfield Road, 22 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St John Fisher Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyAcademy90 m211Good 2024Compare
Hollin Primary SchoolCouncil520 m331Good 202448Compare
Middleton Parish Church SchoolAcademy0.7 miles432No overall grade 2025Compare
Elm Wood Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles453Good 20249Compare
St Gabriel's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England1.1 miles230Good 202455Compare
Parkfield Primary SchoolCouncil1.1 miles212Good 202332Compare
St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, RochdaleRoman Catholic1.1 miles213No overall grade 202565Compare
St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, MiddletonRoman Catholic1.1 miles462Good 202322Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Boarshaw Community Primary School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats40%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 33 is 11 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 44 · highest 100100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Boarshaw Community Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Manchester Road Primary AcademyAcademy5.6 miles371Good 201951Compare
St Edmund's RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic9.6 miles339Report card 202569Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 33 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 33% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 18 to 53. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%below
-0.13
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 61 pupils
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.14
DfE progress measure; 61 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.07
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.10
2024/25; 403 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.05
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 61 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Boarshaw Community Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Boarshaw Community Primary School scores 33 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 40% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 18 to 53, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Boarshaw Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Boarshaw Community Primary School good at its last full inspection on 13 October 2022.

How good are Boarshaw Community Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 56% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 3% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Boarshaw Community Primary School have?

446 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 446 places, so it is 100% full.

Is Boarshaw Community Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 10 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at Boarshaw Community Primary School?

Pupils were in school 93.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 21% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Boarshaw Community Primary School?

The average class had 28.1 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 20% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Boarshaw Community Primary School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has sen unit for autism, speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Stanycliffe Lane, Middleton, Stanycliffe Lane Middleton Manchester, Manchester, M24 2PB
Telephone
0161 653 9536
Website
www.boarshawprimary.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Jackie Harland
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Rochdale
Ward
North Middleton
Constituency
Heywood and Middleton North
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
105787 · LAESTAB 3542041 · UKPRN 10070058

Where these figures come from