School Chooser

Bridgelea Pupil Referral Unit

Pupil referral unit / alternative provision · ages 5-11MixedPupil referral unit115 pupilsManchester
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, December 2023
Pupils from low-income families87%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull115 pupils, 94 places
Pupils per teacher5.7School workforce census
Pupils on roll115Census January 2026

Bridgelea Pupil Referral Unit is a pupil referral unit in Manchester for boys and girls aged 5 to 11. It has 115 pupils, 21 more than it has places for. About 87 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Bridgelea Road, Withington, Manchester, M20 3FB0161 434 1548bridgelea.manchester.sch.ukMrs Kelly Eyre headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 6 December 2023 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.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

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 Manchester council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll115Census January 2026
Places94122% full
Pupils from low-income families87%87% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support4%5 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan96%110 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)74%£131,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls98 / 17
White British pupils70%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (108), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), Moderate learning difficulty (2), language and communications needs (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll115112103917672
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals87%93%88%73%86%85%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%2%7%7%12%8%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support9%13%10%11%7%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans91%87%90%90%93%

Staff and money

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

Teachers21.9full-time equivalent, 22 people
Pupils per teacher5.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants44.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£55,611
Teachers who left in the year5%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher7.52024/25

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£35,784England £7,738. Total £4.4m
Income per pupil£37,367England £7,697. Total £4.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£12,447England £3,480
Money in reserve9%A healthy amount put by: £395k, £3,187 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£196kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£35,784spent 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

Local crime rate0 per 1,000 people100% lower than the England average
Typical house price£254,000Manchester
Nearest bus stop70 mWilmslow Road, 20 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Paul's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England180 m329Good 202376Compare
Old Moat Primary SchoolAcademy510 m387Outstanding 202483Compare
St Cuthbert's RC Primary School and Nursery, A Voluntary AcademyAcademy650 mGood 2024Compare
West Didsbury CE Primary SchoolFree school760 m402Good 202385Compare
Withington Girls' SchoolIndependent (grammar)770 m733Not inspectedCompare
Cavendish Primary SchoolAcademy900 m576Not inspectedCompare
Ladybarn Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles462Good 202350Compare
St Kentigern's RC Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyAcademy0.7 miles404Outstanding 202490Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Bridgelea Pupil Referral Unit a good school?

Bridgelea Pupil Referral Unit doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in December 2023.

What is Bridgelea Pupil Referral Unit's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Bridgelea Pupil Referral Unit good at its last full inspection on 6 December 2023.

How many pupils does Bridgelea Pupil Referral Unit have?

115 pupils aged 5 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 94 places, so it is 122% full.

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

Contact and details

Address
Bridgelea Road, Withington, Manchester, M20 3FB
Telephone
0161 434 1548
Website
www.bridgelea.manchester.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Kelly Eyre
Type of school
Pupil referral unit (Pupil referral unit, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Pupil referral unit / alternative provision, ages 5-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Manchester
Ward
Old Moat
Constituency
Manchester Withington
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
2 September 2002 (new provision)
URN
133945 · LAESTAB 3521102 · UKPRN 10081409

Where these figures come from