School Chooser

James Brindley Community Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademy239 pupilsNurseryManchesterSalford
School Chooser Score
98
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 92 to 100
Out of 100. Better than 98% of the 50 schools most like it.
Reached the expected level at 1182%England 63%
Attendance96.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families10%Far fewer than most schools
Places11 spare239 pupils, 250 places
Pupils per teacher26.9School workforce census
Pupils on roll239Census January 2026

James Brindley Community Primary School is a converter academy in Manchester for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 239 pupils and room for 250. About 10 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 98 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 98% of the 50 schools most like it.

Parr Fold Avenue, Walkden, Worsley, Manchester, M28 7HE0161 560 8177jamesbrindleyprimary.comMrs Kate Stokes headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet. That is normal for a school that opened in 2024: new schools usually get their first inspection within three years.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1182%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level11%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score111.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score110.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 84%84%20172018: 72%72%20182019: 83%83%20192023: 81%81%20232024: 83%83%20242025: 82%82%2025
Since 2017: -2%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure20252024†2023†2019†2018†2017†SalfordEngland
Pupils tested282943295831
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths82%83%81%83%72%84%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths11%10%19%17%7%13%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score111.0111.0110.0106.0106.0108.0105.3105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score110.0108.0108.0107.0104.0107.0104.4104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score114.0112.0110.0108.0106.0110.0105.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard93%100%93%83%84%94%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard93%93%93%100%79%94%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)82%83%86%93%81%90%
Reading progressReading progress score+2.0+0.0-1.0+0.8
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.8+0.6-2.0+0.6
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged57%45%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged86%79%

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.

† These results are for James Brindley Community Primary School, the school this one replaced in January 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

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. None of the gaps is 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 11Boys vs girls
75%85%
Gap 10 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.

Full210 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
100% full

The school is full. 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.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 550 m away in 2026, 270 m away in 2025, 480 m away in 2024. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 550 m from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary3013830550 mLA
2025 Primary3018930270 mLA
2024 Primary3015430480 mLA
2023 Primary3016630410 mLA

The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.

What a home within 480 m of the school costs

Typical sale price within 480 m of the school£315,000half sold for £265k to £386k
Homes sold115December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district+37%a typical home in the district sells for £230,500

Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

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 roll239Census January 2026
Places25096% full
Pupils from low-income families10%10% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support8%20 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%8 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.98 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils13%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)9%£27,900 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls121 / 118
White British pupils82%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (17), Moderate learning difficulty (5), language and communications needs (3), Hearing impairment (1), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024
Pupils on roll239236238
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals10%8%7%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%5%5%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support8%6%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%5%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school3.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.3%3.7%4.3%5.1%2.7%2.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.4%2.8%3.5%4.6%2.4%2.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%0.9%0.8%0.5%0.3%0.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence3.3%5.6%5.6%12.8%5.7%3.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00

† These attendance figures are for James Brindley Community Primary School, the school this one replaced in January 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

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

Teachers8.9full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher26.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants13.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£55,979
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.52024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£6,288England £7,128. Total £1.5m
Income per pupil£6,508England £7,587. Total £1.5m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,653England £3,405
Money in reserve8%Not much put by: £118k, £500 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£52kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,288spent 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£230,000Salford
Nearest bus stop240 mCarlton Road, 9 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
Ellenbrook Community Primary SchoolCouncil610 m439Good 202473Compare
Mesne Lea Primary SchoolAcademy750 m441Report card 202614Compare
Christ The King RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic0.8 miles234Not inspected95Compare
St Paul's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England0.9 miles355No overall grade 202587Compare
St Andrew's Methodist Primary SchoolMethodist0.9 miles229Outstanding 202484Compare
Hilton Lane Primary SchoolAcademy0.9 milesNo overall grade 2024Compare
St Edmund's RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic0.9 miles339Report card 202569Compare
St Paul's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England0.9 miles226Good 202346Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares James Brindley Community Primary School with the 48 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 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats98%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 98 is 21 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 10 · middle 77 · highest 100100

No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 98 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 98% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 92 to 100. 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%above
+0.37
2025 results; 28 pupils
Ofsted inspection0%no data
Progress pupils make20%well above
+0.45
Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 28 pupils
Direction of travel over five years0%no data
Attendance and behaviour10%well above
+0.19
2024/25; 181 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.23
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 28 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 James Brindley Community Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. James Brindley Community Primary School scores 98 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 98% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 92 to 100, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

How good are James Brindley Community Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 82% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 11% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does James Brindley Community Primary School have?

239 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 250 places, so it is 96% full.

Is James Brindley Community Primary School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 550 m away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at James Brindley Community Primary School?

Pupils were in school 96.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 3% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at James Brindley Community Primary School?

The average class had 29.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 13% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
Parr Fold Avenue, Walkden, Worsley, Manchester, M28 7HE
Telephone
0161 560 8177
Website
www.jamesbrindleyprimary.com
Headteacher
Mrs Kate Stokes
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
The Link Education Trust (8 schools)
Local authority
Salford
Ward
Walkden South
Constituency
Bolton South and Walkden
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 2024 (academy converter)
URN
150187 · LAESTAB 3552082 · UKPRN 10093479
Formerly
James Brindley Community Primary School

Where these figures come from