School Chooser

Ribble Drive Community Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy189 pupilsManchesterBury
School Chooser Score
19
Below
similar schools
Likely range 7 to 47, so it could be “well below”
Out of 100. Better than 42% of the 50 schools most like it.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, November 2019
Reached the expected level at 1156%England 63%
Attendance92.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families55%Far more than most schools
Places21 spare189 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher19.7School workforce census

Ribble Drive Community Primary School is a converter academy in Manchester for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 189 pupils and room for 210. About 55 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 19 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 42% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2019.

Ribble Drive, Whitefield, Whitefield, Manchester, M45 8TD0161 766 6625ribbledriveprimary.netMrs Melanie Kobak headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 19 November 2019, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

This inspection is more than 6 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

32 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 level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score102.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 54%54%20172018: 25%25%20182019: 60%60%20192023: 57%57%20232024: 42%42%20242025: 56%56%2025
Since 2017: +2%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure20252024†2023†2019†2018†2017†BuryEngland
Pupils tested323130303226
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths56%42%57%60%25%54%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%3%7%0%0%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0101.0103.0104.0100.0103.0105.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score102.0101.0104.0104.0101.0103.0105.0104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0103.0104.0107.0104.0107.0105.2105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard78%58%63%67%41%73%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard72%55%83%77%53%77%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)63%65%73%70%41%62%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.5+0.5-3.6-1.6
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.8+0.1-2.2-1.6
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged47%18%50%36%25%56%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged67%71%63%81%25%53%

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 Ribble Drive Community Primary School, the school this one replaced in April 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. 2 of the 3 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
47%67%
Gap 20 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
50%61%
Gap 11 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 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.

A few spare places191 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
91% full

About 19 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up.

Will my child get a place?

In 2025 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

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 2025. Every child who applied got a place (25 offers for 30 places).

EntryPlacesGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2025 Primary3025all offeredLA
2024 Primary3030all offeredLA
2023 Primary3024all offeredLA
2022 Primary3016all offeredLA
2021 Primary3022all offeredLA

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 roll189Census January 2026
Places21090% full
Pupils from low-income families55%55% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English23%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support18%34 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan9%17 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.07 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)51%£147,250 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls99 / 90
White British pupils65%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 25.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (20), language and communications needs (13), Moderate learning difficulty (8), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Other difficulty or disability (2), Physical disability (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census20262025
Pupils on roll189187
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals55%51%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language23%14%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support20%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans7%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance92.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school24.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils3.22024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/24†2022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.2%7.1%6.6%5.6%4.5%3.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.3%4.9%4.6%4.8%3.7%2.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.8%2.2%2.0%0.9%0.8%1.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence24.7%24.6%20.1%18.8%17.2%4.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate3.2
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions0

† These attendance figures are for Ribble Drive Community Primary School, the school this one replaced in April 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.

Teachers9.6full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher19.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants12.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,513
Teachers who left in the year10%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.52024/25

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£7,882England £7,128. Total £1.5m
Income per pupil£8,551England £7,587. Total £1.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,599England £3,405
Money in reserve7%Not much put by: £110k, £589 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£125kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,882spent 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£248,905Bury
Nearest bus stop40 mAlbert Road, 16 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 Michael's Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyAcademy230 m202Report card 202643Compare
Whitefield Community Primary SchoolAcademy560 m170Good 202156Compare
All Saints Church of England Primary School, StandChurch of England630 m208Good 202332Compare
Unsworth Primary SchoolAcademy710 m232Good 202378Compare
Mersey Drive Community Primary SchoolCouncil960 m203Good 202436Compare
Higher Lane Primary SchoolAcademy1000 m491Report card 202545Compare
St Bernadette's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyAcademy0.6 miles339Good 202071Compare
Bury and Whitefield Jewish Primary SchoolJewish0.7 miles103Report card 202623Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Ribble Drive 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.

Beats42%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 19 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 22 · highest 91100

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 Ribble Drive 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
Canon Johnson CofE Primary SchoolAcademy8.6 miles227Good 202362Compare
Meadowbank Primary SchoolCouncil8.7 miles220Good 202357Compare
Whitehill Primary SchoolCouncil10.1 miles196Good 202435Compare
Westleigh St Paul's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England10.4 miles205Not inspected25Compare
Brook Acre Community Primary SchoolAcademy15.4 miles211Good 202255Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 19 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 19% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 7 to 47. 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
-0.24
2025 results; 32 pupils
Ofsted inspection11% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 6.8 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.02
Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 32 pupils
Direction of travel over five years0%no data
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.18
2024/25; 166 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
-0.01
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 32 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 Ribble Drive Community Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Ribble Drive Community Primary School scores 19 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 42% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 7 to 47, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Ribble Drive Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Ribble Drive Community Primary School good at its last full inspection on 19 November 2019. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How good are Ribble Drive 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%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Ribble Drive Community Primary School have?

189 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 90% full.

Is Ribble Drive Community Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 19 places were empty in 2024/25 (9% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Ribble Drive Community Primary School?

Pupils were in school 92.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 25% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Ribble Drive Community Primary School?

The average class had 27.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class 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
Ribble Drive, Whitefield, Whitefield, Manchester, M45 8TD
Telephone
0161 766 6625
Website
www.ribbledriveprimary.net
Headteacher
Mrs Melanie Kobak
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
The Collective Community Trust (7 schools)
Local authority
Bury
Ward
Besses
Constituency
Bury South
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 April 2024 (academy converter)
URN
150488 · LAESTAB 3512030 · UKPRN 10094302
Formerly
Ribble Drive Community Primary School

Where these figures come from