School Chooser

Rushbrook Primary Academy

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademy513 pupilsNursery Free breakfast clubManchester
School Chooser Score
34
Below
similar schools
Likely range 21 to 52, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 47% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, June 2024
Reached the expected level at 1166%England 63%
Attendance93.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families61%Far more than most schools
Places117 spare513 pupils, 630 places
Pupils per teacher20.8School workforce census

Rushbrook Primary Academy is a sponsored academy in Manchester for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 513 pupils and room for 630. About 61 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 34 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 47% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Shillingford Road, Gorton, Manchester, M18 7TN0161 223 5955rpa.bright-futures.co.ukMr Matthew Carroll head of schoolAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 25 June 2024, 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”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1166%
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: 37%37%20172018: 41%41%20182019: 34%34%20192023: 65%65%20232024: 63%63%20242025: 66%66%2025
Since 2017: +29%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017ManchesterEngland
Pupils tested919788868582
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths66%63%65%34%41%37%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%2%7%2%7%1%5%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0106.0105.095.099.098.0104.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score102.0103.0104.099.099.097.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0105.0104.0100.0100.098.0105.4105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard68%69%73%40%51%46%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard68%71%70%57%51%46%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)79%67%70%50%47%51%
Reading progressReading progress score+2.1-2.4+0.8-2.8
Maths progressMaths progress score+2.1+0.0+0.0-3.8
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged63%58%55%37%41%23%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged73%69%75%30%42%49%

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
63%73%
Gap 10 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
59%79%
Gap 20 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
66%66%
No gapEngland 4 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.

Plenty of spare places485 pupils for 630 places, 2024/25
77% full

145 places were empty (23% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 12% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

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 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 roll513Census January 2026
Places63081% full
Pupils from low-income families61%61% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English64%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support21%106 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan11%55 pupils with a plan
Average class size23.322 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils5%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)61%£410,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls268 / 245
White British pupils15%

Specialist SEND provision. SEN unit with 40 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 Manchester with autism provision.

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 25.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 27.7 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (106), emotional and mental health (35), Autistic spectrum disorder (6), Other difficulty or disability (5), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (3), Moderate learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll513518562566588604
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals61%63%58%53%46%43%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language64%60%55%55%57%58%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support16%15%14%14%15%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans9%4%4%3%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school23.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.0%7.7%9.6%8.6%6.2%5.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.1%4.9%5.9%4.6%2.6%3.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.0%2.8%3.7%3.9%3.6%2.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence23.3%28.7%37.1%30.9%21.3%16.8%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.20.00.36.3
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00002

Staff and money

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

Teachers24.7full-time equivalent, 29 people
Pupils per teacher20.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers93%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants15.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£46,489
Teachers who left in the year14%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher7.32024/25

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£8,015England £7,128. Total £4.2m
Income per pupil£8,898England £7,587. Total £4.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,641England £3,405
Money in reserve9%A healthy amount put by: £415k, £801 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£457kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£8,015spent 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 stop220 mSandown Crescent, 11 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
Oasis Academy AspinalAcademy760 m224Good 202273Compare
Gorton Primary SchoolFree school770 m446Good 202310Compare
Old Hall Drive AcademyAcademy800 m458Good 202469Compare
Sacred Heart RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic860 m330No overall grade 202566Compare
St Richard's RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic0.8 miles454Good 202482Compare
Chapel Street Community Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles674Not inspected19Compare
St Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England0.8 miles298Good 202347Compare
St Elisabeth's Church of England PrimaryAcademy0.8 miles227Requires improvement 20246Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Rushbrook Primary Academy with the 49 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 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats47%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 34 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 37 · highest 99100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Rushbrook Primary Academy, 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
Old Moat Primary SchoolAcademy2.9 miles387Outstanding 202483Compare
Holy Cross Ceva Primary SchoolChurch of England7.1 miles412Not inspected44Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 34 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 34% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 21 to 52. 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%in line
-0.09
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 91 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.2 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.06
DfE progress measure; 91 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.06
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.14
2024/25; 467 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
+0.02
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 91 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 Rushbrook Primary Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. Rushbrook Primary Academy scores 34 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 47% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 21 to 52, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Rushbrook Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Rushbrook Primary Academy good at its last full inspection on 25 June 2024.

How good are Rushbrook Primary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 66% 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 Rushbrook Primary Academy have?

513 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 630 places, so it is 81% full.

Is Rushbrook Primary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 145 places were empty in 2024/25 (23% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Rushbrook Primary Academy?

Pupils were in school 93.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Rushbrook Primary Academy?

The average class had 23.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 5% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Rushbrook Primary Academy 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.

Does Rushbrook Primary Academy have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

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

Contact and details

Address
Shillingford Road, Gorton, Manchester, M18 7TN
Telephone
0161 223 5955
Website
rpa.bright-futures.co.uk
Head of School
Mr Matthew Carroll
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Bright Futures Educational Trust (11 schools)
Local authority
Manchester
Ward
Longsight
Constituency
Gorton and Denton
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2012 (new provision)
URN
138784 · LAESTAB 3522012 · UKPRN 10038867
Formerly
Gorton Mount Primary School

Where these figures come from