School Chooser

St John Bosco RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic207 pupilsNurseryManchester
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredThere isn't enough published data yet. To get a score, a school needs results or an inspection plus at least one other figure.
OfstedRequires improvementLast Ofsted inspection, March 2024
Reached the expected level at 1158%England 63%
Attendance95.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families35%Far more than most schools
Places33 spare207 pupils, 240 places
Pupils on roll207Census January 2026

St John Bosco RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is a converter academy in Manchester for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 207 pupils and room for 240. About 35 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2024.

Hall Moss Road, Blackley, Manchester, M9 7AT0161 740 7094st-johnbosco.manchester.sch.ukMrs L Pearson headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 5 March 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Requires improvement overall.

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

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

31 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of St John Bosco RC Primary School, the school this one replaced.

Reached the expected level at 1158%
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 score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 57%57%20172018: 63%63%20182019: 48%48%20192023: 43%43%20232024: 61%61%20242025: 58%58%2025
Since 2017: +1%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025†2024†2023†2019†2018†2017†ManchesterEngland
Pupils tested313330313030
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths58%61%43%48%63%57%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%5%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0107.0103.0100.0106.0103.0104.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0107.0101.0101.0106.0102.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0107.0103.0102.0106.0104.0105.4105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard77%79%67%52%77%77%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard65%82%57%65%90%70%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)61%67%47%65%77%67%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.4-3.6+1.1+2.4
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.1-4.0+1.8+1.1
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged43%38%27%64%67%53%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged71%68%53%35%61%60%

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 St John Bosco RC Primary School, the school this one replaced in December 2025. 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. 1 of the 4 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 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
43%71%
Gap 28 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
78%50%
Gap 28 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
50%58%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 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. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

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 roll207Census January 2026
Places24086% full
Pupils from low-income families35%35% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English38%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support21%43 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan7%14 pupils with a plan
Average class size28.02 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils50%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)35%£103,850 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls113 / 94
White British pupils38%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (25), Moderate learning difficulty (11), emotional and mental health (7), Autistic spectrum disorder (5), Specific learning difficulty (4), Hearing impairment (1).

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school10.6%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/25†2023/24†2022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.1%4.4%4.9%5.9%3.3%3.5%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.3%3.8%4.0%5.3%2.8%2.9%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%0.6%0.9%0.6%0.4%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence10.6%9.7%7.7%15.9%6.6%4.8%12.8%

† These attendance figures are for St John Bosco RC Primary School, the school this one replaced in December 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Money

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£7,622England £7,738. Total £1.6m
Income per pupil£7,905England £7,697. Total £1.7m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,691England £3,480
Money in reserve7%Not much put by: £117k, £547 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£61kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,622spent 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£254,000Manchester
Nearest bus stop70 mColmore Drive, 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
Crosslee Community Primary SchoolAcademy190 m373Report card 20266Compare
Charlestown Community Primary SchoolCouncil540 m430Good 20238Compare
St Michael's Church of England Primary School, AlkringtonChurch of England770 m205No overall grade 202457Compare
St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, Middleton, RochdaleRoman Catholic830 m311No overall grade 202417Compare
Moston Fields Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles398No overall grade 20243Compare
Alkrington Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles512Good 202370Compare
E-ACT Blackley AcademyAcademy0.9 miles441Good 202439Compare
Mount Carmel RC Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyAcademy0.9 miles428No overall grade 202495Compare

Questions parents ask

Is St John Bosco RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy a good school?

St John Bosco RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it requires improvement at its last inspection in March 2024.

What is St John Bosco RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St John Bosco RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy requires improvement at its last full inspection on 5 March 2024.

How good are St John Bosco RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 58% 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 St John Bosco RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have?

207 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 240 places, so it is 86% full.

What is attendance like at St John Bosco RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

Pupils were in school 95.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St John Bosco RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

The average class had 28.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 50% 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
Hall Moss Road, Blackley, Manchester, M9 7AT
Telephone
0161 740 7094
Website
www.st-johnbosco.manchester.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs L Pearson
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Salford
Multi-academy trust
Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust (38 schools)
Local authority
Manchester
Ward
Charlestown
Constituency
Blackley and Middleton South
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 December 2025 (academy converter)
URN
152014 · LAESTAB 3523446 · UKPRN 10098525
Formerly
St John Bosco RC Primary School

Where these figures come from