School Chooser

St Richard's RC Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedRoman Catholic454 pupilsNurseryManchester
School Chooser Score
82
Above
similar schools
Likely range 69 to 90
Out of 100. Better than 92% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, June 2024
Reached the expected level at 1175%England 63%
Attendance95.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families51%Far more than most schools
Places18 spare454 pupils, 472 places
Pupils per teacher22.2School workforce census

St Richard's RC Primary School is a Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) in Manchester for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 454 pupils and room for 472. About 51 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 82 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 92% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Wilpshire Avenue, Longsight, Manchester, M12 5TL0161 224 5552st-richards.manchester.sch.ukMr Jonathan Murray headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 19 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”
Outstanding
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

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

Reached the expected level at 1175%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level13%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score109.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score109.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 82%82%20172018: 85%85%20182019: 83%83%20192023: 66%66%20232024: 75%75%20242025: 75%75%2025
Since 2017: -7%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017ManchesterEngland
Pupils tested566159606160
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths75%75%66%83%85%82%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths13%13%8%18%18%8%5%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score109.0109.0107.0107.0108.0107.0104.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score109.0109.0106.0110.0109.0109.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score112.0112.0110.0116.0114.0112.0105.4105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard93%92%81%87%92%87%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard84%93%83%92%95%93%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)79%79%69%85%85%87%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.1+1.1+2.9+1.9
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.5+3.4+5.2+3.8
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged70%70%48%85%85%75%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged81%81%78%81%86%89%

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. 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
70%81%
Gap 11 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
68%84%
Gap 16 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
86%75%
Gap 11 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
7%13%
Gap 6 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. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Nearly full409 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
97% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have fallen by 3% 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 roll454Census January 2026
Places47296% full
Pupils from low-income families51%51% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English62%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support19%85 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%21 pupils with a plan
Average class size26.111 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)53%£328,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls224 / 230
White British pupils10%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 25.3 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (72), emotional and mental health (15), Physical disability (5), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (4), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), Moderate learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll454468475474471468
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals51%52%49%42%42%37%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language62%58%54%51%45%45%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support19%19%20%24%24%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%4%3%3%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school10.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.22024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.6%5.1%5.5%5.3%4.4%3.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.6%3.9%3.9%3.7%2.6%2.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.0%1.2%1.6%1.6%1.8%0.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence10.7%14.1%15.0%13.6%8.5%5.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.20.00.00.40.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers20.3full-time equivalent, 23 people
Pupils per teacher22.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants19.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£44,776
Teachers who left in the year9%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies1
Sick days per teacher1.52024/25

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£6,933England £7,738. Total £3.2m
Income per pupil£7,112England £7,697. Total £3.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,139England £3,480
Money in reserve5%Not much put by: £181k, £387 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£84kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,933spent 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 stop110 mStovell Avenue, 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
Crowcroft Park Primary SchoolCouncil140 m250Report card 202548Compare
Gorton Primary SchoolFree school490 m446Good 202310Compare
Stanley Grove Primary AcademyAcademy800 m673Not inspected31Compare
Longsight Community PrimaryFree school840 m205Not inspected28Compare
St Agnes C of E Primary SchoolChurch of England850 m429Good 202210Compare
Chapel Street Community Primary SchoolCouncil0.6 miles674Not inspected19Compare
Sacred Heart RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic0.7 miles330No overall grade 202566Compare
Alma Park Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles481Good 202369Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Richard's RC 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.

Beats92%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 82 is 52 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 3 · middle 30 · highest 94100

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 82 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 82% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 69 to 90. 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
+0.12
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 56 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.2 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.01
DfE progress measure; 56 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.10
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.03
2024/25; 366 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.17
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 56 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 St Richard's RC Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. St Richard's RC Primary School scores 82 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 92% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 69 to 90, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is St Richard's RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Richard's RC Primary School good at its last full inspection on 19 June 2024.

How good are St Richard's RC Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 75% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 13% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Richard's RC Primary School have?

454 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 472 places, so it is 96% full.

Is St Richard's RC Primary School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at St Richard's RC Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.4% 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 Richard's RC Primary School?

The average class had 26.1 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
Wilpshire Avenue, Longsight, Manchester, M12 5TL
Telephone
0161 224 5552
Website
www.st-richards.manchester.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Jonathan Murray
Type of school
Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Salford
Local authority
Manchester
Ward
Levenshulme
Constituency
Gorton and Denton
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
105544 · LAESTAB 3523482 · UKPRN 10070746

Where these figures come from