The Birches School
The Birches School is a council special school in Manchester for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 168 pupils. About 60 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.
Newholme Road, West Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2XZ0161 448 8895thebirchesschool.orgMr Rob O'Hara headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 14 May 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 12 July 2023 | Ungraded | School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next |
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
28 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 28 | 28 | 15 | 23 | 23 | 36 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 60% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 5% | 8% |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -3.0 | -3.6 | +0.4 | -3.1 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -1.5 | -2.5 | -0.5 | -3.7 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
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. Every gap at this school 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
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.
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.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties.
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.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Severe learning difficulty (83), Autistic spectrum disorder (66), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (13), language and communications needs (6).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 168 | 170 | 169 | 164 | 156 | 155 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 60% | 60% | 54% | 52% | 47% | 45% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 55% | 55% | 60% | 63% | 63% | 63% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 99% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 10.0% | 9.3% | 11.1% | 11.2% | 8.6% | 8.4% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 7.7% | 6.8% | 8.6% | 7.7% | 5.7% | 7.2% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.4% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 3.5% | 2.9% | 1.3% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 33.1% | 31.7% | 48.2% | 38.2% | 27.5% | 22.6% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancasterian School | Council | 240 m | 196 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Didsbury High School | Free school | 390 m | 1,220 | Outstanding 2024 | 84 | Compare |
| Cavendish Primary School | Academy | 490 m | 576 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Manchester Muslim Preparatory School | Independent | 490 m | 175 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Moor Allerton Preparatory School | Independent | 650 m | 206 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| West Didsbury CE Primary School | Free school | 800 m | 402 | Good 2023 | 85 | Compare |
| St Ambrose RC Primary School | Roman Catholic | 810 m | 162 | Good 2023 | 9 | Compare |
| Loreto High School Chorlton | Roman Catholic | 0.8 miles | 742 | Requires improvement 2024 | 24 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is The Birches School a good school?
The Birches School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in May 2024.
What is The Birches School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated The Birches School good at its last full inspection on 14 May 2024.
How good are The Birches School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 0% 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 The Birches School have?
168 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026.
What is attendance like at The Birches School?
Pupils were in school 90.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 33% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does The Birches School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Newholme Road, West Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2XZ
- Telephone
- 0161 448 8895
- Website
- www.thebirchesschool.org
- Headteacher
- Mr Rob O'Hara
- Type of school
- Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 4-11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Local authority
- Manchester
- Ward
- Didsbury West
- Constituency
- Manchester Withington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 105613 · LAESTAB 3527041 · UKPRN 10077017
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.