Higher Openshaw Community School
Saunton Road, Higher Openshaw, Manchester, M11 1AJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr John Dent
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Manchester Central
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 345
- Pupils on roll
- 326
- URN
- 105471
- Local authority
- Manchester
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01612233549
About this school
Higher Openshaw Community School is a community primary school in Manchester. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 326 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Higher Openshaw Community School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 22 June 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 39 | 43 | 45 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 62% | 56% | 58% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 5% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 64% | 70% | 78% |
| Expected standard in maths | 72% | 58% | 76% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 64% | 74% | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 101.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +4.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +4.50 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Higher Openshaw Community School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Manchester average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 62% | 52.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 56% | 54.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 58% | 57.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 324 |
| 2023/24 | 346 |
| 2024/25 | 339 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Higher Openshaw Community School compares
Higher Openshaw Community School ranked 70th of 125 primary schools in Manchester for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 58% | 4% | 62.5% | 326 | — |
| Varna Community Primary School | 39% | 4.6% | 52.9% | 467 | 0.3 miles |
| Seymour Road Academy | 72% | 4.5% | 66.3% | 448 | 0.4 miles |
| Manchester Road Primary Academy | 59% | 5.2% | 48.5% | 371 | 0.5 miles |
| St Clement's CofE Primary School | 58% | 4.7% | 63.2% | 240 | 0.5 miles |
| St Barnabas CofE Primary Academy | 77% | 6.8% | 71.8% | 220 | 0.6 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 62.46%
- English as an additional language
- 36.9%
- Overall absence
- 4.04%
- Persistent absence
- 8.19%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Varna Community Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
Seymour Road Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
Manchester Road Primary Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
St Clement's CofE Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
St Barnabas CofE Primary Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Manchester
Other schools in Manchester
Higher Openshaw Community School ranks 162nd of the 252 ranked primary schools in Manchester.
- Abbey Hey Primary Academy Primary
- Abbott Community Primary School Primary
- Acacias Community Primary School Primary
- Acre Hall Primary School Primary
- Aldwyn Primary School Primary
- Alkrington Primary School Primary
- All Saints C of E Primary School Primary
- All Saints Church of England Primary School, Stand Primary
- All Saints Primary School Primary
- Alma Park Primary School Primary
- Armitage CofE Primary School Primary
- Ashbury Meadow Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Higher Openshaw Community School teach?
- Higher Openshaw Community School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Manchester.
- Who is the headteacher of Higher Openshaw Community School?
- The headteacher of Higher Openshaw Community School is Mr John Dent, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Higher Openshaw Community School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Higher Openshaw Community School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Higher Openshaw Community School?
- Higher Openshaw Community School has 326 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Higher Openshaw Community School full?
- Higher Openshaw Community School has capacity for 345 pupils and 326 on roll (94%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Higher Openshaw Community School a faith school?
- No. Higher Openshaw Community School has no designated religious character.
- Does Higher Openshaw Community School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Higher Openshaw Community School as having nursery classes.
- What SEN provision does Higher Openshaw Community School have?
- The schools register lists Higher Openshaw Community School's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Higher Openshaw Community School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 62% in 2022/23 and 58% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Higher Openshaw Community School compare with other schools in Manchester?
- Higher Openshaw Community School ranked 70th of 125 primary schools in Manchester for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Higher Openshaw Community School's absence rate?
- Higher Openshaw Community School's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Higher Openshaw Community School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Higher Openshaw Community School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.