The Birches School
Newholme Road, West Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2XZ
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Rob O'Hara
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Manchester Withington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Pupils on roll
- 168
- URN
- 105613
- Local authority
- Manchester
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01614488895
About this school
The Birches School is a community special school in Manchester. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 168 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Birches School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 15 | 28 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
| Reading progress | -3.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.50 | - | - |
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 The Birches 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 | 0% | 52.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 54.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 57.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 11.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 164 |
| 2023/24 | 169 |
| 2024/25 | 170 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
Inspection history
- 14 May 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report12 July 2023
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 61.76%
- English as an additional language
- 55.3%
- Overall absence
- 10.04%
- Persistent absence
- 33.13%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Lancasterian School0.2 miles
Special schools · Manchester
-
Manchester Muslim Preparatory School0.3 miles
Independent schools · Manchester
-
Moor Allerton Preparatory School0.4 miles
Independent schools · Manchester
-
Manchester Secondary PRU0.8 miles
Local authority maintained schools · Chorlton
-
Bridgelea Pupil Referral Unit0.9 miles
Local authority maintained schools · Manchester
Other schools in Manchester
- Ashgate Specialist Support Primary School Special schools
- Bridge College Other types
- Bridgelea Pupil Referral Unit Local authority maintained schools
- Camberwell Park Specialist Support School Academies
- Cambian Tyldesley School Special schools
- Changing Lives Special schools
- Cloughside College Special schools
- Delamere School Special schools
- Digital Advantage Other types
- Egerton High School Special schools
- Fairfield House School Special schools
- Grange School Academies
Common questions
- What ages does The Birches School teach?
- The Birches School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a special school in Manchester.
- Who is the headteacher of The Birches School?
- The headteacher of The Birches School is Mr Rob O'Hara, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Birches School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Birches 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 The Birches School?
- The Birches School has 168 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is The Birches School a faith school?
- No. The Birches School has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does The Birches School have?
- The schools register lists The Birches School's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have The Birches School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is The Birches School's absence rate?
- The Birches School's overall absence rate is 10% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Birches School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Birches 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.