South Failsworth Community Primary School
Paddock Lane, Failsworth, Manchester, M35 0NY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Alison Murray
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Manchester Central
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 441
- URN
- 105656
- Local authority
- Oldham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01616816351
About this school
South Failsworth Community Primary School is a community primary school in Manchester. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 441 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected South Failsworth Community Primary 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
- Outstanding
- 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 | 57 | 60 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 65% | 57% | 52% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 5% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 82% | 72% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 89% | 75% | 62% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 86% | 72% | 68% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 105.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.30 | - | - |
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 South Failsworth Community Primary 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 | Oldham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 65% | 54.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 55.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 52% | 57.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 440 |
| 2023/24 | 450 |
| 2024/25 | 440 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How South Failsworth Community Primary School compares
South Failsworth Community Primary School ranked 51st of 71 primary schools in Oldham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 52% | 5.1% | 17.8% | 441 | — |
| St Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy | — | 4.7% | 18.5% | 450 | 0.4 miles |
| Propps Hall Junior Infant and Nursery School | 79% | 4.4% | 37% | 237 | 0.4 miles |
| St Wilfrid's CofE Junior and Infant School | 72% | 6.6% | 62.7% | 219 | 0.6 miles |
| All Saints C of E Primary School | 56% | 7.3% | 58.7% | 221 | 0.7 miles |
| Christ The King RC Primary School Manchester | 64% | 6.1% | 55.7% | 387 | 0.7 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)
- 17.78%
- English as an additional language
- 5.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.12%
- Persistent absence
- 10.48%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
Propps Hall Junior Infant and Nursery School0.4 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
St Wilfrid's CofE Junior and Infant School0.6 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
All Saints C of E Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
Christ The King RC Primary School Manchester0.7 miles
Primary · Manchester
Other schools in Manchester
South Failsworth Community Primary School ranks 194th 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 South Failsworth Community Primary School teach?
- South Failsworth Community Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Manchester.
- Who is the headteacher of South Failsworth Community Primary School?
- The headteacher of South Failsworth Community Primary School is Mrs Alison Murray, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has South Failsworth Community Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected South Failsworth Community Primary 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 South Failsworth Community Primary School?
- South Failsworth Community Primary School has 441 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is South Failsworth Community Primary School full?
- South Failsworth Community Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 441 on roll (105%), so it is at or above 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 South Failsworth Community Primary School a faith school?
- No. South Failsworth Community Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does South Failsworth Community Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records South Failsworth Community Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have South Failsworth Community Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 65% in 2022/23 and 52% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does South Failsworth Community Primary School compare with other schools in Oldham?
- South Failsworth Community Primary School ranked 51st of 71 primary schools in Oldham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is South Failsworth Community Primary School's absence rate?
- South Failsworth Community Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are South Failsworth Community Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, South Failsworth Community Primary 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.