St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford
Bury and Rochdale Old Road, Heywood, OL10 4BB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Melanie Barratt
- Diocese
- Diocese of Manchester
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Heywood and Middleton North
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 228
- URN
- 105813
- Local authority
- Rochdale
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01706369339
About this school
St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Heywood. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 228 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford, 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
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
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Early years
- Outstanding
- 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 | 26 | 30 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 69% | 73% | 76% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% | 10% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 85% | 97% | 83% |
| Expected standard in maths | 81% | 87% | 83% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 81% | 93% | 83% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 108.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 106.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.20 | - | - |
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 St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Rochdale average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 69% | 55.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 73% | 56.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 76% | 57.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 235 |
| 2023/24 | 232 |
| 2024/25 | 231 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford compares
St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford ranked 3rd of 55 primary schools in Rochdale for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 80% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 76% | 3.9% | 5.9% | 228 | — |
| St Luke's Church of England Primary School | 67% | 4.7% | 32.6% | 446 | 0.5 miles |
| All Souls Church of England Primary School | 87% | 3.8% | 20% | 234 | 0.7 miles |
| Bamford Academy | 50% | 6.7% | 16.9% | 324 | 0.8 miles |
| Harwood Park Primary School | 49% | 6% | 51.5% | 291 | 1.0 miles |
| Woodland Community Primary School | 54% | 6% | 49.6% | 564 | 1.2 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)
- 5.85%
- English as an additional language
- 7.4%
- Overall absence
- 3.93%
- Persistent absence
- 5.06%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Luke's Church of England Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Heywood
-
All Souls Church of England Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Heywood
-
Bamford Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
Harwood Park Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Heywood
-
Woodland Community Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Heywood
Other schools in Heywood
St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford ranks 2nd of the 8 ranked primary schools in Heywood.
- All Souls Church of England Primary School Primary
- Harwood Park Primary School Primary
- Hopwood Community Primary School Primary
- Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Primary
- St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Rochdale, a Voluntary Academy Primary
- St Luke's Church of England Primary School Primary
- St Margaret's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Woodland Community Primary School Primary
- Edgar Wood Academy Secondary
- Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College Secondary
- Newhouse Academy Secondary
- Oak Haven School Special schools
Common questions
- What ages does St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford teach?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Heywood.
- Who is the headteacher of St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford?
- The headteacher of St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford is Mrs Melanie Barratt, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford, 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 St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford has 228 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford full?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford has capacity for 210 pupils and 228 on roll (109%), 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 St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford a faith school?
- Yes. St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Manchester.
- Does St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford as having nursery classes.
- How have St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 69% in 2022/23 and 76% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford compare with other schools in Rochdale?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford ranked 3rd of 55 primary schools in Rochdale for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 80% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford's absence rate?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford's overall absence rate is 3.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford'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.