Higher Failsworth Primary School
Stansfield Road, Failsworth, Oldham, M35 9EA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Samantha Forster
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Manchester Central
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 474
- Pupils on roll
- 396
- URN
- 134784
- Local authority
- Oldham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01616812645
About this school
Higher Failsworth Primary School is a community primary school in Oldham. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 396 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
- 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 | 55 | 58 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 49% | 55% | 40% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 2% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 62% | 67% | 55% |
| Expected standard in maths | 65% | 71% | 68% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 67% | 55% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 104.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 103.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -3.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -4.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.70 | - | - |
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 Failsworth 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 | 49% | 54.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 55% | 55.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 40% | 57.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 426 |
| 2023/24 | 446 |
| 2024/25 | 435 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Higher Failsworth Primary School compares
Higher Failsworth Primary School ranked 67th of 71 primary schools in Oldham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 11% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 40% | 5.2% | 32.5% | 396 | — |
| St John's Church of England Primary School | 50% | 5.3% | 34.8% | 255 | 0.4 miles |
| St Margaret's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School | 65% | 5.6% | 51.6% | 333 | 0.7 miles |
| New Moston Primary School | 45% | 6.8% | 42.3% | 487 | 0.7 miles |
| Propps Hall Junior Infant and Nursery School | 79% | 4.4% | 37% | 237 | 0.8 miles |
| St Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy | — | 4.7% | 18.5% | 450 | 0.8 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.
Inspection history
- 10 July 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report9 February 2023
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 32.5%
- English as an additional language
- 11.5%
- Overall absence
- 5.24%
- Persistent absence
- 13.64%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St John's Church of England Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
St Margaret's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School0.7 miles
Primary · Oldham
-
New Moston Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
Propps Hall Junior Infant and Nursery School0.8 miles
Primary · Manchester
-
St Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Manchester
Other schools in Oldham
Higher Failsworth Primary School ranks 62nd of the 66 ranked primary schools in Oldham.
- Alexandra Park Junior School Primary
- Alt Academy Primary
- Bare Trees Primary School Primary
- Beal Vale Primary School Primary
- Beever Primary School Primary
- Blackshaw Lane Primary & Nursery School Primary
- Broadfield Primary School Primary
- Buckstones Primary School Primary
- Burnley Brow Community School Primary
- Christ Church CofE Primary School Primary
- Christ Church CofE Primary School Primary
- Coppice Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Higher Failsworth Primary School teach?
- Higher Failsworth Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Oldham.
- Who is the headteacher of Higher Failsworth Primary School?
- The headteacher of Higher Failsworth Primary School is Mrs Samantha Forster, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Higher Failsworth Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Higher Failsworth 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 big is Higher Failsworth Primary School?
- Higher Failsworth Primary School has 396 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Higher Failsworth Primary School full?
- Higher Failsworth Primary School has capacity for 474 pupils and 396 on roll (84%), 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 Failsworth Primary School a faith school?
- No. Higher Failsworth Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Higher Failsworth Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Higher Failsworth Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Higher Failsworth Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 49% in 2022/23 and 40% 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 Failsworth Primary School rank locally?
- Higher Failsworth Primary School ranked 67th of 71 primary schools in Oldham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 11% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% 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 Failsworth Primary School's absence rate?
- Higher Failsworth Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Higher Failsworth Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Higher Failsworth 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 1 July 2026.