Brookburn Community School

About Brookburn Community School

Brookburn Community School’s Key Stage 2 results put it well ahead of the Manchester local authority average, marking it out as a strong performer in the city. While the LA average for pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined sits at 57%, Brookburn’s figure is 82% — a gap of 25 percentage points. That performance places the school second out of 122 primary schools in Manchester, comfortably in the top 10% nationally. The school’s overall effectiveness was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024, a change from its previous Outstanding rating in 2011. All five Ofsted categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — were judged Good. With 429 pupils on roll against a capacity of 476, the school is near full but not oversubscribed to the point of strain.

Digging into the exam data, Brookburn’s strength is consistent across individual subjects. In reading, 89% of pupils met the expected standard and 52% reached the higher standard, with an average score of 110. Maths saw 91% at expected and 46% at higher, with an average score of 108. Writing was similarly strong, with 91% at expected and 25% at higher. The combined expected standard of 82% is well above the national average, and the school’s ranking score of 82 reflects this solid all-round performance. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it’s not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points, but the raw outcomes are clearly above the Manchester norm. The school does not have a sixth form, and its nursery provision means children can join from age three.

Brookburn is a popular choice for local families. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 161 applications for 54 places, with 52 first-preference offers made — an oversubscription ratio of nearly 3:1. The school’s facilities include an ICT suite, art studios, a library, playing fields and a chapel. Sports on offer include netball, cross country, swimming, athletics, cricket and rounders, while clubs range from choir and film club to science club. The school’s SEND provision covers a broad range of needs, including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language difficulties, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. With a low free school meals rate of 8%, the school draws from a relatively advantaged catchment. It will suit families who prioritise strong academic outcomes in a well-resourced, Good-rated primary with a wide range of extracurricular activities.

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