Chapelfield Primary School

About Chapelfield Primary School

Chapelfield Primary School in Bury is a state-funded mixed primary for children aged 3 to 11, currently home to 292 pupils against a formal capacity of 251. That means the school is running above its intended size, and the demand is clear: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 52 applications for 33 places, with 32 of those coming as first preferences. It was oversubscribed by a ratio of 1.58 to one, and 31 first-preference offers were made. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 34.9 per cent, which is notably higher than the national average for primary schools and suggests the school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage. The headteacher is Anna Reed, and the school does not have a religious character. It also offers nursery provision for younger children.

Academically, the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2023 rated it Good across all five categories, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. That matches its previous Good rating from 2013. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 47 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That is well below the Bury local authority average of 64 per cent, and it places the school 43rd out of 46 primaries in the borough. Just 6 per cent of pupils achieved the higher standard in all three subjects. On individual subjects, 71 per cent met the expected standard in maths, with an average score of 103, while reading and writing expected rates were 53 per cent and 56 per cent respectively. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom 17 per cent of all primaries on this combined measure.

The school site includes a dining hall, music rooms, an ICT suite, a library, a chapel, outdoor playgrounds and playing fields. Sports on offer include rounders, cricket, swimming, cross country and gymnastics, and there is a range of clubs such as book club, drama, choir, art club and eco club. For children with additional needs, the school lists provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. This breadth of SEND support, combined with the above-capacity roll and high FSM rate, suggests a school that is well-embedded in its local community and used to supporting a diverse intake. Families considering it should be aware that while the school is popular locally, its academic outcomes are significantly below the LA average, and the nearest Outstanding-rated alternative is Chantlers Primary School, 4.5 km away.

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