Cheetham CofE Community Academy

About Cheetham CofE Community Academy

Cheetham CofE Community Academy’s headline Key Stage 2 results sit noticeably below the Manchester local authority average for primary schools. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined is 52%, compared with the LA average of 57%. That five-point gap places the school in the bottom half of the city’s primaries — ranked 82nd out of 137, and in the bottom 50% nationally. The picture is mixed when you look at individual subjects: 71% of pupils met the expected standard in maths, which is solid, but reading (64%) and writing (60%) lag further behind. At the higher standard, the figures are low — just 5% achieved the higher benchmark across all three subjects, and only 20% did so in maths. The school’s average scaled scores (104 in maths, 102 in reading) are broadly in line with national averages, suggesting that while most children are working at a typical level, fewer than average are exceeding it.

The school’s most recent graded Ofsted inspection, in 2014, rated it Good overall, with Good for leadership and management. An ungraded inspection in September 2023 confirmed that the school remains Good. That’s a step down from its previous Outstanding rating in 2009, but the school has held a Good rating across both its recent inspections. The data shows a large primary with 628 pupils on roll, well above the typical size for a Manchester primary. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 47.4%, significantly higher than the national average, which gives context to the attainment figures. The school has a Church of England character and a nursery provision for three-year-olds. It is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 108 applications for 50 places, with 45 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.16.

Facilities include a chapel, music rooms, a sensory room and an outdoor playground. The school offers a broad range of sports — athletics, swimming, gymnastics, dance, cricket, football and tennis — plus clubs such as art, coding, science, eco and gardening. Its SEND provisions are extensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. This suggests a school well equipped to support children with a range of additional needs. For families prioritising a Church of England primary with strong pastoral and SEND support, Cheetham CofE is a popular local choice, though those focused on top-tier academic outcomes may want to look at higher-performing peers in the city.

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