Crossacres Primary Academy

About Crossacres Primary Academy

Crossacres Primary Academy is clearly a school that parents in Manchester are keen to get into. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 185 applications for just 90 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.06. Of those, 95 families put it as their first preference, and 87 first-preference offers were made. That level of demand suggests a strong local reputation, and it’s backed up by the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, which awarded Outstanding across every single category: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. It’s a rating the school has held consistently, with its previous inspection in 2011 also judging it Outstanding overall. With 702 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, the school is clearly popular and well-regarded, and the high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals (49.9%) shows it serves a diverse community.

Academically, Crossacres performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 tests, 64% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared to a Manchester local authority average of 57%. That places the school 31st out of 122 primary schools in the borough, putting it in the top 26% locally. In individual subjects, 75% met the expected standard in both maths and writing, and 71% in reading. At the higher standard, 21% of pupils achieved that level in maths, 20% in reading, and 14% in writing. Average scaled scores were 105 in maths and 104 in reading, both comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. While the school doesn’t publish progress scores, the attainment figures alone suggest solid teaching and good pupil outcomes, particularly given the high level of disadvantage among the cohort.

The school offers a broad range of facilities and activities that go beyond the classroom. There’s a forest school, sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, art studios, ICT suite, and even a chapel. Clubs include drama, science club and choir, while sports on offer range from dance and gymnastics to netball and cross country. For children with additional needs, the school has a wide SEND offer, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and physical disabilities. With nursery provision on site, it’s a full primary journey from age three to eleven. Given its strong Ofsted record, above-average results, and high demand for places, Crossacres is a good fit for families who want a well-run, inclusive school with a strong academic track record in a diverse urban setting.

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