Moorside Primary School

About Moorside Primary School

Parents considering Moorside Primary School will find a school that is clearly popular locally. In the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 70 applications for 41 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.71, meaning nearly two families applied for every available spot. Of those 70 applications, 39 were first-preference choices, and all 39 of those families received an offer. That kind of demand suggests a strong reputation among families who know the school best. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in June 2024, rated it Good across every category: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is a consistent improvement from its previous inspection in 2018, which also rated it Good overall but gave early years provision a Requires Improvement. The school has clearly maintained and strengthened its standards since then.

Academically, Moorside’s Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 paint a mixed picture. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 45%, which is below the Tameside local authority average of 62%. This places the school 50th out of 57 primary schools in the borough, putting it in the bottom half locally and in the bottom 50% nationally. Breaking it down, 72% of pupils met the expected standard in maths, 66% in writing, and 59% in reading. At the higher standard, just 3% achieved the top marks across all three subjects, with 21% reaching that level in reading and 17% in maths. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is difficult to say how much value the school adds from pupils’ starting points, but the raw attainment figures suggest there is room for improvement compared with peers.

Moorside is a state primary for children aged 3 to 11, with nursery provision on site. It has a capacity of 446 and currently houses 409 pupils, so there is some headroom. The school serves a community with 36.2% of pupils eligible for free school meals, which is above the national average and likely reflects the local demographic. Facilities include a library, sports hall, playing fields, art studios, and even a chapel. There is a strong offer for children with additional needs: the school lists provisions for autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, dyslexia, visual impairment, physical disability, and social, emotional and mental health needs. Clubs include choir, coding, gardening and drama, and sports on offer are football, cricket, gymnastics and tennis. This is a school that feels well-integrated into its community, popular enough to be oversubscribed but not so selective that it excludes families looking for strong SEND support.

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