Bowker Vale Primary School
General Information
- Address: Middleton Road, Higher Crumpsall, Manchester, M8 4NB – View on map
- Phone: 01617405993
- Website: Visit school website
- Headteacher: Mrs Rachel Jacques
- Age range: 3-11 years
- Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 43 families put it first for 45 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. 8 of the 45 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
- Sixth form: No
- Intake: Mixed
- Religious character: Does not apply
- Nursery provision: Yes
Who goes here
- Pupils eligible for free school meals: 205
- % eligible for free school meals: 46.7%
- Pupil mix: 8 in 10 (more mixed than the Manchester average)
- English as an additional language: 54% (England 22%)
Staff
Teachers leaving each year
- Teacher turnover: 7.7% a year (Manchester 15.1%, typical in England 13.9%) Low turnover
- Where they went: about 56% moved to another school, 44% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
- Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)
Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.
Behaviour
Awaiting Data
Across Manchester: suspensions by reason
- Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 6 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
- Suspensions for bullying: 5 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 8 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
- Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)
These are figures for all state primary schools in Manchester, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.
Attendance
- Overall absence: 6.4%
- Persistently absent pupils: 17.9%
- Data year: 2024/25
SEN
- Resourced provision for Social, emotional and mental health 6 places · 6 pupils at the last count
Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.
- Pupils on SEN Support: 12.8%
- Pupils with an EHC Plan: 7.1%
- Data year: 2025/26
Most common needs - SEN Support
- Speech, language and communications needs: 24 pupils
- Moderate learning difficulty: 16 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 10 pupils
- Specific learning difficulty: 4 pupils
- Hearing impairment: 1 pupil
Most common needs - EHC Plan
- Speech, language and communications needs: 15 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 11 pupils
- Severe learning difficulty: 2 pupils
- Other difficulty or disability: 2 pupils
- Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
These figures show the makeup of the school.
Educational Attainment
Good 2023 report
Year 6 SATs results
- Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 61% (England 62%)
- Reached the higher standard: 3% (England 8%)
- Compared with the area: in line with the Manchester average (59%)
- Compared with schools with similar pupils: Below (3-year average 50% against an expected 55%)
- 3-year average (expected standard): 50%
- Expected standard by subject: Reading 67% · Writing 72% · Maths 77% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 74%
- Average test scores: reading 103, maths 104
- Based on: 61 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25
View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.
SATs results over time
Year 6 SATs: joint 57th of 125 junior and primary schools in the area
- =54Co-op Academy Broadhurst62%
- =54E-ACT Blackley Academy62%
- =57Bowker Vale Primary School61%
- =57Briscoe Lane Academy61%
- =59Benchill Primary School60%
Click to see the full ranking
View full Ofsted inspection report
18th of 110 primary schools in Manchester for Ofsted rating
- #16Barlow Hall Primary SchoolGood
- #17Birchfields Primary SchoolGood
- #18Bowker Vale Primary SchoolGood
- #19Briscoe Lane AcademyGood
- #20Broad Oak Primary SchoolGood
Click to see the full ranking
Financials
Spending per pupil: £7,851 (2024-25)
27th of 130 primary schools in Manchester for spending per pupil
- #25Claremont Primary School£7,881
- #26St Willibrord's RC Primary School£7,852
- #27Bowker Vale Primary School£7,851
- #28St Wilfrid's RC Primary School£7,825
- #29Plymouth Grove Primary School£7,816
Click to see the full ranking
View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)