St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford
General Information
- Address: Bury and Rochdale Old Road, Heywood, OL10 4BB – View on map
- Phone: 01706369339
- Website: Visit school website
- Headteacher: Mrs Melanie Barratt
- Age range: 3-11 years
- Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 35 families put it first for 31 places – 11 for every 10 places. 83% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 12 · 2024 10 · 2025 13 · 2026 11
- Sixth form: No
- Intake: Mixed
- Religious character: Church of England
- Nursery provision: Yes
Who goes here
- Pupils eligible for free school meals: 15
- % eligible for free school meals: 6.7%
- Pupil mix: 4 in 10 (less mixed than the Rochdale average)
- English as an additional language: 7% (England 22%)
Staff
Teachers leaving each year
- Teacher turnover: 8% a year (Rochdale 13.1%, typical in England 13.9%) Low turnover
- Where they went: about 38% moved to another school, 62% 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 Rochdale: suspensions by reason
- Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 1 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
- Suspensions for bullying: 2 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 0 (0.0 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 Rochdale, 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: 3.9%
- Persistently absent pupils: 5.1%
- Data year: 2024/25
SEN
No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision
- Pupils on SEN Support: 9.6%
- Pupils with an EHC Plan: 1.8%
- Data year: 2025/26
Most common needs - SEN Support
- Social, emotional and mental health: 7 pupils
- Other difficulty or disability: 3 pupils
- Moderate learning difficulty: 3 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
- Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils
Most common needs - EHC Plan
- Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
- Speech, language and communications needs: 1 pupil
- Physical disability: 1 pupil
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil
These figures show the makeup of the school.
Educational Attainment
Outstanding 2024 report
Year 6 SATs results
- Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 76% (England 62%)
- Reached the higher standard: 10% (England 8%)
- Compared with the area: 16 percentage points above the Rochdale average (60%)
- Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (3-year average 73% against an expected 67%)
- 3-year average (expected standard): 73%
- Expected standard by subject: Reading 83% · Writing 83% · Maths 83% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 83%
- Average test scores: reading 106, maths 107
- Based on: 29 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 3rd of 55 junior and primary schools in the area
- #2Ashfield Valley Primary School83%
- =3St Andrew's Church of England Primary School and Nursery76%
- =3St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford76%
- #5Whittaker Moss Primary School74%
- =6Alkrington Primary School73%
Click to see the full ranking
View full Ofsted inspection report
6th of 59 primary schools in Rochdale for Ofsted rating
- #4Hopwood Community Primary SchoolOutstanding
- #5Kentmere Primary AcademyOutstanding
- #6St Michael's Church of England Primary School, BamfordOutstanding
- #7Alice Ingham Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyGood
- #8Alkrington Primary SchoolGood
Click to see the full ranking
Financials
Spending per pupil: £5,996 (2024-25)
52nd of 65 primary schools in Rochdale for spending per pupil
- #50Whittaker Moss Primary School£6,071
- #51Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School£6,069
- #52St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford£5,996
- #53Alkrington Primary School£5,978
- #54Hopwood Community Primary School£5,970
Click to see the full ranking
View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)