The Birches School
Community special school · Ages 4–11 · Manchester
The Birches School is a special school in Manchester for ages 4–11. Its latest Ofsted outcome is Good, from the inspection on 14 May 2024.
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Key facts
- Address
- Newholme Road, West Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2XZ
- Type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 4–11
- Sector
- State-funded
- Council
- Manchester
- Pupils on roll
- 168 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 60.1% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 7.5
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Good Inspected 14 May 2024
Strengths
- “Pupils are met each day by staff who know them well and support them into school.”
- “Staff forge positive and trusting relationships with pupils.”
- “This helps pupils to feel safe.”
To improve
- “However, in a small number of subjects, the school is still identifying what pupils should know and the order in which new learning should be taught.”
- “In these subjects, pupils do not learn some of the building blocks that are essential for their future learning.”
- “However, occasionally, some staff do not deliver aspects of the phonics programme well enough.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 1 July 2024 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| Key stage 2 · reading, writing and maths, expected standard (2024/25) | 0% | 62% |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What a pass unlocks for The Birches School
- Earlier exam results, 2022/23 to 2023/24
- Crime, sold prices and rents, broadband and transport around the school
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Nearby special, independent and other schools
Straight-line distance, in Manchester.
- Lancasterian School 0.2 mi Standards maintained
- Manchester Muslim Preparatory School 0.3 mi No Ofsted grade
- Moor Allerton Preparatory School 0.4 mi No Ofsted grade
- PSP c/o WD 0.5 mi No Ofsted grade
- Manchester Secondary PRU 0.8 mi Requires improvement
- Bridgelea Pupil Referral Unit 0.9 mi School remains Good
- Withington Girls' School 1.3 mi No Ofsted grade
- Kassim Darwish Grammar School for Boys 1.3 mi No Ofsted grade