The Birches School
Special schoolThe Birches School is a special school in Manchester, for pupils aged 4 to 11. It had 168 pupils at the school census in January 2026.
Ofsted
Latest inspections as at 30 September 2026Good (overall), May 2024
- Inspection
- Graded inspection, 14 May 2024
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
Outcomes as Ofsted published them. Report cards (from November 2025) give no overall grade, and grades under different frameworks can’t be compared.
Results
Department for EducationIn 2024/25, 0% of pupils at The Birches School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 58% in Manchester and 62% in England.
0% reached the higher standard (8% in England).
End of primary school (KS2)
2024/25| Measure | This school | Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 58% | 62% |
| Reached the higher standard | 0% | 5% | 8% |
| Average scaled score in reading | Does not apply to this school | 105 | 106 |
| Average scaled score in maths | Does not apply to this school | 104 | 105 |
- The Birches School teaches pupils with needs that most schools' pupils do not have, often in very small year groups, so its results are not a fair comparison with mainstream schools. They are not shown on the map.
- Progress scores from KS1 to KS2 were not published for 2024/25, because the KS1 tests that give the starting point were cancelled in 2020 and 2021.
- Results reflect the pupils a school admits as well as its teaching, and a year's results can move a lot in a small school.
Schools nearby
In a straight line- Lancasterian SchoolSpecial. Standards maintained, November 2024240 m
- Didsbury High SchoolSecondary. Outstanding (overall), January 2024. Attainment 8 of 57.8 (2025/26, provisional)390 m
- Cavendish Primary SchoolPrimary. Standards maintained, March 2025490 m
- Manchester Muslim Preparatory SchoolIndependent. Not in Ofsted's state-funded schools file490 m
- Moor Allerton Preparatory SchoolIndependent. Not in Ofsted's state-funded schools file650 m
- West Didsbury CE Primary SchoolPrimary. School remains Good, July 2023. 73% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)800 m
Admissions and catchments are set by councils and schools, which Open Index doesn’t map. Every school in Manchester
Where these figures come from
- Schools: the school lists of the Department for Education, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government, with Ofsted’s latest inspections for England.
- Results: the Department for Education’s school performance tables (Open Government Licence).