# The Birches School

The 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.

Special school. Code E105613. [Manchester](https://openindex.co.uk/manchester)

- Phase: Special
- Type: Community special school
- Ages: 4 to 11
- Pupils: 168
- Council: Manchester
- URN: 105613

## Latest Ofsted outcome

Good (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
Edition: Latest inspections as at 30 September 2026
Outcomes as Ofsted published them. Report cards (from November 2025) give no overall grade, and grades under different frameworks cannot be compared.

## Results

Source: Department for Education school performance tables (Open Government Licence).

In 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

Distances are in a straight line. Admissions and catchments are set by councils and schools.

- [Lancasterian School](https://openindex.co.uk/school/lancasterian-school-e105608): 240 m. Special. Standards maintained, November 2024
- [Didsbury High School](https://openindex.co.uk/school/didsbury-high-school-e143729): 390 m. Secondary. Outstanding (overall), January 2024. Attainment 8 of 57.8 (2025/26, provisional)
- [Cavendish Primary School](https://openindex.co.uk/school/cavendish-primary-school-e152024): 490 m. Primary. Standards maintained, March 2025
- [Manchester Muslim Preparatory School](https://openindex.co.uk/school/manchester-muslim-preparatory-school-e105598): 490 m. Independent. Not in Ofsted's state-funded schools file
- [Moor Allerton Preparatory School](https://openindex.co.uk/school/moor-allerton-preparatory-school-e105585): 650 m. Independent. Not in Ofsted's state-funded schools file
- [West Didsbury CE Primary School](https://openindex.co.uk/school/west-didsbury-ce-primary-school-e141967): 800 m. Primary. School remains Good, July 2023. 73% met the expected standard at KS2 (2024/25)

## Sources and further information

- [Schools: methods, licences and inspection sources](https://openindex.co.uk/sources/schools)
- [Get Information about Schools](https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/105613)
- [Ofsted reports](https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/105613)

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/school/the-birches-school-e105613, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/school/the-birches-school-e105613#sc-results.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.9. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/school/the-birches-school-e105613