What did Ofsted judge St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme's overall effectiveness to be?

Ofsted judged St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme's overall effectiveness as Good at its inspection in March 2013 (last graded inspection), and an ungraded inspection in January 2023 confirmed it, on Ofsted's own scale.

How many pupils attend St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme?

St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme has 222 pupils on roll.

What ages does St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme take?

St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme admits pupils aged 3 to 11.

Where is St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme located?

St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme is located in Manchester, M14 6HW, Manchester.

How do I apply to St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme?

St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme is a state school. In England you apply through the council where you live, using its common application form, even if the school is in another council area. The national closing date for primary places is 15 January.

Does St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme have a religious character?

Yes — St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme has a religious character of Church of England. Faith criteria may apply to admissions; check the school's oversubscription policy for details.

How close do you need to live to get into St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme?

On offer day for 2026-27 (Reception), the furthest place offered at St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme was 0.618 miles from the school. That is the distance the last place reached in one year, not a boundary and not a guarantee — it moves with the number of applicants.

How are Reception places decided at St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme?

When St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme has more applications than places for 2026-27, they are offered in a published order of priority: 1. Children in public care and previously looked after children — Children in public care and previously looked after children. (See note [a] below); 2. Medical or social circumstances — Children whose medical or social circumstances mean that their needs can only be met at this school. (See note [b] below); 3. Sibling at school — Children who will have an older brother or sister attending the school that is being applied to at the time of their admission. (See note [c] below), and 7 further criteria. The school offers 30 places at this entry point. Tie-break: If the distance from home to school does not distinguish between two or more applicants with equal priority for the remaining place, random allocation will be used as the final tie-breaker. This will be supervised by someone independent of the school.

What is the largest ethnic background at St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme?

According to the DfE School Census 2025-26, 34.2% of pupils at St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme are recorded as Pakistani. The full ethnic breakdown across all groups is available on the Pupils tab.

St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme

School AtlasManchester

Manchester

School AtlasManchester

Manchester

How close did you need to live?

0.618miles

was the furthest place offered on offer day for 2026-27 (Reception). That is how far the last place reached in ONE year — not a boundary, and not a guarantee. It moves with the number of applicants, so treat it as a guide rather than a line on a map.

Last distance offered at St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme, year by year →

How places are decided at St James' CofE Primary School, Birch-in-Rusholme

When there are more applications than places for 2026-27 (Reception), places are offered in this order of priority. Meeting a higher criterion beats meeting a lower one.

1Children in public care and previously looked after children — Children in public care and previously looked after children. (See note [a] below).
2Medical or social circumstances — Children whose medical or social circumstances mean that their needs can only be met at this school. (See note [b] below)
3Sibling at school — Children who will have an older brother or sister attending the school that is being applied to at the time of their admission. (See note [c] below)
4Children of staff — Children of staff at the school, where staff have been in employment at the school for at least two years.
5Regular worship at Church of the Holy Innocents, Fallowfield — Children whose parent(s)/carer(s) regularly attend public worship at the Church of the Holy Innocents, Fallowfield. (See note [d] below)
6Christian worship within parish — Children whose parent(s)/carer(s) live within the boundaries of the parish of Birch with Fallowfield and regularly attend another Christian place of worship that is a member of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.
7Other faith worship within parish — Children whose parent(s)/carer(s) live within the boundaries of the parish of Birch with Fallowfield and regularly attend a place of worship of another faith tradition (eg mosque, synagogue) that is a member of the Inter Faith Network.
8Living within parish — Children whose parents/carers live within the boundaries of the parish of Birch with Fallowfield.
9Manchester residents attending faith worship — Other children living within Manchester whose parent(s)/carer(s) regularly attend another Christian place of worship that is a member of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland or regularly attend a place of worship of another faith tradition (eg mosque, synagogue) that is a member of the Inter Faith Network.
10Other children by distance — Any other children, with priority given to those living nearest to the school being applied to (See note [e] below).

If two applications tie: If the distance from home to school does not distinguish between two or more applicants with equal priority for the remaining place, random allocation will be used as the final tie-breaker. This will be supervised by someone independent of the school.

This is a Nursery admission policy. Entry to Nursery does not guarantee entry to Reception. There is no right of appeal for Nursery places as children are below statutory school age. Regular attendance defined as minimum fortnightly for at least one year prior to 1 September in year before admission.

Published by the admission authority. Meeting a criterion never guarantees a place — it sets the order places are offered in. Full detail, other entry points and previous years are on the Admissions tab.