Welcome to St Wilfrid’s Church of England Primary School, where our caring and friendly atmosphere gives children a great start to their educational journey. We are at the heart of a close-knit community in Northenden, which includes our amazingly talented and hard-working pupils, dedicated, experienced staff, and an active Parent Teacher Association. As part of St James & Emmanuel Academy Trust, our Christian school exists to provide a welcoming environment in which everybody is cherished and challenged to fulfill their potential.
At St Wilfrid’s, our aim is always to provide a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum that encourages a positive attitude to the learning process. We expect high standards in teaching, learning, and behavior, which rubs off on children who are nurtured to become confident, resilient, and, most of all, happy and secure at school. Our high-quality teaching of the core curriculum is supplemented by sports activities, music lessons, choirs, and clubs - we’re committed to encouraging children to discover their passions. And they feed off this sense of participation, be that in School Council, weekly class assemblies, or annual productions.
St Wilfrid's CE Primary School is a one and half form entry primary school for children aged 4-11. Every September we welcome 45 children into our reception class - although high priority is given to children with Church connections, other local children are welcome and attend the school and nursery in significant numbers. In September 2018, the Trust Admissions Governing Body has agreed to increase the number of children to 50.
St Wilfrid's CE Nursery is very fortunate to have a Nursery unit, as part of our Early Years education on site. We are proud of our school and all that we can offer. Our Nursery has a qualified teacher, together with two key workers. As well as a focus on social, physical and language development, there is a clear learning focus to all that takes place and we can have a structured and clear approach to the teaching of phonics. The progress children make in our nursery, both socially and academically is excellent and this ensures that the children have built an excellent foundation before starting school. The Nursery is staffed by a teacher and two teaching assistants.
Like the main school, the Nursery children take part in Nursery Worship and Christian celebrations throughout the year, ensuring a strong Christian ethos throughout the school. Information about events can be found through the School’s weekly newsletter and the Nursery Weekly Letter (obtainable either from our Nursery Information Page or from the School Office entrance). You are always welcome in the Nursery. We hope that parents will join staff and children in visits and outings. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with you.
St Wilfrid's joined St James and Emmanuel Academy on the 1st of July 2016. We are part of trust together with Didsbury CE Primary School and West Didsbury CE Primary School. St Wilfrid's is a one and a half form entry Church of England Primary school with an intake of 45 children each September. We also have a Pre- School Nursery which offers 15 hours per week placements and wraparound care. We have two Reception classes.
The first school to serve the Northenden area was Sharston National School built in 1810 and later the Northenden National School was founded on the present Tesco site. After the closure of this school and Shadow Moss Primary School near Manchester Airport, St Wilfrid's Junior School was opened in 1961 as a two-form entry junior school. It consisted of eight classrooms, a large hall, a kitchen, and extensive playing fields.
As a result of falling numbers in Northenden, in 1983 a merger took place between St Wilfrid's Juniors and Royle Green Infants. St Wilfrid's C of E Primary School was thus formed as a one-form entry school. However, in response to increased requests for places, a new 45 place nursery was opened, together with four new infant classrooms. This opened in January 1997 and the school became a one and a half form entry school.
When parents come to St Wilfrid's CE Primary for the first time, we often hear them marveling at the caring, nurturing, family atmosphere. This is very much our vision - to grow a diverse and creative educational community where we encourage belonging and nurture believing: together becoming fulfilled and responsible members of God’s world.
This school has nine governors who act on behalf of St Wilfrid's for St James & Emmanuel Academy Trust. Please see the page on St James & Emmanuel Academy Trust for more information on the organization of the Trust and the other schools within it, West Didsbury CE Primary School and Didsbury CE Primary School. The head of school is a governor because of her job. She can decide not to be a governor, but she still has to attend the meetings and prepare reports for the governors.
