St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich

St Mary’s is a nurturing and inclusive Church of England primary school where pupils feel welcomed and valued. Behaviour is exemplary, relationships are highly positive, and pupils’ personal development is a standout feature: pupils take on leadership roles, contribute to the school community and show strong respect for diversity. The school has high expectations, including for pupils with SEND, and phonics and reading are taught consistently well, with strong outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check and effective support for pupils who need to catch up. Leadership and governance are effective. Governors ask probing questions, staff workload is considered, attendance is high and improving, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014; it has a new senior leadership team, and many staff and governors have joined since the previous inspection. Under current arrangements, no overall effectiveness grade is given. The main areas for improvement are in curriculum and assessment. In a small number of subjects, and in some aspects of the early years curriculum, leaders have not set out clearly enough the key knowledge pupils should learn, so pupils’ recall is weaker than in other areas. Assessment arrangements in some subjects are also not clear enough, which means teachers do not always have the information they need to check what pupils have remembered and to address gaps.

Strengths

• Nurturing, inclusive environment where pupils feel welcomed and valued
• Exemplary behaviour and highly positive relationships across the school
• Strong personal development, including leadership roles and community contribution
• High expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND
• Consistent, effective phonics teaching and strong early reading outcomes
• Precise identification and well-matched support for pupils with SEND
• High and improving attendance, with effective action on persistent absence
• Wide range of high-quality activities that enhance the wider curriculum
• Strong spiritual, moral and British values provision with respect for other faiths and cultures
• Effective governance that challenges and supports the school well
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Key knowledge is not specified clearly enough in a small number of subjects
• Some aspects of the early years curriculum lack clarity about what children should learn
• Assessment arrangements are underdeveloped in some subjects
• Pupils’ recall and teachers’ understanding of achievement are weaker in these subjects

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich attended 96.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich had 25.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 11.2% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich received £6,931 and spent £6,552 for each of its 230 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £146,000 (£635 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich is Good, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich have?

St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich has 240 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich cover?

St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich?

St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich is at Rectory Lane, Prestwich, Manchester, Lancashire, M25 1BP.