Christ Church CofE Primary School

Christ Church CofE Primary School is a very small, warm and nurturing school where pupils feel safe, behave well and are well cared for. Safeguarding is a clear strength, and pupils benefit from strong relationships, a calm and orderly environment, and a wide range of personal development opportunities. Inclusion is effective, with pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities well supported to learn alongside their peers. Attendance has improved and is now close to the national average, although persistent absence remains above average. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and the individualised support their children receive. However, the quality of education is uneven. The curriculum is still being refined and, in several subjects, it does not build knowledge securely over time. As a result, pupils' progress is variable and some have gaps in their learning that are not addressed quickly enough. This is most evident in early years and in the teaching of foundational skills such as handwriting, spelling and number fluency. Disadvantaged pupils' combined reading, writing and mathematics outcomes are below national averages, though their reading and mathematics attainment is stronger. Leadership has made improvements in some areas, but has not acted swiftly enough on weaknesses, and governor vacancies have limited the rigour of support and challenge. This is a school with many strengths in care, behaviour and personal development, but it requires focused action to ensure that all pupils, including the youngest children, achieve consistently well across the whole curriculum.

Strengths

• Safeguarding is a clear strength, with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.
• Pupils behave exceptionally well, showing politeness, self-control and respect for others.
• Leaders have effective systems for tracking attendance and overall absence is now close to the national average.
• Inclusion is strong: pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils receive well-considered support to access the curriculum.
• Personal development is well mapped, with pupils developing confidence, independence and an understanding of fundamental British values.
• Early reading and phonics are taught well, and pupils develop a love of stories and learn to read swiftly.
• Staff build positive relationships with families, and parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school.
• The school has a warm, family-like atmosphere where everyone is known and treated as an individual.
• Governors and leaders are dedicated, and staff feel supported with their wellbeing and workload.

Areas for Improvement

• The curriculum, including in early years, is not yet sufficiently refined so that pupils build knowledge and skills securely across all subjects.
• Teaching of spelling, handwriting and number fluency is inconsistent, leaving some pupils with gaps in foundational knowledge.
• Teachers do not always match learning to pupils' starting points or address errors and misconceptions, so gaps in learning persist.
• Pupils' progress across the curriculum is variable, and some are not well prepared for their next stage of learning.
• Early years provision does not build well enough on children's starting points in early writing and mathematics.
• Leaders have not acted swiftly enough on some areas needing improvement, and governor vacancies have limited the rigour of support and challenge.
• Disadvantaged pupils' combined reading, writing and mathematics outcomes are significantly below national averages.
• Persistent absence is above the national average, although leaders are working to improve this.

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 Christ Church CofE Primary School attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.9% 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 Christ Church CofE Primary School 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 Christ Church CofE Primary School had 11.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.0% 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, 14.9% of pupils at Christ Church CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.4% 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 Christ Church CofE Primary School received £12,860 and spent £12,692 for each of its 47 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £21,000 (-£441 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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All schools in Oldham · Oldham local authority: places and applications

What is Christ Church CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Christ Church CofE Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Christ Church CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Christ Church CofE Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Christ Church CofE Primary School have?

Christ Church CofE Primary School has 47 pupils on roll.

What age range does Christ Church CofE Primary School cover?

Christ Church CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Christ Church CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Christ Church CofE Primary School?

Christ Church CofE Primary School is at Delph Road, Delph Road, Oldham, Lancashire, OL3 5RY.