St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale

St Peter’s Roman Catholic Primary School is a caring school where pupils are proud to belong and are at the centre of its work. Pupils have high expectations set for them, including those with SEND, and they typically achieve well. Behaviour is exemplary and pupils are keen to learn, while the school’s personal development offer is exceptionally rich through trips, clubs, pupil responsibilities, community contributions and well-being sessions. The curriculum has been overhauled to be broad, balanced and knowledge-rich, reading is a clear strength, and provision for pupils with SEND is strong. Early years gives children a strong foundation for key stage 1. The main area for improvement is writing. Although recent approaches have started to improve pupils’ writing, some pupils still have misconceptions and inaccuracies in their written communication that staff do not consistently identify or address. The school should build on its improved approaches to better support pupils’ accuracy and fluency in writing. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and a new headteacher has been appointed since the previous inspection. The school is a Roman Catholic primary in Rochdale and uses one unregistered alternative provision.

Strengths

• Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary and they are keen to learn.
• Pupils typically achieve well and rise to the school’s high academic and social expectations.
• The curriculum has been overhauled to be broad, balanced and knowledge-rich.
• Provision for pupils with SEND is strong, with early identification and effective work with parents and agencies.
• A love of reading is embedded across the school, including phonics from Reception and reading champions.
• Personal development is exceptionally rich, with trips, clubs, pupil responsibilities and community contributions.
• Staff are well supported through training, coaching and consideration of their workload and well-being.
• Governors fulfil their statutory duties well and support and challenge the school effectively.
• Early years provides a strong foundation for learning and prepares children well for key stage 1.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils have misconceptions and inaccuracies in their written communication that staff do not consistently identify or address.
• The school’s previous focus on raising pupils’ achievement in writing was not sharp enough, although recent approaches are improving.

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 Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.6% 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, 0.5% of pupils at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale 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 Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale had 22.3 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, 15.5% of pupils at St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% 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 Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale received £6,475 and spent £6,759 for each of its 213 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £38,000 (£178 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 Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale is Good, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale last inspected by Ofsted?

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale have?

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale has 213 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale cover?

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale?

St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale is at Kirkway, Middleton, Manchester, M24 1FL.