St Mary's RC Primary School

St Mary’s RC Primary School is a nurturing, caring school where pupils thrive and achieve exceptionally well across the curriculum. Inspected in November 2024, it was judged outstanding in all key judgements: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. Since September 2024, schools no longer receive an overall effectiveness grade. The inspection was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014, when it was exempt because of its previous outstanding judgement. The school is a voluntary aided primary in Salford and part of the Diocese of Salford, and has appointed a new headteacher and chair of governors since the previous inspection. The report highlights a highly ambitious curriculum designed for the St Mary’s community, delivered expertly by staff with strong subject knowledge. Reading is at the heart of the curriculum, phonics teaching is expert, and pupils who struggle are quickly identified and supported. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, learn the same content as their peers and progress well. Behaviour is exemplary, attendance is high, and pupils’ personal development is highly aspirational, with strong provision for equality, diversity and community contribution. Governance is strong, staff wellbeing is carefully considered, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. No areas of concern or underperformance are identified in the report. The school is described as highly inclusive, with pupils rising to high expectations and benefiting from impressive wider experiences. The overall picture is of a school performing at an exceptionally high level across all inspected areas.

Strengths

• Highly ambitious curriculum tailored to the school community and sequenced from early years
• Expert curriculum delivery with strong subject knowledge and effective checks on understanding
• Reading is central, with expert phonics teaching and rapid support for pupils who struggle
• Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve exceptionally well and access the same curriculum content as peers
• Early years provision prepares children very well for key stage 1 and gives them the support they need
• Behaviour is exemplary, with highly positive attitudes and very rare low-level disruption
• Attendance is high and pupils are rarely absent
• Personal development is highly aspirational, covering equality, diversity and tolerance
• Pupils take leadership roles and contribute meaningfully to the local community
• Governance knows the school exceptionally well and supports staff wellbeing
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

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 RC Primary School attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.3% 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 RC 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 St Mary's RC Primary School had 24.6 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, 20.1% of pupils at St Mary's RC Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.1% 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 RC Primary School received £6,016 and spent £6,316 for each of its 239 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £128,000 (£535 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Manchester · Salford local authority: places and applications

What is St Mary's RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's RC Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was St Mary's RC Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's RC Primary School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does St Mary's RC Primary School have?

St Mary's RC Primary School has 239 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's RC Primary School cover?

St Mary's RC Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Mary's RC Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's RC Primary School?

St Mary's RC Primary School is at Hemming Drive, Eccles, Manchester, M30 0FJ.