St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School is a voluntary aided school in Salford for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It has 503 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in January 2024. In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Ofsted inspection: January 2024. KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Voluntary aided school |
| Age Range | 3-11 |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Hadfield Street Higher Broughton Salford Greater Manchester M7 4XG |
| Phone | 01614702660 |
| Reference Number | 105970 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 503 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 49.9%
Girls: 50.1% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 57.7% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 42.9% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 31.4 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 33.2 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 30.8 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 38 | 30 | 68 |
| 2 | 41 | 26 | 67 |
| 3 | 28 | 32 | 60 |
| 4 | 31 | 27 | 58 |
| 5 | 27 | 35 | 62 |
| 6 | 32 | 34 | 66 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| African | 23.7% |
| Mixed, Other | 20.7% |
| White, British | 19.9% |
| White, Other | 8.7% |
| Pakistani | 3.6% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 2.6% |
| Asian, Other | 2.2% |
| Indian | 1.6% |
| White & Asian | 1.4% |
| Chinese | 1% |
| White & Black (African) | 0.8% |
| Caribbean | 0.6% |
| Unclassified | 0.2% |
| Irish | 0.2% |
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School is performing exceptionally well, achieving outstanding ratings in most areas, including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The school has a strong focus on preparing pupils for their future education, with pupils demonstrating impeccable behaviour and a high level of respect for one another and their teachers. The curriculum is meticulously designed, allowing students to build a rich body of knowledge, and staff are well-trained to support all students, including those with special educational needs.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Outstanding |
| > Quality of education | Outstanding |
| > Behaviour & Attitude | Outstanding |
| > Personal Development | Outstanding |
| > Leadership & Management | Outstanding |
| > Early Years Provision | Good |
| Last Report Date | 06 Dec 2023 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 06 Dec 2023 | School inspection: |
| 10 Jan 2012 | Curriculum and development visit |
| 13 Oct 2010 | Curriculum and development visit |
| 20 Jan 2010 | Full inspection: |
| 09 Jul 2008 | Full inspection: |
| 11 Mar 2008 | Monitoring visit |
| 11 Oct 2007 | Monitoring visit |
| 14 Mar 2007 | Monitoring visit |
| 05 Dec 2006 | Monitoring visit |
| 05 Jul 2006 | Full inspection: |
| 09 Oct 2000 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Outstanding quality of education across all key areas.
- Impeccable pupil behaviour and high respect among peers.
- Strong leadership committed to maintaining high standards.
- Highly effective curriculum that builds on previous knowledge.
- Exceptional support for pupils with special educational needs.
Areas for Improvement
- Some early years children with SEND miss out on peer interactions.
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 83% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 15% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 108 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 111 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 2.4 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Writing | 3.1 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 4.9 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
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See how St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 17 | 2 |
| Third Preference | 9 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 23 | 19 |
Previous years
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UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School had 443 pupils for 420 places. That is 23 more pupils than the school has room for.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “Border Primary” planning area
Salford counted 209 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 211 in 2029–30, up 1%.
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 210 | 297 | 270 | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 |
| Pupils | 203 | 211 | 264 | 306 | 325 | 366 | 404 | 415 | 435 | 446 | 449 | 447 | 442 | 445 | 443 |
| Unfilled | 3.3% | 29.0% | 2.2% | 27.1% | 22.6% | 12.9% | 3.8% | 1.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
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 Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 2.4% | 2.6% | 2.7% | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 2.4% | 3.6% | 3.5% | 3.1% | 3.0% |
| Unauthorised absence | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 0.7% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 1.7% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 2.0% | 1.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
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 Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School had 22.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 7.9 | 8.1 | 9.7 | 8.2 | 9.0 | 8.6 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 8.2 | 6.8 | 7.9 | 7.6 | 8.3 | 7.4 | 7.7 | 7.1 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 10.0% | 7.7% | 0.0% | 11.1% | 2.9% | 4.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 4.9% | 0.0% | 8.9% | 13.3% | 0.0% | 4.8% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 0.0% | 63.6% | 56.3% | 46.2% | 59.1% | 60.0% | 40.0% | 60.0% | 40.0% | – | 33.3% | 57.1% | 17.4% | 26.1% | 60.0% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 0.0 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 7.8 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.5 | – | 2.1 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 2.1 | – |
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, 18.5% of pupils at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Speech, language and communication needs | 50 | 5 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 8 | 14 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 19 | 0 |
| Hearing impairment | 5 | 1 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 5 | 0 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 3 | 0 |
| Physical disability | 2 | 0 |
| Multi-sensory impairment | 1 | 0 |
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 Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School received £7,389 and spent £7,514 for each of its 503 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £241,000 (£480 per pupil).
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £163,000 | £254,000 | £292,000 | £291,000 | £337,000 | £313,000 | £304,000 | £241,000 |
| per pupil | £319 | £498 | £571 | £570 | £668 | £613 | £604 | £480 |
| In-year balance | -£34,000 | £90,000 | £38,000 | -£1,000 | £46,000 | -£24,000 | -£9,000 | -£63,000 |
| per pupil | -£67 | £178 | £75 | -£2 | £92 | -£47 | -£17 | -£125 |
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 Salford · Salford local authority: places and applications
What is St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in January 2024.
When was St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School was last inspected in January 2024.
How many pupils does St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School have?
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School has 503 pupils on roll.
What age range does St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School cover?
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.
What are St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School?
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School is at Hadfield Street, Higher Broughton, Salford, Greater Manchester, M7 4XG.