St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport

St Thomas' Church of England Primary School is a small Stockport primary with a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEN support. Inspectors concluded that the school is failing to provide an acceptable standard of education and requires special measures. Safeguarding is met, and children get off to a good start in the early years, where the curriculum is suitably designed, phonics has improved and children are well supported and feel safe. Pupils generally behave well and value recent help with regulating emotions, and the school offers strong emotional care and a range of extra experiences. However, achievement is weak. Pupils do not acquire basic reading, writing and mathematics skills quickly enough; mathematics is particularly poor, and disadvantaged pupils and some with SEND do not consistently make suitable progress. Attendance is a serious concern, with persistent absence well above national averages and leaders lacking insight into the barriers. Curriculum and teaching are inconsistent, especially in mixed-age key stage 2 classes, and misconceptions and gaps in prior learning are not identified well. Leadership and governance are the central weaknesses. Leaders' evaluations are over-generous, improvement work has been scattergun, and the school relies too heavily on external support. Governors have not held leaders to account effectively, have gaps in understanding the school's context and have experienced high turnover. Inclusion and personal development also need attention because needs are not identified precisely enough and some important content, such as British values and protected characteristics, is not learned securely.

Strengths

• Children get off to a good start in the early years.
• Early years curriculum is suitably designed and delivered effectively.
• Phonics provision has improved through focused staff training.
• Staff model language clearly and build children's vocabulary.
• Children with SEND are well supported in early years.
• Children enjoy warm, positive relationships and feel safe.
• Vulnerable pupils and families receive effective support through external agencies.
• Pupils learn about healthy relationships, growing up and online safety.
• School provides high levels of emotional care and support.
• Pupils have access to forest skills, trips, clubs and responsibilities.
• Pupils behave well and show positive attitudes to learning.
• Leaders prioritise staff professional learning and wellbeing.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• School requires special measures because leadership and governance lack capacity to secure improvement.
• Leaders rely too heavily on external support and have not tackled longstanding weaknesses.
• Governors do not fulfil statutory responsibilities or hold leaders to account effectively.
• High governor turnover has left gaps in understanding of SEND, social care and disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils' needs, including academic gaps, are not identified quickly or precisely enough.
• Pupil premium funding is too broad and does not effectively reduce barriers for disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils do not acquire basic reading, writing and mathematics skills quickly enough.
• Mathematics attainment is particularly poor, and phonics and GPS outcomes are weak.
• Pupils' knowledge across the wider curriculum is patchy and misconceptions become entrenched.
• Persistent absence is well above national averages and strategies lack precision.
• Curriculum and teaching are not designed well for mixed-age key stage 2 classes.
• Leaders' evaluations of curriculum and teaching are over-generous and improvement has been scattergun.
• Personal development delivery does not secure understanding of British values and protected characteristics.
• Some pupils with SEND make inconsistent progress.

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' Church of England Primary School Stockport attended 92.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 26.2% 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, 2.0% of pupils at St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport 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 Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport had 15.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.4% 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 Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.7% 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 Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport received £9,527 and spent £9,853 for each of its 143 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £67,000 (£467 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 Stockport · Stockport local authority: places and applications

What is St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport is Urgent improvement, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport last inspected by Ofsted?

St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport have?

St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport has 149 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport cover?

St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 33% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport?

St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport is at Marriott Street, Stockport, Cheshire, SK1 3PJ.