St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool

St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool is a smaller-than-average Catholic primary with a governor-led pre-school, serving a community with well-above-average deprivation and high proportions of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND support. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school has an open culture where pupils feel safe and well cared for. Across most areas it is performing as expected, with inclusion standing out as a notable strength. Leaders have embedded an inclusive approach, and pupils with SEND, including those with EHC plans, are supported effectively and achieve well. Behaviour is a strength, attendance has improved, and the curriculum is well designed, with a strong focus on basic skills such as phonics and times tables. Early years provision gives children a secure start, leadership and governance are effective, and personal development is supported through a wide range of opportunities, pastoral care and community links. There are still areas to develop. Attendance remains below national averages, and persistent absence is high. Higher attainers in reading do not yet reach the highest standards, and an attainment gap remains for disadvantaged pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders also need to further embed curriculum, assessment, intervention and monitoring systems, and develop continuous provision in the pre-school and Reception class, including outdoor learning, so that children develop deep understanding across all areas.

Strengths

• Inclusion runs through every part of school life and is a standout strength.
• Pupils with SEND, including those with EHC plans, receive effective support and achieve well.
• Additional funding is used purposefully to support disadvantaged pupils' learning and wider opportunities.
• Vulnerable pupils and those known to social care receive timely, highly effective pastoral support.
• Behaviour is a strength; pupils are calm, polite, respectful and positive about learning.
• Attendance has improved and leaders work effectively to remove barriers to attendance.
• The curriculum is well designed and embedded, with clear progression and attention to vocabulary and recall.
• Basic skills are prioritised, including phonics from Reception and daily times tables practice.
• Early years provision gives children a secure start, including for two-year-olds and Nursery children.
• Leadership and governance are effective, ambitious and focused on staff wellbeing and workload.
• Parents speak positively, and the school is at the heart of its community through food bank, holiday provision and local partnerships.
• Personal development is well planned, with clubs, residentials, leadership roles and mental health support.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture of safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance remains below national averages, especially for pupils with the lowest attendance.
• Persistent absence is well above national averages.
• Curriculum, assessment, intervention and monitoring systems need further embedding so all pupils achieve consistently well.
• Higher attainers in reading do not yet reach the highest standards.
• An attainment gap remains for disadvantaged pupils in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Continuous provision in the pre-school and Reception class needs development across all seven areas of learning, including purposeful outdoor learning.

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 Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool attended 91.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 26.4% 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 Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool 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 Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool had 19.1 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, 17.7% of pupils at St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.3% 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 Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool received £9,833 and spent £10,490 for each of its 164 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £107,000 (-£654 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 Runcorn · Halton local authority: places and applications

What is St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool last inspected by Ofsted?

St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool have?

St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool has 164 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool cover?

St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool?

St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool is at St Martin's Lane, Murdishaw, St Martin's Lane, Murdishaw, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 6HZ.