Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne

Overall, Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School is a warm, inclusive and well-run Catholic primary school. Pupils are safe, happy and well behaved, attendance is above the national average, and the early years provision gives children a strong start. The school is secure in its curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development, with safeguarding standards met. Leaders have acted quickly to improve reading and mathematics, and pupils with SEND or from disadvantaged backgrounds generally achieve well. Contextual factors include above-average SEN support, well-above-average location deprivation, and an increasing number of pupils who speak English as an additional language. The main concern is achievement, where pupils' attainment at the end of key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics has been below national averages over time. Writing is the weakest area: some pupils, especially in key stage 2, have gaps in their writing skills and struggle to write at length. In some subjects, pupils do not build a secure body of knowledge over time, which leaves them less prepared for secondary school. Teachers' checks on prior learning are not consistently effective, and leaders' assurance systems for some improvement priorities need sharpening. Even so, the school's strong pastoral care, enrichment offer and positive relationships mean pupils are well supported and become confident, well-rounded citizens.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture of safeguarding
• Pupils are safe, happy, polite and well behaved
• Attendance is above national average and persistent absence is below national average
• Behaviour is calm and purposeful, with consistent routines from the early years
• Early years provision is welcoming, language-rich and effective
• The school is highly inclusive and supports pupils with SEND, EAL and other vulnerabilities well
• Pupils with SEND typically access the same curriculum as peers and progress well
• Personal development and pastoral care are strong, including mental health and wellbeing support
• Pupils benefit from extensive enrichment, sporting activities and pupil leadership roles
• Parents and carers speak positively about the school and its partnerships
• Staff feel valued and benefit from relevant professional development
• Reading and mathematics improvements are taking effect, with strong phonics and multiplication outcomes

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement needs attention because key stage 2 attainment in reading, writing and mathematics has been below national averages over time
• Writing is a particular weakness: some pupils, especially in key stage 2, struggle to write at length
• Pupils' writing success does not yet match their achievement in reading and mathematics
• In some subjects, pupils do not build a secure body of knowledge over time
• Teachers' checks on prior learning and long-term retention are not consistently effective
• Some pupils are not as well prepared for secondary school as they should be
• Leaders' quality assurance systems for checking the impact of some improvement work are not sharp enough
• Disadvantaged pupils' writing outcomes show a notable gap against national non-disadvantaged peers
• Some pupils still have gaps in written skills that hamper their achievement

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 Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.2% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne 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 Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.6% 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, 17.0% of pupils at Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne 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 Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne received £7,012 and spent £7,023 for each of its 229 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £120,000 (£524 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 Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne last inspected by Ofsted?

Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne have?

Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne has 235 pupils on roll.

What age range does Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne cover?

Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne?

Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne is at Holden Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, OL6 9JJ.