Sacred Heart RC Primary School

Sacred Heart RC Primary is a warm and ambitious school where pupils feel treasured, safe and listened to. Inspectors judged the school good across all key areas, including early years, during its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. The school has seen significant leadership and staffing change, including a new headteacher in September 2024, but leaders and governors have established a shared vision and high staff morale. It is a Roman Catholic school in the Diocese of Salford and does not receive an overall effectiveness grade under current arrangements. Pupils achieve well overall and leave ready for the next stage, including many with SEND. Early years children make strong progress from low starting points, reading is a high priority with good catch-up support, and the curriculum is generally well ordered and taught with enthusiasm. Behaviour is positive, attendance is well supported, personal development is strong, and safeguarding is effective. The main areas to improve are linked to a small number of subjects. Staff do not always have the specialist knowledge to adapt the curriculum fully for pupils with SEND, which limits a small number of pupils' achievement in some areas. Subject leadership and evaluation of curriculum impact are still developing in a few subjects, so the school does not always know how well pupils are learning over time. Provisional 2024 phonics outcomes were below the national average, though the school has identified the reasons and provided training and support.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy, safe and highly valued, with strong relationships with adults and peers.
• Pupils are proud, respectful, empathetic and engaged in their learning.
• The school has a clear shared vision and strategic leadership, with high staff morale.
• Early years children make strong progress from typically low starting points.
• Reading is a high priority, with strong support for pupils who struggle and enthusiastic older readers.
• The curriculum is well ordered and delivered with enthusiasm and appropriate subject knowledge.
• Staff check understanding and address misconceptions quickly, supporting most pupils including those with SEND.
• Staff show remarkable expertise and compassion in supporting pupils with complex needs.
• Attendance is effectively supported, so very few pupils miss important learning.
• Personal development is well established, including healthy lifestyles, positive relationships, clubs and pupil leadership.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, staff lack the specialist knowledge to adapt learning for pupils with SEND.
• In a small number of subjects, curriculum impact evaluation is underdeveloped, limiting informed decisions.
• Some subject leadership is new and not yet fully embedded, slowing improvement in those areas.
• Provisional 2024 phonics screening outcomes were below the national average, although action has been taken.

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 Sacred Heart RC Primary School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.4% 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, 1.5% of pupils at Sacred Heart 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 Sacred Heart 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, 27.8% 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, 17.9% of pupils at Sacred Heart RC Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% 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 Sacred Heart RC Primary School received £7,720 and spent £7,555 for each of its 330 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £153,000 (£464 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 Sacred Heart RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sacred Heart RC Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Sacred Heart RC Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sacred Heart RC Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Sacred Heart RC Primary School have?

Sacred Heart RC Primary School has 330 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sacred Heart RC Primary School cover?

Sacred Heart RC Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Sacred Heart RC Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sacred Heart RC Primary School?

Sacred Heart RC Primary School is at Knutsford Road, Gorton, Manchester, M18 7NJ.