Christ Church CofE Primary School

Christ Church CofE Primary School is a welcoming and happy institution where pupils demonstrate good behavior and a strong sense of belonging. With high expectations set by the leaders, students achieve commendably across various subjects. The school provides a rich curriculum that attends well to the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), fostering emotional health and well-being through engaging activities. As it was the first inspection since converting to an academy in 2017, the report highlights a commendable foundation for growth and development. Despite notable strengths, the inspection identified some areas for improvement, particularly concerning reading support for younger pupils who struggle with fluency. The school is actively working on refining systems for tracking retention of knowledge in a few subjects. This focus on assessment not only aims to improve students' immediate learning but also seeks to ensure they build a robust understanding of the material over time. The overall effectiveness of the school is rated as good, reflecting its potential and the positive relationships established throughout the school community.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well under high expectations.
• Strong curriculum that meets the diverse needs of pupils.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Engaging extracurricular activities foster a sense of community.
• Positive feedback from parents regarding school activities.
• Strong emphasis on emotional health and well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• Some younger pupils lack confidence and fluency in reading.
• Need for enhanced systems to track long-term retention of knowledge.

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 Christ Church CofE Primary School attended 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.3% 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 Christ Church CofE 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 Christ Church CofE Primary School had 19.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.0% 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, 11.7% of pupils at Christ Church CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% 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 2024–25 Christ Church CofE Primary School received £6,766 and spent £8,164 for each of its 218 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £52,000 (-£239 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of The Sycamore Church of England Trust Limited, income was £7,397 and spending £7,657 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bury · Bury local authority: places and applications

Christ Church CofE Primary School is part of The Sycamore Church of England Trust Limited, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• St Stephen's Church of England Primary School Bury
• Christ Church Ainsworth Church of England Primary School Bolton
• Holy Trinity Primary School Bury
• St Thomas Church of England Primary School Bury
• Radcliffe Hall Church of England Methodist Primary School Manchester
• St John's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe Bury

What is Christ Church CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Christ Church CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was Christ Church CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Christ Church CofE Primary School was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does Christ Church CofE Primary School have?

Christ Church CofE Primary School has 214 pupils on roll.

What age range does Christ Church CofE Primary School cover?

Christ Church CofE Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Christ Church CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Christ Church CofE Primary School?

Christ Church CofE Primary School is at Church Street, Walshaw, Bury, Lancashire, BL8 3AX.