St Thomas Church of England Primary School

St Thomas Church of England Primary School demonstrates a strong overall performance, with an overall effectiveness rating of good. Pupils thrive in a supportive environment that fosters their love for learning and promotes exemplary behavior. The headteacher and governors are committed to continuous improvement, and staff are well-trained, contributing to the school's ambitious curriculum that adequately prepares pupils for future educational stages. However, there are areas that require attention, particularly in ensuring all pupils effectively consolidate their learning across subjects.

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit exemplary behavior and attitudes towards learning.
• The school fosters a supportive and caring environment.
• The curriculum is ambitious and aligns well from early years to Year 6.
• Most staff are well-trained and deliver subjects effectively.
• There is a strong emphasis on personal development and respect for diversity.
• The school actively supports pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
• Attendance is prioritized, with effective support for families to improve student attendance.

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff provide insufficient opportunities for pupils to recap and consolidate prior learning.
• Gaps in pupils' subject-specific vocabulary and knowledge are not always identified or addressed.

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 attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.6% 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 St Thomas Church of England 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 St Thomas Church of England Primary School had 21.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.7% 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, 8.9% of pupils at St Thomas Church of England 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 2024–25 St Thomas Church of England Primary School received £6,652 and spent £7,629 for each of its 427 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £322,000 (£756 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

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

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

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

The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

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

St Thomas Church of England Primary School was last inspected in July 2024.

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

St Thomas Church of England Primary School has 459 pupils on roll.

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

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

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

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Thomas Church of England Primary School?

St Thomas Church of England Primary School is at Pimhole Road, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 7EY.