St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School is a small voluntary academy in the Romero Catholic Academy Trust, serving a disadvantaged community with high proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Safeguarding is secure, and leaders have stabilised the school after considerable staffing and leadership instability. Early years provision and personal development are notable strengths: children get a secure start in a language-rich environment, and pupils benefit from tailored personal development, leadership roles and a wide range of activities. Pastoral support is strong, and pupils feel known and valued. However, several core areas need attention. Achievement has been weak over time, with 2025 Year 6 attainment below national in reading, writing and mathematics; older pupils have gaps in knowledge, and Year 1 phonics outcomes remain below national. Persistent absence is stubbornly high, especially for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Curriculum delivery varies across classes and subjects, teaching does not consistently address gaps and misconceptions, and pupils with SEND or disadvantage do not always have their needs met well enough. Behaviour has improved and suspensions have decreased, but some low-level disengagement remains and a few pupils feel bullying is not resolved quickly enough. The school no longer requires significant improvement. New trust and school leaders are cohesive, have accurately identified priorities, and have laid foundations for long-term success with stronger trust support and governance. The next steps are to reduce variability in curriculum delivery, embed attendance systems, ensure teaching adapts to pupils' needs, apply high behaviour expectations consistently, and deepen early years interactions.

Strengths

• Safeguarding is secure, with an open culture and pupils feeling safe.
• Early years provision gives children a secure start through a language-rich environment and well-designed curriculum.
• Phonics is taught well in the early years, with regular practice of sounds and words.
• Personal development is carefully tailored to pupils' needs and the local community.
• Pupils take on meaningful leadership roles, including the GIFT team and Curriculum Ambassadors.
• Pupils have secure knowledge of fundamental British values and respect differences.
• A wide range of after-school activities, including sports, arts and woodland learning, is well attended.
• Pastoral support is strong, and staff act quickly to support pupils' wellbeing.
• Leaders have stabilised the school and established a cohesive, ambitious team.
• Trust and external partnerships provide high-quality professional development.
• Governance has accurate knowledge of the school and provides appropriate support and challenge.
• Behaviour has improved, with suspensions decreasing and dedicated spaces such as The Hive.
• Attendance systems have improved and attendance rates are beginning to rise.
• The curriculum has been overhauled, with coherent subject curriculums now in place.
• Careers education is raising pupils' aspirations, including through the Aspirations Wall.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement has been weak over time, with 2025 Year 6 attainment below national in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Older pupils have gaps in knowledge that limit their achievement.
• The proportion of Year 1 pupils meeting the expected standard in the phonics screening check is below national.
• Persistent absence is stubbornly high, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Overall attendance remains below the national average.
• Curriculum delivery varies in quality across classes and subjects.
• Teaching does not consistently address pupils' gaps in knowledge and misconceptions.
• Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils do not always have their needs met well enough.
• Work in lessons is sometimes not well matched to pupils' abilities.
• Leaders do not evaluate the impact of pupil premium support sharply enough, especially on achievement.
• Governance knowledge of the pupil premium strategy is less well developed.
• Some pupils are distracted in lessons or do not move around school calmly.
• A few pupils believe bullying is not dealt with quickly enough.
• Early years interactions do not always deepen children's knowledge or understanding.
• Staffing instability has hindered progress in improving teaching.
• High expectations of behaviour are not applied consistently in all aspects of school life.

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 Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 25.4% 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, 22.1% of pupils at St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy had 13.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 66.7% 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, 24.5% of pupils at St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 11.7% 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 Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy received £12,470 and spent £11,965 for each of its 137 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £101,000 (£736 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of Romero Catholic Academy Trust, income was £8,388 and spending £8,280 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 Bacup · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is part of Romero Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• St Joseph's Roman Catholic Voluntary Academy Todmorden
• All Saints' Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy Rossendale
• Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley
• St Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley
• Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy Burnley
• St Augustine of Canterbury RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Burnley
• St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley
• St Anne's and St Joseph's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Accrington
• St John the Baptist RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Burnley
• Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Nelson

What is St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have?

St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy has 94 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy cover?

St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 15% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is at Tong Lane, Bacup, Lancashire, OL13 9LJ.