Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

Our Lady & St Paul’s RC Primary School has shown significant progress in its journey since becoming an academy in September 2020. This is the school's first inspection and it has been graded as good overall, with particular strengths in early years provision, which has been rated outstanding. The school provides a welcoming and caring environment, where pupils feel safe and supported and are achieving well in most subjects, particularly in reading, writing, and mathematics. The establishment is effectively reversing a previous legacy of underachievement under the support of the St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust.

Strengths

• Welcoming and caring school environment
• Strong early years provision rated Outstanding
• Ambitious curriculum that supports all pupils including those with SEND
• Effective behaviour management leading to calm classrooms
• High-quality personal development opportunities for pupils
• Well-structured phonics curriculum leading to effective reading habits

Areas for Improvement

• Variable subject knowledge and confidence among staff in some subjects
• Inconsistent curriculum development in foundation subjects leading to insecure recall 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 Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy attended 93.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.6% 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, 4.6% of pupils at Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy 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 & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy had 22.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.8% 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, 21.8% of pupils at Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.4% 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 Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy received £7,863 and spent £8,207 for each of its 210 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £78,000 (-£372 per pupil).

Across all 22 schools of St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust, income was £6,697 and spending £6,817 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 Heywood · Rochdale local authority: places and applications

Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is part of St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 27 schools. The nearest others:

• St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Rochdale, a Voluntary Academy Heywood
• St Joseph and St Bede RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Bury
• St. Marie's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Bury
• St Gabriel's RC High School, a Voluntary Academy Bury
• St Bernadette's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Manchester
• Guardian Angels Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Bury
• St Michael's Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Manchester
• Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Bury
• St Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Rochdale
• St John Fisher Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Manchester

What is Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is Good, from an inspection in October 2023.

When was Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy was last inspected in October 2023.

How many pupils does Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy have?

Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy has 202 pupils on roll.

What age range does Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy cover?

Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 48% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?

Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is at Sutherland Road, Darnhill, Heywood, Lancashire, OL10 3PD.