St Hugh's CofE Primary School

St Hugh's CofE Primary School is a warm, caring school where pupils feel known and safe, and safeguarding standards are met. The early years provision is a clear strength: children benefit from a calm, nurturing environment and an effective curriculum, making a positive start from often low starting points. Early reading is secure and phonics results are in line with national averages, while pupils' mathematics achievement by the end of key stage 2 is relatively strong, including for disadvantaged pupils. Most other areas are not yet performing as they should. Pupils leave key stage 2 with reading and writing outcomes below national averages, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities do not achieve as well as they should. Teaching is too inconsistent and does not reliably match pupils' needs, with gaps in foundational writing and insufficient practice for mathematical fluency. Attendance is below national levels and persistent absence is high, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. Behaviour expectations are inconsistent, low-level disruption remains common in some classes, and suspensions are not reducing. The school has suitable curriculum plans, a clear ambition for pupils and strong pastoral and family support, including effective provision for pupils with education, health and care plans. Staff feel valued and professional development is planned well. However, support for pupils' emotional regulation and the monitoring of SEND provision are not precise enough, and leaders' oversight has not yet driven rapid enough improvement. The school is part of Crompton House Multi Academy Trust and serves a community with high levels of disadvantage and SEN, which adds important context to its work. It also uses two unregistered alternative provisions.

Strengths

• Early years curriculum and teaching are effective, with a calm and nurturing environment.
• Children make a positive start from often very low starting points.
• Early reading teaching is secure and phonics attainment is in line with national averages.
• Pupils achieve well in mathematics by the end of key stage 2, including disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders have a suitable curriculum and a clear ambition for all pupils to thrive.
• The new writing curriculum is beginning to have a positive impact.
• Pupils with education, health and care plans are well supported and achieve well from their starting points.
• Additional funding is used effectively to support disadvantaged pupils.
• Pastoral support is a priority, with therapies and counselling available through the 'B You' room.
• Pupils feel safe, are kind and respectful, and bullying is dealt with quickly.
• Staff feel valued and supported, and professional development is well planned.
• Pupils benefit from leadership roles such as reading champions and school council members.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Key stage 2 reading and writing outcomes are below national averages.
• Pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should.
• Teaching is inconsistent and does not consistently match pupils' needs.
• Assessment checks are not thorough enough to build precisely on prior knowledge.
• Gaps remain in pupils' foundational writing, including letter formation, handwriting and spelling.
• Some pupils lack sufficient practice to build mathematical fluency.
• Some pupils do not secure the necessary mathematics knowledge in key stage 1.
• Attendance is below national levels and persistent absence is high and increasing.
• Part-time timetables are not reviewed regularly enough.
• Behaviour expectations are inconsistent and low-level disruption is common in some classes.
• Support for pupils who struggle to regulate behaviour is not effective, and suspensions are not reducing.
• Support for pupils' emotional regulation is not precise enough and its impact is not monitored.
• Plans for pupils with additional needs are not precise enough.
• Leadership actions have not led to rapid enough improvement, and oversight is not accurate enough.
• Personal development teaching is variable and some pupils lack secure understanding of British values and equality.
• The range of clubs available to pupils is limited.

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 Hugh's CofE Primary School attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 23.4% 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, 1.4% of pupils at St Hugh's 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 St Hugh's CofE Primary School had 24.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.6% 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, 20.4% of pupils at St Hugh's CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.6% 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 Hugh's CofE Primary School received £8,328 and spent £8,111 for each of its 214 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £64,000 (£298 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Crompton House Church of England Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,197 and spending £7,220 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.

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

St Hugh's CofE Primary School is part of Crompton House Church of England Multi Academy Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• St Thomas CofE Primary School Oldham
• Holy Trinity CofE Dobcross Primary School Oldham
• St. Paul's CofE Primary School Oldham
• Beal Vale Primary School Oldham
• The Crompton House Church of England Academy Oldham
• Thornham St. James CofE Primary School Oldham

What is St Hugh's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Hugh's CofE Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was St Hugh's CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Hugh's CofE Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does St Hugh's CofE Primary School have?

St Hugh's CofE Primary School has 211 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Hugh's CofE Primary School cover?

St Hugh's CofE Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Hugh's CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Hugh's CofE Primary School?

St Hugh's CofE Primary School is at Wildmoor Avenue, Holts, Oldham, Lancashire, OL4 5NZ.