St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone is an academy converter in Rochdale for pupils aged 5 to 11. It has a Church of England religious character. It has 208 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone is Good, from an inspection in October 2022 of its predecessor, St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone. It has fewer teachers for its size than most primary schools: 27.8 pupils for each teacher in 2025/26, against 20.7 nationally.
Ofsted inspection: February 2025.
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 5-11 |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Oldham Road Rochdale Lancashire OL11 2HB |
| Reference Number | 151362 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 208 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 58.65%
Girls: 41.35% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 43.8% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 12% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 29.7 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 30 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 29.5 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | 11 | 30 |
| 2 | 17 | 13 | 30 |
| 3 | 15 | 13 | 28 |
| 4 | 14 | 14 | 28 |
| 5 | 17 | 15 | 32 |
| 6 | 20 | 10 | 30 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 70.7% |
| African | 9.6% |
| White, Other | 4.3% |
| Mixed, Other | 2.9% |
| Pakistani | 2.4% |
| White & Asian | 1.9% |
| Indian | 1.4% |
| Asian, Other | 1.4% |
| Unclassified | 1% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 0.5% |
| Chinese | 0.5% |
| White & Black (African) | 0.5% |
This school has not been graded since it changed URN, usually on converting to an academy. The rating shown is from its predecessor, St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone, inspected in October 2022.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | This school has not had an inspection yet. |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 07 Feb 2025 | Academy conversion letter |
Reception admissions, 2026 entry
Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 30 | 3 |
| Third Preference | 25 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Places and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone had 208 pupils for 210 places. 2 places (1.0%) were unfilled.
Reception intake in the “Rochdale South West Primary” planning area
Rochdale counted 256 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 287 in 2029–30, up 12%.
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 2025–26 St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone had 27.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7).
Pupils per teacher
| 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 11.6 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | – |
| Sick days per teacher | – |
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, 18.8% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Speech, language and communication needs | 27 | 7 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 7 | 6 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 2 | 0 |
| Hearing impairment | 1 | 0 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 1 | 0 |
| Vision impairment | 1 | 0 |
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.
| Name | Distance |
|
Lowerplace Primary School
Kingsway, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL16 4UU |
0.31 miles |
|
Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Great Gates Road, Kirkholt, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 2DA |
0.5 miles |
|
St Peter's Church of England Primary School
Muriel Street, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL16 5JQ |
0.52 miles |
|
Sandbrook Community Primary School
Hartley Lane, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 2LR |
0.55 miles |
|
Deeplish Primary Academy
Derby Street, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 1LT |
0.56 miles |
|
Nuqtah Primary School
235 Ashfield Road, Rochdale, OL11 1QH |
0.65 miles |
|
Ashfield Valley Primary School
New Barn Lane, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 1TA |
0.71 miles |
|
St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Ann Street, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 1EZ |
0.83 miles |
|
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Kingsway, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL16 4AW |
0.88 miles |
|
Brimrod Community Primary School
Holborn Street, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 4NB |
1.1 miles |
|
Broadfield Community Primary School
Sparrow Hill, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL16 1QT |
1.15 miles |
|
Castleton Primary School
Hillcrest Road, Castleton, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 2QD |
1.26 miles |
|
Marland Hill Community Primary School
Roch Mills Crescent, Off Roch Valley Way, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 4QW |
1.29 miles |
|
Thornham St. James CofE Primary School
Castleton Road, Thornham, Royton, Oldham, Lancashire, OL2 6XT |
1.36 miles |
|
Moorhouse Academy
Crossley Street, Milnrow, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL16 4DR |
1.42 miles |
|
St Gabriel's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale
Vicarage Road South, Castleton, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 2TN |
1.44 miles |
|
Belfield Community School
Samson Street, Belfield, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL16 2XW |
1.48 miles |
|
St Edward's Church of England Primary School
Hanover Street, Castleton, St. Edward's Church of England Primary School, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 3AR |
1.58 miles |
|
Whitehall Academy
21 Whitehall Street, Rochdale, OL12 0LN |
1.58 miles |
|
Howard Street Nursery School
Howard Street, Rochdale, OL12 0PP |
1.6 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Kingsway Park High School
Turf Hill Road, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL16 4XA |
0.4 miles |
|
St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy
Shaw Road, Thornham, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL16 4RX |
0.74 miles |
|
Beech House School
184 Manchester Road, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 4JQ |
1 miles |
|
Rochdale Sixth Form College
College Road, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL12 6HY |
1.39 miles |
|
Brookland School
13 Newhey Road, Milnrow, Rochdale, Royton, Lancashire, OL16 3NP |
1.72 miles |
|
Matthew Moss High School
Matthew Moss Lane, Marland, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 3LU |
1.77 miles |
|
Rochdale Islamic Academy
Greenbank Rd, Rochdale, OL12 0HZ |
1.85 miles |
|
Rochdale Islamic Academy
36 Taylor Street, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, OL12 0HX |
1.88 miles |
|
Hollingworth Academy
Cornfield Street, Milnrow, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL16 3DR |
1.88 miles |
|
Falinge Park High School
Falinge Road, Shawclough, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL12 6LD |
1.96 miles |
|
The Crompton House Church of England Academy
Rochdale Road, Shaw, Oldham, Lancashire, OL2 7HS |
2.03 miles |
|
Oulder Hill Leadership Academy
Hudsons Walk, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 5EF |
2.07 miles |
|
Redwood
Hudsons Walk, Rochdale, OL11 5EW |
2.11 miles |
|
Healey Learning Centre
Unit 16, Hollow Works, Shawclough Road, Rochdale, OL12 6LN |
2.21 miles |
|
Meadows School
Egerton House, Wardle Road, Wardle, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, OL12 9EN |
2.42 miles |
|
Great Howarth School
Great Howarth Road, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL12 9HJ |
2.64 miles |
|
Hopwood Hall College
Middleton Campus, Rochdale Road, Middleton, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M24 6XH |
2.77 miles |
|
Willow View School
Fisherfield Farm, Hargate Avenue, Norden, Rochdale, OL12 6BT |
2.77 miles |
|
E-ACT Royton and Crompton Academy
Blackshaw Lane, Royton, Oldham, Greater Manchester, OL2 6NT |
2.83 miles |
|
E-ACT the Oldham Academy North
Broadway, Royton, Oldham, Greater Manchester, OL2 5BF |
2.88 miles |
All schools in Rochdale · Rochdale local authority: places and applications
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone is part of Watergrove Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:
- Sandbrook Community Primary School Rochdale
- Moorhouse Academy Rochdale
- Matthew Moss High School Rochdale
- Falinge Park High School Rochdale
- Kentmere Primary Academy Rochdale
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School and Nursery Rochdale
- Wardle Academy Rochdale
- St James' Church of England Primary School Rochdale
What is St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone is Good, from an inspection in October 2022 of its predecessor, St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone.
When was St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone last inspected by Ofsted?
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone was last inspected in February 2025.
How many pupils does St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone have?
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone has 208 pupils on roll.
What age range does St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone cover?
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone for pupils aged 5 to 11.
Where is St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone?
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone is at Oldham Road, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 2HB.