Buckstones Primary School
100%
Capacity
210
Pupils
2.6x
Demand
About Buckstones Primary School
Buckstones Primary School stands out sharply against the Oldham local authority average for Key Stage 2 outcomes. While the LA average for pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined sits at 58%, Buckstones achieves 83% — a full 25 percentage points higher. This places the school 4th out of 67 primary schools in Oldham, comfortably inside the top 10% locally and nationally. The school is also oversubscribed, with 75 applications for 30 first-preference places in the 2025/26 admissions round, a ratio of 2.59 applicants per place. That level of demand makes sense given the results: 90% of pupils hit the expected standard in both reading and maths, and 83% did so in writing. At the higher standard, 60% of pupils scored highly in reading, 30% in maths and 10% in writing. The average reading score was 110 and maths 107, both above the national benchmark.
The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, rated it Good overall, though it was not given a full graded judgement. The breakdown shows real strengths: early years provision and personal development were both judged Outstanding, while quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management were all Good. This is a change from the school’s previous inspection in 2014, when it was rated Outstanding across the board. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive — 95% of respondents would recommend the school, and 78% strongly agreed their child is happy there. Strong majorities also strongly agreed that the school has high expectations (78%), offers a good range of subjects (68%) and supports wider personal development (70%). The school has capacity for 210 pupils and is currently full, with 8.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals.
Buckstones offers a broad set of facilities including a sensory room, forest school, art studios, music rooms and an ICT suite. Sports provision covers football, cricket, tennis, dance, netball, swimming and athletics, while clubs include drama, choir, chess and coding. The school lists SEND support for a wide range of needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language communication needs, visual impairment, physical disability and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. That said, the Parent View data for SEND support had no responses, so it is difficult to gauge parent satisfaction in that area. For families in Oldham looking for a primary school with strong academic outcomes, high parental satisfaction and a full set of facilities, Buckstones is clearly a popular choice — and the numbers back that up.
Key Details
| School Type | Primary (State) |
| Age Range | 4 to 11 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | Does not apply |
| Address | Delamere Avenue, Oldham, Oldham, OL2 8HN |
| Headteacher | Sarah Healey |
| Local Authority | Oldham |
| Number of Pupils | 210 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 8.1% |
| School Capacity | 210 / 210 (100% full) |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
15 Oct 2024Quality of Education
Good
Since Sep 2024, Ofsted no longer assigns a single overall grade
Additional Provisions
Source: Ofsted, 24 Nov 2024. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on KS2 Reading, Writing & Maths (83%)
1022nd of 13,686
Nationally
131st of 2,065
In North West
4th of 67
In Oldham
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE KS2 Reading, Writing & Maths data
KS2 SATs Results
2023/24Reading, Writing & Maths Combined
83%
Expected Standard
0%
Higher Standard
'22/23
78%
'23/24
83%
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. National expected standard benchmark is around 65%.
Ofsted Parent View
40 responsesWould Recommend This School
Source: Ofsted Parent View (GOV.UK statistical data), Sep – Sep 2025
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
9Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
11Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed29
75
Good Demand
Popular school with more applications than places
30 families put this school as their 1st choice (40% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
School day
Teaching hours
08:50 – 15:20
Source: buckstones.oldham.sch.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.
Class profile
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Lower-disadvantage intake compared to the national average (25%).
Below most schools — predominantly English as first language.
Ethnic background
- White British95.7%
- White (other)1.4%
- Mixed1.0%
- Asian0.5%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/25Better than 75% of schools in England.
Better than 75% of schools in England.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
Better than 75% of schools in England.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Like most schools in England, no pupils were permanently excluded this year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
5
Total schools
5
Oversubscribed
5
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Buckstones Primary School
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
How to Choose a Primary School
Step-by-step guide to choosing the right primary school
KS2 SATs Explained
A parent's guide to Year 6 SATs and how results are reported
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Contact Information
Delamere Avenue, Oldham
Oldham, OL2 8HN
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
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