Christ Church CofE Primary School

About Christ Church CofE Primary School

Christ Church CofE Primary School in Oldham holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across its two most recent inspections. The school’s most telling academic metric is its Key Stage 2 performance in reading, writing and maths combined: 93% of pupils met the expected standard in the 2023/24 academic year, compared with a local authority average of just 58%. That puts the school first out of 67 primary schools in Oldham, and in the top 1% nationally. The school also excels at the higher standard, with 23% of pupils reaching that level across all three subjects. In reading and maths individually, the average scaled scores were both 110, and 53% of pupils achieved the higher standard in each. Writing saw 25% reach the higher threshold. These results are particularly striking given that a quarter of pupils are eligible for free school meals, a figure above the national average.

The school’s Ofsted inspection in December 2022 was an ungraded visit that confirmed it remains Good, following a graded inspection in 2012 that also rated overall effectiveness as Good. Leadership and management were judged Good in that earlier graded inspection. The previous inspection in 2008 had rated early years provision as Requires Improvement, but the school has clearly strengthened since then. With 266 pupils on roll against a capacity of 280, the school is nearly full and oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 66 applications for 38 places, with 34 first-preference offers made. That gives an oversubscription ratio of 1.74, meaning competition for places is real. The school’s Church of England character is reflected in its chapel and the headteacher is Debra Davies.

Facilities include a Forest School, sensory room, sports hall, music rooms, playing fields and a library, plus a gymnasium and ICT suite. Sports on offer range from football and cricket to swimming, athletics, tennis and netball, while clubs include gardening, book club, coding, chess and science club. The school supports pupils with moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and visual impairment. For families considering Christ Church, the data paints a picture of a high-performing, oversubscribed primary that delivers well above the local average on core academic measures, despite serving a community with above-average disadvantage. It suits families who value strong academic outcomes within a Church of England setting and who are prepared to navigate a competitive admissions process.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Christ Church CofE Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents