Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy

About Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School sits within Trafford, a local authority that consistently performs well for primary education, though competition among its 63 state primaries is strong. The school ranks behind three notable local peers: St Vincent's Catholic Primary School, Park Road Academy Primary School, and Brooklands Primary School. As a Roman Catholic voluntary academy for mixed pupils aged 3 to 11, it serves 221 children, slightly above its official capacity of 210. The school has a significant proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 37.3%, well above the national average, reflecting the diverse community it supports. Headteacher Natalie Gaulton leads a school that has seen a clear improvement trajectory in its most recent Ofsted inspection. In 2018, the school was rated Requires Improvement overall, with leadership and management also graded at that level. By its graded inspection in 2023, it had risen to a Good rating across overall effectiveness, leadership and management, and early years provision, though the ungraded visit that same year noted the school remains Good with some concerns.

Academically, the school's most recent Ofsted report highlights a Good rating for quality of education, though specific breakdowns for behaviour and personal development were not published in the available data. The local authority average for Key Stage 2 attainment sits at 71, providing a benchmark for parents to consider when evaluating outcomes, though individual school results for Our Lady of Lourdes are not included in this dataset. The school's early years provision was graded Good in its 2023 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement in 2016, showing a clear step forward in the youngest pupils' experience. With no official sixth form, the school focuses entirely on primary education, and its nursery provision means children can join from age 3. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good across two inspection cycles suggests a school that has addressed previous weaknesses, though the 'concerns' flagged in the most recent ungraded visit indicate there is still work to be done.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, dining hall, outdoor playground, playing fields, forest school, and a chapel, reflecting its Catholic character. Sports provision is broad, with football, cross country, netball, rounders, cricket, tennis, and swimming available, alongside clubs such as choir, book club, coding, science club, and art club. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, physical disability, and other difficulties. Admissions for the 2025/26 year show the school is oversubscribed, with 45 applications for 30 places and 34 first-preference applications, meaning only 30 first-preference offers were made. This oversubscription ratio of 1.5 suggests strong local demand, particularly from Catholic families, though the school's high FSM percentage indicates it serves a genuinely mixed intake. It will suit families seeking a faith-based primary with improving standards and a broad extracurricular offer.

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