Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne

About Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne

Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School sits within the Tameside local authority, a Roman Catholic state primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 3 to 11. In the most recent local rankings for primary schools, it placed 48th out of 57, placing it in the bottom half of the borough. The top-performing peers in Tameside include Broadbottom Church of England Primary School, St Raphael's Catholic Primary School, and St John's CofE Primary School in Dukinfield. The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, with 61 applications for 25 places and 22 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.44. This suggests a solid local reputation, even if the academic ranking is modest. The school has a nursery provision and a capacity of 236, currently housing 229 pupils. A significant 31.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, above the national average, reflecting the school's role in a diverse local community.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, the school was rated Good across all five categories: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The early years provision was also rated Good. This represents a consistent performance, as the previous inspection in 2012 also awarded a Good rating. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 47% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the Tameside local authority average of 62%. The school's ranking nationally places it in the bottom 50% of primary schools on this metric. However, individual subject scores tell a more nuanced story: 70% met the expected standard in maths, with an average score of 104, while reading saw 67% at expected and an average of 103. Writing was lower, with 57% at expected. Higher attainment was limited, with 17% reaching the higher standard in maths and 7% in reading.

The school offers a wide range of facilities including a gymnasium, sports hall, playing fields, library, ICT suite, art studios, an outdoor playground, a forest school and a chapel. Sports provision covers football, cricket, swimming, athletics, tennis, dance and netball, while clubs include gardening, drama, film club, choir and science club. SEND provisions are well-documented, supporting pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. This makes the school a strong option for families seeking a faith-based primary with a broad extracurricular offer and established SEND support. Its oversubscribed status means early application is advisable, particularly for those living within the Roman Catholic catchment area.

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