St Boniface RC Primary School

About St Boniface RC Primary School

St Boniface RC Primary School in Salford received a Requires Improvement rating from Ofsted following its graded inspection in January 2025, a step down from the Good rating it had held since its previous inspection in 2016. The most telling academic metric comes from the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, where just 39% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That is well below the Salford local authority average of 61% and places the school 62nd out of 65 primary schools in the borough. In the North West region it ranks in the bottom 10% of schools nationally. Individual subject scores tell a similar story: 52% reached the expected level in reading and maths, 48% in writing, and no pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing or maths. The school's ranking score of 39 places it firmly in the bottom 50% of schools nationally.

The Ofsted report highlights some strengths alongside the overall Requires Improvement judgement. Behaviour and attitudes, as well as personal development, were both rated Good, suggesting the school creates a positive environment for its pupils. The early years provision and quality of education both require improvement, and leadership and management also received a Requires Improvement rating. Parent feedback from the Parent View survey covering September 2024 to September 2025 is notably positive: 96% of the 27 respondents would recommend the school, and 100% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy there. However, the survey also shows some concerns, with 4% of parents disagreeing that concerns are dealt with properly and 4% disagreeing that the school has high expectations for their child. The school's SEND provisions cover a range of needs including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health, speech and language communication, hearing impairment and autistic spectrum disorder.

The school operates as a Roman Catholic primary for children aged 3 to 11, with nursery provision available. It has capacity for 240 pupils but currently has 225 on roll, and 52.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. For the 2025/26 academic year, the school was oversubscribed with 31 applications for 17 places, and all 17 first-preference applicants were offered a place. Facilities include playing fields, an ICT suite, a gymnasium, art studios, a forest school and a chapel. Sports on offer include athletics, football, cricket, dance and cross country, and clubs include eco club, coding and art club. The nearest outstanding-rated primary school is St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School, 1.1 km away. This school may suit families who value the Catholic ethos and strong parent satisfaction ratings, but who are prepared for a school that is working to improve its academic outcomes and has been identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted.

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