St John's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe

About St John's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe

St John’s Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe is a state primary in the Bury local authority, where it ranks 34th out of 46 primaries on the key stage 2 expected standard measure. That puts it in the bottom half of the local league table, some way behind the top-performing peers in the area. The three highest-ranked primaries in Bury are Emmanuel Holcombe Church of England Primary School, Sunny Bank Primary School and Chantlers Primary School, the last of which is also the nearest Outstanding-rated school, about 4.3 kilometres away. St John’s itself holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a significant improvement on its previous inspection when it was judged Inadequate overall. The turnaround is reflected across all five graded categories in the 2022 inspection, each rated Good: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. With 208 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, the school is almost full, and more than half of its children — 52 per cent — are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average.

Academically, St John’s key stage 2 results for 2023/24 show a mixed picture. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 57 per cent, below the Bury local authority average of 64 per cent. Broken down by subject, 70 per cent met the expected standard in reading and the same proportion in maths, while writing was stronger at 77 per cent. At the higher standard, 23 per cent achieved above the expected level in reading, 13 per cent in maths and just 7 per cent in writing. Average scaled scores were 105 for reading and 102 for maths. Progress measures are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. Nationally, the school ranks in the 64th percentile among all primaries, and within the North West region it sits in the 60th percentile. These figures suggest a school where core outcomes are broadly in line with or slightly below local norms, with writing a relative strength.

The school offers a solid range of facilities for a primary of its size, including a library, sports hall, ICT suite, sensory room, forest school area and a chapel. Sports provision covers rounders, cricket, gymnastics, athletics, dance and netball, while after-school clubs include eco club, science club, coding, book club, drama and film club. For children with additional needs, the school lists support for nine categories of special educational need, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech, language and communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Nursery provision is available for children from age three. Admissions for the 2025/26 reception intake were oversubscribed: 27 first-preference applications were received for 27 places, with 39 total applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.44. This is a church school with a distinctively Christian character, and the combination of strong pastoral support, broad enrichment and a clear improvement journey makes it a realistic choice for local families who value a community-focused primary with a nurturing ethos.

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