St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool

About St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool

St Martin's Catholic Primary School and Preschool sits within the Halton local authority, a Roman Catholic state primary for mixed pupils aged two to eleven. In the most recent local rankings, it placed 31st out of 43 primary schools in the borough, putting it in the bottom half of Halton's schools. For context, the top-performing peers nearby include Moorfield Primary School, Moore Primary School, and Castle View Primary School, all of which achieved higher ranking scores. The school is led by headteacher Catherine Ming and has a capacity of 210 pupils, though current numbers stand at 182. It is a relatively small school, with a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals — 41.8 per cent, well above the national average. The school also offers nursery provision and a preschool, catering for children from age two, and its religious character as a Roman Catholic school shapes its identity within the local community.

Academically, St Martin's most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2023 rated the school as Requires Improvement overall, a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2013. The inspection found that quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management all require improvement, while early years provision was also judged as requires improvement. Personal development was the one area rated Good. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 54 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the Halton local authority average of 59 per cent. Individual subject results show 73 per cent met the expected standard in reading, 65 per cent in maths, and 77 per cent in writing. Higher attainment was low: 15 per cent achieved a higher score in reading, 4 per cent in writing, and none in maths. Nationally, the school ranked in the bottom 50 per cent of primaries based on its combined expected standard score.

The school offers a range of facilities including a library, sensory room, playing fields, music rooms, sports hall, and a chapel. Sports on offer include tennis, rounders, athletics, dance, and swimming, while clubs include coding, film club, and choir. For pupils with additional needs, the school provides support for social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties or disabilities. Admissions data for 2025/26 shows the school is oversubscribed: 22 applications were received for 16 places, with all 16 first-preference applicants offered a spot, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.38. This suggests strong local demand despite the Requires Improvement rating. St Martin's will suit families who value a small, faith-based primary with nursery provision, a broad range of facilities, and a clear focus on personal development, though they should be aware that academic outcomes currently sit below the local average and the school is working through an improvement plan.

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