St Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School

About St Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School

St Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School in Oldham is a Church of England primary that currently teaches 224 pupils against a capacity of 240, leaving a small amount of headroom. The school serves a community with a notably high level of disadvantage: 54.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. Despite this, demand is strong. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 49 applications for 29 places, with 25 of those coming as first preferences, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.69. All 25 first-preference families were offered a place, which suggests that while the school is popular, those who put it first are likely to get in. The school also has nursery provision for children aged three and above, so families looking for a single-site journey from nursery through to Year 6 will find that continuity here.

Academically, St Martin's performs very strongly. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 89% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of just 58%. That puts the school second out of 67 primary schools in Oldham, and in the top 3% nationally. Reading and maths scores were particularly high, with average scaled scores of 109 and 107 respectively, and 43% of pupils achieved a higher standard in reading. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, in 2024, judged it Good overall, with personal development rated Outstanding. Behaviour and attitudes, quality of education, and leadership and management were all rated Good. The previous inspection in 2013 had awarded Outstanding across the board, so the current rating reflects a slight shift in the inspection framework rather than a decline in standards.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, sports hall, dining hall, chapel and a forest school area. Sports provision covers athletics, tennis, dance, cross country, netball, gymnastics and rounders, while clubs include gardening, film club, drama, choir, chess and art club. SEND support is available for pupils with specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent feedback from the most recent Parent View survey was overwhelmingly positive: 94% of respondents would recommend the school, and 89% strongly agreed that their child is happy and feels safe. This is a school that suits families who value strong academic outcomes in a context of high disadvantage, and who want a Church of England foundation with a clear focus on personal development and a wide extracurricular offer.

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