St Mary's CofE Primary School

About St Mary's CofE Primary School

St Mary's CofE Primary School in Tameside was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024, a grade it has held consistently across both its graded and ungraded inspections. The school's most telling academic metric is its Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard attainment: 71% of pupils reached this benchmark in the 2023/24 academic year. That places the school comfortably above the Tameside local authority average of 62% for the same measure. In the local rankings, St Mary's sits 14th out of 57 primary schools in the borough, putting it in the top quarter of its peers. The school's maths average score of 107 and reading average score of 107 both point to solid, above-average performance, with 84% of pupils reaching the expected standard in maths and reading individually. Writing is a relative weak spot, with 74% hitting the expected standard and no pupils reaching the higher standard, compared with 29% in maths and 32% in reading who achieved the higher mark.

The school's Progress 8 scores are not available in the data, but the attainment figures alone tell a clear story of a school that delivers consistently above the local norm. In the North West region, St Mary's ranks 544th out of 2,065 primary schools, placing it in the 26th percentile nationally. Its ranking score of 71 on the combined expected standard metric places it just outside the top 10 in Tameside, with Broadbottom Church of England Primary School leading the local table on a score of 100. The school's Ofsted breakdown shows Good ratings across leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness, with the 2024 ungraded inspection confirming the school 'remains Good'. There is no data on behaviour and attitudes or personal development from the most recent inspection, but the consistency of the Good rating over time suggests stable leadership under headteacher Christopher Quinn.

St Mary's is a Church of England primary school for children aged 3 to 11, with nursery provision available. It is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 academic year, there were 67 applications for 30 places, with 36 first-preference applications and 30 offers made to first-preference families, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.23. The school has a capacity of 210 and currently has 227 pupils on roll, so it is operating slightly above its official capacity. Facilities include an outdoor playground, music rooms, an ICT suite, art studios, a dining hall and a chapel. Sports on offer include dance, cricket, athletics, netball, cross country and rounders, while clubs range from chess and choir to film club, science club, drama and book club. The school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and visual impairment. With 24.8% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with above-average disadvantage, yet still achieves strong academic outcomes. This is a solid, well-regarded local primary that will suit families seeking a faith-based school with proven results and a wide range of enrichment activities.

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