St Mary's RC Primary School

About St Mary's RC Primary School

St Mary's RC Primary School in Salford holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, a step down from the Outstanding grade it received in 2008. The inspection report highlights that personal development remains Outstanding, while the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management are all rated Good. On the academic front, the school’s most telling metric is its Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard: 80% of pupils achieved this, well above the Salford local authority average of 61%. That performance places St Mary’s 7th out of 65 primary schools in the borough, putting it in the top 25% nationally. It also ranks second among its closest local peers, just behind Broadoak Primary School.

Breaking down the 2023/24 KS2 results further, 90% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, 87% in writing, and 83% in maths. At the higher standard, 37% reached that level in reading, 13% in writing, and 10% across all three subjects combined. Average scaled scores were 108 in both reading and maths, comfortably above the national baseline of 100. The school does not publish progress scores for these subjects, so it’s not possible to say how much value it adds relative to pupils’ starting points. Still, the attainment figures are strong, especially given that 20.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, a proportion that suggests the school serves a mixed catchment. With 237 pupils on roll against a capacity of 236, St Mary’s is effectively full.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 78 applications for 30 places, a ratio of 2.6 to one, and 29 of those 30 first-preference offers went to families who listed it first. Facilities include a chapel, music rooms, a sports hall, playing fields, a forest school, and a library. Clubs range from drama and chess to eco club and film club, while sports on offer include gymnastics, tennis, football and dance. SEND provision covers seven areas, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health support. The school also has a nursery for children from age three. St Mary’s will particularly suit Catholic families in Salford who prioritise strong academic outcomes and a school with a clear moral framework, but its popularity means securing a place is competitive.

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