St Oswald's Catholic Primary School

About St Oswald's Catholic Primary School

St Oswald's Catholic Primary School in Warrington is a popular choice among local families, with 11 first-preference applications for just 12 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, giving it an oversubscription ratio of 3 to 1. The school received 36 applications in total for those 12 spots, which suggests strong demand in the community. While the school doesn't publish a parent recommendation percentage, the high level of first-choice applications is a practical signal that families actively want to send their children here. The school is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary for mixed genders aged 3 to 11, with a nursery provision on site. Headteacher Sharon Orwin leads a school of 206 pupils, just below its capacity of 210, and 18.4 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is slightly above the national average.

Academically, the school's most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2023 rated it Good across all categories, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision. This is a change from its previous inspection in 2011, when it was rated Outstanding overall. At Key Stage 2, 56 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the Warrington local authority average of 69 per cent. However, individual subject scores tell a more nuanced story: 75 per cent reached the expected standard in reading and 78 per cent in writing, while maths lagged at 69 per cent. The school's average scaled scores were 105 in reading and 103 in maths. In the local authority rankings, it sits 44th out of 55 primary schools, placing it in the bottom 50 per cent nationally.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a sensory room, library, gymnasium, playing fields, sports hall, and a chapel, plus clubs such as book club, science club, coding, drama, film club and art club. Sports on offer include athletics, rounders, swimming and cricket. For children with additional needs, the school provides support for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. With its strong Catholic identity and nursery provision, St Oswald's is likely to suit families who prioritise a faith-based primary education within a supportive, community-focused setting. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is St Peter's Catholic Primary School, 1.9 km away, so for Catholic families in the area, St Oswald's remains a strong local option despite its Good rating.

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