St Stephen's Church of England Primary School
76%
Capacity
182
Pupils
1.6x
Demand
About St Stephen's Church of England Primary School
St Stephen's Church of England Primary School in Bury is a popular choice among local families, with 34 applications for just 22 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.55. All 20 first-preference applicants were offered a place, suggesting that for those who put it top of their list, the school is a realistic option. The school has a nursery provision and caters for children aged 3 to 11, with 182 pupils currently on roll against a capacity of 240. While the school does not publish a parent recommendation percentage, the oversubscription figures indicate a degree of local confidence. The headteacher is Sally Denney, and the school has a Church of England religious character.
Academically, St Stephen's was rated Requires Improvement in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, a rating it has held since its previous inspection in 2018. The breakdown shows a mixed picture: personal development and behaviour and attitudes were both rated Good, while quality of education, leadership and management, and early years provision were all judged as Requires Improvement. The school's performance in Key Stage 2 SATs is not provided in the data, but the local authority average for KS2 attainment is 64, which gives a benchmark for comparison. In Bury, only two out of 64 primary schools hold an Outstanding rating, and the nearest Outstanding school, Chantlers Primary School, is just 0.6 km away, so families in the area have a highly-rated alternative nearby.
The school offers a range of facilities including an ICT suite, a forest school, a sensory room, music rooms, and a chapel. Sports provision covers gymnastics, swimming, cricket, rounders, tennis, cross country, and netball, while clubs include drama, book club, choir, science club, chess, and gardening. The SEND provisions are extensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. This makes St Stephen's a potentially strong fit for families seeking a primary school with a broad range of specialist support, particularly given its nursery provision and the fact that it is oversubscribed but still accessible to first-preference applicants.
Key Details
| School Type | Primary (State) |
| Age Range | 3 to 11 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | Church of England |
| Address | Colville Drive, Bury, Bury, BL8 2DX |
| Headteacher | Sally Denney |
| Local Authority | Bury |
| Number of Pupils | 182 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 30.9% |
| School Capacity | 182 / 240 (76% full) |
| Nursery Classes | Yes |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
12 Jul 2022Overall Effectiveness
Requires improvement
Additional Provisions
Source: Ofsted, 28 Sept 2022. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
6Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
13Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed22
34
Good Demand
Popular school with more applications than places
20 families put this school as their 1st choice (59% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
School day
Teaching hours
08:55 – 15:30
Source: ststephensceprimary.co.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.
Class profile
2024/25Half of schools in England do better than this.
Better than 75% of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Above the national average (25%) — higher-disadvantage intake.
Among the highest 25% — a diverse linguistic intake.
Ethnic background
- White British51.6%
- Asian19.7%
- Mixed12.6%
- Black3.3%
- White (other)1.6%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/25Better than half of schools in England.
Better than half of schools in England.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
10
Total schools
10
Oversubscribed
6
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About St Stephen's Church of England Primary School
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
How to Choose a Primary School
Step-by-step guide to choosing the right primary school
KS2 SATs Explained
A parent's guide to Year 6 SATs and how results are reported
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Contact Information
Colville Drive, Bury
Bury, BL8 2DX
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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