Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy, Heywood
Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Heywood, part of St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 8 schools in Heywood with published results, and 12,528th of 14,452 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Rochdale (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils at Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 55% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Rochdale and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 50% in reading and 43% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 17 families put Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy as their first choice and 44 named it as one of their preferences, for 21 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy are Heap Bridge Village Primary School (0.4 miles); St Margaret's Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles); Woodland Community Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 61% reading, 63% maths); and Fairfield Community Primary School (0.9 miles).
Heap Bridge Village Primary SchoolSt Margaret's Church of England Primary SchoolWoodland Community Primary SchoolFairfield Community Primary School
The trust
Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is one of 27 schools run by St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
All 27 schools in St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust
Who goes there
39.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 28.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (55%), Black (21%) and Mixed (10%).
In 2026, 44 pupils (21.8%) received SEN support and 15 (7.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Heywood (East Lancashire Railway), about 1.8 miles away in a straight line.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hamilton Way (opposite), 30 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy issued 34 suspensions, 15.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy are Hazel Wood High School (1 mile), Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College (1.1 miles) and Newhouse Academy (1.5 miles).
Hazel Wood High SchoolHoly Family Roman Catholic and Church of England CollegeNewhouse Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Early years.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
39.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 50% to 69% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 43% to 55% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 54% to 66% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.3
Avg class size
26.7
Infant (KS1)
27.0
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
Term dates
Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Rochdale's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is in Rochdale; for families living there:
- Rochdale's school travel policy: Home to School Transport Policy
- How to apply: Apply for school travel expenses
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 2 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Rochdale is 10 (the median across 106 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
Will you get a place at Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Rochdale, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy for 2021 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Rochdale got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
92%
Near capacity
193 pupils
210 places
17 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Heywood
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Heywood
Across Rochdale council
Places available
3,242
Applications
2,831
Got 1st preference
89.2%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All primary applications across Rochdale council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
44
SEN Support
15
EHC Plans
29.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
202
Total Pupils
98
Boys
104
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
20.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,625
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,308
Per pupil
£1391k
Total funding
£129k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.8%
Overall absence
19.6%
Persistent absence
179
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
Questions parents ask about Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
What are SATs results like at Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?
Of the pupils at Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 69% reached the expected standard in reading and 55% did so in maths.
What is Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2023.
What is the catchment area for Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is oversubscribed, Rochdale allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?
Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?
Classes at Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy average 25.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?
Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy has around 202 pupils on roll. 40% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?
6.8% of sessions were missed at Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy in 2024/25. 19.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?
Apply through Rochdale's coordinated admissions process, naming Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 2 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Rochdale is 10 (the median across 106 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?
Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is at Sutherland Road, Darnhill, Heywood, Lancashire, OL10 3PD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)