St Charles' RC Primary School, Manchester
St Charles' RC Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Manchester. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 100th-highest of the 258 schools in Manchester with published results, and 6,591st of 14,452 across England. It was 97% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- 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 Salford (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Charles' RC Primary School in detail
St Charles' RC Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "St. Charles RC Primary School aim is to try and centre our life in Jesus Christ, the spiritual foundation of our community. We aim to pass on the faith we share in partnership with you."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, rugby, cricket, multi-sports, cross-country, dance, drama, choir and ukulele.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils at St Charles' RC Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 82% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 73% in Salford and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 81% in reading and 84% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Charles' RC Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 21 families put St Charles' RC Primary School as their first choice and 41 named it as one of their preferences, for 21 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Charles' RC Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Charles' RC Primary School are Moorside Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 70% reading, 64% maths); St Peter's CofE Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 83% reading, 90% maths); The Deans Primary School (0.6 miles); and Mossfield Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 89% reading, 86% maths).
St Charles' RC Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Moorside Primary SchoolSt Peter's CofE Primary SchoolThe Deans Primary SchoolMossfield Primary School
Who goes there
In 2026, 52 pupils (23.3%) received SEN support and 2 (0.9%) 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 railway station is Moorside Rail Station, about 470 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Wenlock Street (near), 80 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Charles' RC Primary School issued 4 suspensions, 1.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Charles' RC Primary School are Moorside High School (0.3 miles), Barton Moss Education Centre (0.6 miles), Co-op Academy Swinton (0.6 miles) and St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School (0.6 miles).
Moorside High SchoolBarton Moss Education CentreCo-op Academy SwintonSt Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Salford published that the last place for 2017 entry went to a family 0.414 miles away (straight line). The cut-off moves every year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from January 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Charles' creates a warm, supportive community where all pupils thrive. The school excels at teaching children to read fluently through excellent phonics instruction and creative reading events. Pupils develop confidence and leadership skills through meaningful roles in school life, from class assemblies to environmental and charitable group participation.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with phonics delivered well and pupil buddy reader schemes
- Ambitious curriculum enhanced by 'wow' days with trips and visits to bring learning to life
- Pupils develop confidence through opportunities like class assemblies and leadership roles (environmental, charitable, chaplaincy groups)
- Well-behaved, enthusiastic pupils who take pride in their school and support each other
- Staff have secure subject knowledge and quickly address pupil misconceptions
Areas for Improvement
- Some subjects still need clearer identification of essential knowledge pupils should learn, particularly in early years
- Information and guidance for staff supporting pupils with SEND needs strengthening to help staff adapt the curriculum better
- Work to determine important curriculum content is ongoing in a few subjects, making it harder for pupils to connect new learning
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear systems in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Ukulele lessons, reading cafes, buddy reader schemes, environmental groups, charitable groups, chaplaincy groups, class assemblies, trips and visits
St Charles' RC Primary School continues to be a good school where pupils learn to be the best versions of themselves. The school provides an engaging, ambitious curriculum with strong phonics teaching and a love of reading.
At a Glance
20.6%
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 declined from 81% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 82% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 75% to 82% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.6
Avg class size
29.3
Infant (KS1)
28.3
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Charles' RC Primary School
Term dates
St Charles' RC Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Salford's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Charles' RC Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Charles' RC Primary School is in Salford; for families living there:
- Salford's school travel policy: Salford home to school transport policy 2026 (Adobe PDF format, 156kb)
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 3 serious and 6 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
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 Salford is 19.5 (the median across 136 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 St Charles' RC Primary School
Will you get a place at St Charles' RC Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Charles' RC Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Charles' RC Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Charles' RC Primary School.
- Last distance offered for 2016 and 2017 entry, from Salford's own figures, and how your distance compares each year.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Charles' RC Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Salford 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
97%
Near capacity
203 pupils
210 places
7 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Manchester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Manchester
Across Salford council
Places available
3,266
Applications
2,753
Got 1st preference
91.1%
Got preferred school
97.8%
All primary applications across Salford council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
52
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
24.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
223
Total Pupils
108
Boys
115
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
18.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,532
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,460
Per pupil
£1206k
Total funding
£53k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.3%
Overall absence
17.6%
Persistent absence
182
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
Questions parents ask about St Charles' RC Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Charles' RC Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Charles' RC Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 75% reached the expected standard in reading and 82% did so in maths.
What is St Charles' RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Charles' RC Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2019, it was rated Good.
How close to St Charles' RC Primary School do you need to live?
Salford publishes how far the last offered place was, in miles: 1 for 2016 entry, then 0.414 for 2017 entry. The cut-off has tightened over that period, which usually means demand is growing faster than places. These are the authority's own figures, not a fixed boundary - the cut-off moves with the number of applications each year.
Is it hard to get a place at St Charles' RC Primary School?
St Charles' RC Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Charles' RC Primary School?
Classes at St Charles' RC Primary School average 27.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Charles' RC Primary School?
St Charles' RC Primary School has around 223 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Charles' RC Primary School?
6.3% of sessions were missed at St Charles' RC Primary School in 2024/25. 17.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Charles' RC Primary School?
Apply through Salford's coordinated admissions process, naming St Charles' RC Primary School 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 St Charles' RC Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 3 serious and 6 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 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 Salford is 19.5 (the median across 136 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Charles' RC Primary School?
St Charles' RC Primary School is at Emlyn Street, Moorside Road, Manchester, M27 9PD.
Sources: Salford admissions booklets; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)