St Hugh's Catholic Primary School, Altrincham
St Hugh's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Altrincham. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 17 schools in Altrincham with published results, and 2,040th of 14,452 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Trafford (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Hugh's Catholic Primary School in detail
St Hugh's Catholic Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "In this section you will find everything you need to know about St Hugh's, our aims, objectives, ethos, our staff and much more. You can access the relevant pages by using the menu on the left-hand side."
From the headteacher's welcome: "St Hugh’s Catholic Primary school is amongst the largest schools in the area, currently serving approximately 600 pupils. We are an extremely popular school with a long-standing excellent reputation."
The school runs after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 91% of Year 6 pupils at St Hugh's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 86% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 84% and 82% in Trafford and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (90% in reading, 84% in maths).
Getting a place at St Hugh's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 35 families put St Hugh's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 140 named it as one of their preferences, for 41 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 St Hugh's Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Hugh's Catholic Primary School are Park Road Academy Primary School (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 100% reading, 97% maths); Willows Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 88% reading, 87% maths); Heyes Lane Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 89% reading, 91% maths); and Navigation Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 84% reading, 90% maths).
St Hugh's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Park Road Academy Primary SchoolWillows Primary SchoolHeyes Lane Primary SchoolNavigation Primary School
What parents say
211 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Hugh's Catholic Primary School (as of September 2025): 89% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 53% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (91%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (53%).
Who goes there
8.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 82 pupils (14%) received SEN support and 12 (2.1%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Timperley (Manchester Metrolink), about 290 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Hughs School (outside), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Hugh's Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Hugh's Catholic Primary School issued 3 suspensions, 0.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Hugh's Catholic Primary School are Wellington School (0.6 miles), Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College (1.1 miles), North Cestrian School (1.3 miles) and Loreto Grammar School (1.3 miles).
Wellington SchoolBlessed Thomas Holford Catholic CollegeNorth Cestrian SchoolLoreto Grammar School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's October 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Hugh's excels at making reading a priority from nursery onwards, with skilled staff quickly helping struggling readers catch up. The school offers a broad, well-planned curriculum alongside plenty of opportunities for pupils to develop talents through clubs, sports, productions and community involvement. Children feel happy and valued, with strong support for their wider personal development.
Key Strengths
- Strong reading culture with effective phonics teaching - most pupils are confident fluent readers by Year 2
- Well-designed curriculum that prepares pupils for their next stages of education and life in modern Britain
- Broad range of enrichment including residential trips and varied clubs that reflect pupils' interests
- Pupils take on meaningful leadership roles and contribute to their local community
- Most staff are supported well with workload and appreciate their school
Areas for Improvement
- Staff do not always identify additional needs of pupils with SEND quickly enough, delaying support and slowing progress
- In some subjects, teachers do not use assessment strategies precisely enough to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge
- Some staff apply behaviour management policies inconsistently, leading to occasional low-level disruption in classes
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Chess club, fencing club, school annual production, local sporting tournaments, school council, pupil leadership team, residential trips locally and to the seaside, before- and after-school clubs, charity fundraising
St Hugh's Catholic Primary is a happy school where pupils feel welcome and valued for their individuality. The school has high aspirations for learning and typically achieves well across the curriculum.
At a Glance
8.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
211 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 91% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 74% to 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.6
Avg class size
28.2
Infant (KS1)
30.5
KS2
17
Total classes
7 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Hugh's Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Hugh's Catholic Primary School.
- School of Play @ St Hughs TimperleyAt the school · Not yet graded
- Code Ninjas Trafford930m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Hugh's Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Trafford's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Hugh's Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Hugh's Catholic Primary School is in Trafford; for families living there:
Apply to Trafford for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
3 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 Trafford is 11 (the median across 103 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 Hugh's Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at St Hugh's Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Hugh's Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Hugh's Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Hugh's Catholic Primary School.
- Trafford publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St Hugh's Catholic Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Hugh's Catholic Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Trafford 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
96%
Near capacity
604 pupils
630 places
26 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Altrincham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Altrincham
Across Trafford council
Places available
2,990
Applications
2,238
Got 1st preference
94.5%
Got preferred school
99.6%
All primary applications across Trafford council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
82
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
16.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
584
Total Pupils
308
Boys
276
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
31
Teachers
18.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,801
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,976
Per pupil
£3180k
Total funding
£76k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.5%
Overall absence
7.2%
Persistent absence
552
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 Hugh's Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Hugh's Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Hugh's Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 91% reached the expected standard in reading and 86% did so in maths.
What is St Hugh's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Hugh's Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2013, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Hugh's Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Hugh's Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Trafford allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Hugh's Catholic Primary School?
St Hugh's Catholic Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Hugh's Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St Hugh's Catholic Primary School average 29.6 pupils (2025/26). 7 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Hugh's Catholic Primary School?
St Hugh's Catholic Primary School has around 584 pupils on roll. 8% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Hugh's Catholic Primary School?
4.5% of sessions were missed at St Hugh's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 7.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Hugh's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Trafford's coordinated admissions process, naming St Hugh's Catholic 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.
Does St Hugh's Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: School of Play @ St Hughs Timperley (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near St Hugh's Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 3 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 Trafford is 11 (the median across 103 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Hugh's Catholic Primary School?
St Hugh's Catholic Primary School is at Park Road, Timperley, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA15 6TQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)