St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich, Manchester
St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Manchester. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 106th-highest of the 258 schools in Manchester with published results, and 7,071st of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bury (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich in detail
Results
In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich reached the expected standard in reading and 76% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 77% in Bury and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 76% in reading and 86% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich
For September 2026 entry, 38 families put St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich as their first choice and 90 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 8 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich are Our Lady of Grace RC Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 78% reading, 80% maths); Heaton Park Primary School (0.5 miles, 76% reading, 76% maths); Park View Primary School (0.5 miles, 71% reading, 79% maths); and St Hilda's Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 60% reading, 65% maths).
St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Our Lady of Grace RC Primary SchoolHeaton Park Primary SchoolPark View Primary SchoolSt Hilda's Church of England Primary School
What parents say
81 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich (as of September 2025): 90% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 71% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (71%).
Who goes there
8.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (71%), Asian (10%) and Mixed (9%).
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Prestwich (Manchester Metrolink), about 30 metres away (roughly a 1-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Longfield Centre, 60 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich are The Heys School (0.2 miles); Manchester Mesivta School (0.6 miles); St Monica's RC High School, a Voluntary Academy (0.8 miles); and Parrenthorn High School (1.1 miles).
The Heys SchoolManchester Mesivta SchoolSt Monica's RC High School, a Voluntary AcademyParrenthorn High 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); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from September 2014, 12 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 February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Mary's is a warm, welcoming school where children thrive in a respectful community. The school excels at teaching reading with most pupils meeting the phonics standard by the end of Year 1. Children with additional needs receive precisely matched support, and all pupils are encouraged to develop leadership skills and take responsibility in the wider school community.
Key Strengths
- Exemplary pupil behaviour with a calm, harmonious learning environment
- High-quality phonics teaching throughout early years and key stage 1
- Strong processes to identify and support pupils with SEND
- Excellent personal development including leadership skills and enterprise projects
- High attendance rates with effective action on persistent absence
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum content is not clearly defined in some subjects, limiting pupils' ability to recall key knowledge
- Assessment arrangements in a small number of subjects are not precise enough to check pupils' understanding
- Some aspects of the early years curriculum lack clear learning objectives
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with school leaders demonstrating strong commitment to keeping pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Enterprise projects, school council, assemblies, outdoor learning activities
St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School provides a nurturing environment where pupils feel welcomed, valued and included. The school has been judged as Good for quality of education, with Outstanding ratings for behaviour and attitudes, and personal development.
At a Glance
8.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
81 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 79% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 86% to 76% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.9
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
30.5
KS2
8
Total classes
2 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 Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich
Term dates
St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Bury's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich is in Bury; for families living there:
Apply to Bury for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 26
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 18 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
8 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 Bury is 10 (the median across 92 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 Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich
Will you get a place at St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich.
- Bury publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bury 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
101%
Over capacity
212 pupils
210 places
2 pupils over capacity 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 Bury council
Places available
2,275
Applications
1,901
Got 1st preference
91.4%
Got preferred school
98.1%
All primary applications across Bury council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
27
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
16.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
240
Total Pupils
115
Boys
125
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
24.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,162
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,265
Per pupil
£1202k
Total funding
£30k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.5%
Overall absence
4.4%
Persistent absence
183
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
St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich
Questions parents ask about St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich
What are SATs results like at St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich?
Of the pupils at St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 79% reached the expected standard in reading and 76% did so in maths.
What is St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich's Ofsted rating?
St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich is oversubscribed, Bury allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich?
St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich was full in 2025, at 101% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich?
Classes at St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich average 28.9 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich?
St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich has around 240 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich?
3.5% of sessions were missed at St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich in 2024/25. 4.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich?
Apply through Bury's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich 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 Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 18 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 8 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 Bury is 10 (the median across 92 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich?
St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich is at Rectory Lane, Prestwich, Manchester, Lancashire, M25 1BP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)