St Mary's CofE Primary School, Manchester

Ofsted's report card from its 3 March 2026 inspection grades St Mary's CofE Primary School on 7 areas: 4 strong standard and 3 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Attendance and behaviour across the school are highly positive."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Inclusion is a central feature of the school and sits at the heart of leaders' vision for every child to succeed."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders are highly ambitious for pupils and set a clear vision to 'build a positive future for all'."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Pupils' personal development and support for their wellbeing is highly positive."

Achievement - Expected standard. "By the end of Year 6, pupils' results in national reading, writing and mathematics tests are broadly in line with the national average."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Pupils follow a curriculum that leaders have designed to build knowledge securely from the early years to Year 6."

Early years - Expected standard. "Leaders in the early years create a warm, well‑organised and nurturing environment."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that gaps in pupils' transcriptional skills and grammar knowledge are addressed consistently across the curriculum, so that pupils develop the accuracy and fluency needed to achieve as well as they can"; "Leaders should refine the delivery of the early years curriculum so that vocabulary development follows a clear and progressive sequence from Nursery to Reception, enabling staff to deepen children's language learning and maximise opportunities to practise and apply new words across the provision".

From the headteacher's welcome: "St Mary's is a happy, exciting learning community. Everyone who works here, or visits, is made to feel welcome and valued. We are a UNICEF Rights Respecting Gold Award School, and everything we do is based on our school vision and values 'Faith Family Future - Building a positive future for all as part of God's loving family'."

The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care, from £6.50 per session.

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary's CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 78% 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 (81% in reading, 66% in maths).

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 10 families put St Mary's CofE Primary School as their first choice and 63 named it as one of their preferences, for 12 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary's CofE Primary School are Our Lady of the Rosary RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.2 miles); Woodhouse Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 80% reading, 90% maths); Urmston Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 86% reading, 80% maths); and English Martyrs' RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.6 miles).

Each of them had higher 2025 results than St Mary's CofE Primary School.

72 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Mary's CofE Primary School (as of April 2026): 90% would recommend the school, 92% say their child is happy there and 43% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (94%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (43%).

11.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 10.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (75%), Mixed (10%) and Asian (8%).

The nearest railway station is Urmston Rail Station, about 1120 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cornhill Road (opposite), 100 metres away.

In 2024/25, St Mary's CofE Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 1.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to St Mary's CofE Primary School are Urmston Grammar Academy (0.4 miles); Flixton Girls School (0.5 miles); St Antony's Roman Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy (1.2 miles); and Wellacre Technology Academy (1.4 miles).