St Mary's RC Primary School, Manchester
St Mary's 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 Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 19th-highest of the 258 schools in Manchester with published results, and 2,040th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.8 first-choice applications for every place. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- 1.8 first choices per place
- Attendance
- Better than 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 Mary's RC Primary School in detail
St Mary's RC Primary School in its own words
The school runs after-school care.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 87% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary's RC Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 90% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 73% in Salford and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 94% in reading and 97% 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 RC Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 55 families put St Mary's RC Primary School as their first choice and 103 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.8 first choices for every place. 26 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Mary's RC Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary's RC Primary School are St Andrew's CofE Primary School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 70% reading, 63% maths); Clarendon Road Community Primary School (0.4 miles); Clarendon Road Community Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 76% reading, 76% maths); and Lewis Street Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 73% reading, 75% maths).
St Mary's RC Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
St Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolClarendon Road Community Primary SchoolClarendon Road Community Primary SchoolLewis Street Primary School
What parents say
65 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Mary's RC Primary School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 83% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (83%).
Who goes there
11.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 48 pupils (20.1%) received SEN support and 5 (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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Eccles (Manchester Metrolink), about 400 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
23 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Health Centre, 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Mary's RC Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Mary's RC Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Mary's RC Primary School are Ellesmere Park High School (0.8 miles), St Patrick's RC High School (1.1 miles), All Hallows RC High School (1.2 miles) and Salford City Academy (1.6 miles).
Ellesmere Park High SchoolSt Patrick's RC High SchoolAll Hallows RC High SchoolSalford City Academy
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 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 November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Mary's excels at creating a nurturing environment where all children, including those with additional needs, are challenged to achieve their best. The school delivers expert teaching across a thoughtfully designed curriculum, with particular strength in reading where pupils become confident and fluent. Pupils develop strong character through community involvement, leadership roles and learning about equality, diversity and tolerance.
Key Strengths
- Highly ambitious, well-designed curriculum with strong subject knowledge delivery from staff
- Excellent reading provision with expert phonics teaching and nearly all pupils becoming confident readers
- Outstanding behaviour and exemplary pupil conduct throughout the school
- Comprehensive personal development programme including trips, community involvement and leadership roles
- Prompt identification of additional needs with effective support for pupils with SEND
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports, art, music, outdoor education, theatre visits, museum visits, school librarians, community charity fundraising, litter picking, food bank support
St Mary's RC Primary School is a nurturing, caring school where pupils thrive and achieve exceptionally well across the curriculum. The school's mission of learning, friendship and respect is embedded in everything it does.
At a Glance
11.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
65 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 declined from 94% to 87% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 97% to 90% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 90% to 74% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.9
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
29.8
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with St Mary's RC Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Mary's RC Primary School.
- Versatile Learning Salford Ltd430m away · Not yet graded
- School of Play @ Branwood Preparatory School810m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Mary's 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
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary's RC Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary's 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
- 22
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 22 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 16 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
4 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 Mary's RC Primary School
Will you get a place at St Mary's RC Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary's RC Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary's RC Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary's RC Primary School.
- Salford publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St Mary's RC Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary's 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
99%
Near capacity
209 pupils
210 places
1 spare place 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: 1.8 first choices per place
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
48
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
22.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
239
Total Pupils
120
Boys
119
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
23.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,098
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,230
Per pupil
£1209k
Total funding
£35k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.8%
Overall absence
8.3%
Persistent absence
181
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 RC Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Mary's RC Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Mary's RC Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Mary's RC Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 87% reached the expected standard in reading and 90% did so in maths.
What is St Mary's RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Mary's RC Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, 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 RC Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary's RC Primary School is oversubscribed, Salford allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Mary's RC Primary School?
St Mary's RC Primary School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St Mary's RC Primary School?
Classes at St Mary's RC Primary School average 29.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary's RC Primary School?
St Mary's RC Primary School has around 239 pupils on roll. 11% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's RC Primary School?
3.8% of sessions were missed at St Mary's RC Primary School in 2024/25. 8.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's RC Primary School?
Apply through Salford's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary's 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.
Does St Mary's RC Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of St Mary's RC Primary School: Versatile Learning Salford Ltd (430m away, registered, not yet graded) and School of Play @ Branwood Preparatory School (810m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near St Mary's RC Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 22 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 16 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 4 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 Mary's RC Primary School?
St Mary's RC Primary School is at Hemming Drive, Eccles, Manchester, M30 0FJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)