St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy, Bacup
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
St Mary's has made real progress in teaching phonics and maths, and has created an exciting whole-school focus on reading that pupils genuinely enjoy. Staff expectations are rising across the school, and pupils show pride in their work. The school has a strong sense of community, with pupils fiercely loyal to their teachers and confident they are safe.
Key Strengths
- Improvements in phonics and mathematics have been sustained and built upon
- Strong whole-school focus on reading with pupils enjoying dedicated independent reading time
- Pupils' personal development is improving strongly with better understanding of safety and British values
- New leadership arrangements with strong trust support are moving the school in the right direction
- Early years promotion of children's language and learning has improved
Areas for Improvement
- Writing standards lag behind other subjects, with some pupils lacking basic skills and opportunities to write at length
- Significant staff absences have slowed progress and increased workload for remaining staff
- Older pupils continue to have knowledge gaps from previous weak curriculum delivery
- Some teachers lack clarity about key knowledge pupils need or lack skill in adapting learning for pupils with SEND
- Pupil suspensions have risen sharply and attendance rates remain above national average for persistent absence
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with pupils reporting that staff go out of their way to keep them safe and secure.
Extracurricular Activities
Victory in Europe lunchtime celebration
St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School is a Voluntary Academy currently judged to have serious weaknesses. Under new leadership since January 2025, the school has made progress in improving phonics, mathematics, and reading, though more work is necessary to remove the serious weaknesses designation.
At a Glance
75.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 53% to 48%. Maths has declined from 42% to 30%. Writing has declined from 63% to 30%.
Class Sizes
16.3
Avg class size
19.0
Infant (KS1)
16.0
KS2
8
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
45%
Available places
94 pupils
210 capacity
116 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Bacup
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bacup
Admissions Demand - Lancashire
Places available
15,664
Applications
12,136
Got 1st preference
93.0%
Got preferred school
98.8%
Primary admissions across Lancashire (2025/26)
Inspection History(15)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.93459%
Overall absence
25.40984%
Persistent absence
122
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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