St Raphael's Catholic Primary School, Stalybridge
St Raphael's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Stalybridge. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 2nd-highest of the 9 schools in Stalybridge with published results, and 3,012th of 14,452 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Tameside (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Raphael's Catholic Primary School in detail
St Raphael's Catholic Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "“May God’s love shine in our lives as we care, share and learn together.” At St Raphael’s Catholic Primary School, God is at the heart of everything we do. God’s love has made us unique. Each one of us is special. In our daily lives we try to be followers of Jesus Christ."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, cross-country, dance, chess and cheerleading.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils at St Raphael's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 88% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 76% in Tameside and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 96% in reading and 92% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Raphael's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 27 families put St Raphael's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 46 named it as one of their preferences, for 27 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Raphael's Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Raphael's Catholic Primary School are Millbrook Primary School (under 0.1 miles); Buckton Vale Primary School (0.7 miles, 86% reading, 89% maths); Wild Bank Primary School (1 mile, Requires improvement, 79% reading, 86% maths); and St Paul's CofE Primary School, Stalybridge (1 mile, Good, 82% reading, 79% maths).
St Raphael's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Millbrook Primary SchoolBuckton Vale Primary SchoolWild Bank Primary SchoolSt Paul's CofE Primary School, Stalybridge
Who goes there
In 2026, 15 pupils (7.1%) received SEN support and 3 (1.4%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Mossley (Manchester) Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Raphael's Primary School (opposite), 50 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Raphael's Catholic Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Raphael's Catholic Primary School are Dixons Pennine Academy (0.8 miles) and Mossley Hollins High School (1.6 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 May 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Raphael's is a vibrant, nurturing school where children flourish and feel they belong. With outstanding results in reading, writing and maths, and excellent pastoral care for all pupils including those with additional needs, the school balances high academic expectations with a caring, family-like environment. Parents love the school and children are genuinely happy to attend.
Key Strengths
- Exceptionally high attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at end of Year 6, with above-average results in Key Stage 1
- Strong focus on reading with high-quality texts, well-stocked book areas, and daily reading for all pupils
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND through early identification and targeted work with families and professionals
- Children in early years extremely well prepared for Key Stage 1 through language-rich environment and skilled phonics teaching
- High pupil attendance with positive attitudes to learning, creating purposeful classroom environments
Areas for Improvement
- In a small number of subjects, curriculum content has not been fully established, limiting pupils' secure understanding
- Teachers' explanations of new concepts sometimes lack clarity and checking of understanding is not thorough enough
- Some pupils make errors and develop misunderstandings that go unaddressed, due to inconsistent implementation of the curriculum
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with leaders and staff prioritising pupil safety and wellbeing.
Extracurricular Activities
Choir, cross country, netball, cheerleading, art club, reading club, yoga club, history club, nature club, sports captains roles, worship leader roles, librarian roles, buddy roles, trips to church and local care home, museum visits, before- and after-school clubs
St Raphael's Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school where pupils have a strong sense of belonging and achieve highly. The school provides a broad, knowledge-rich curriculum with particular strengths in reading and early years provision.
At a Glance
20.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 96% to 84% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 92% to 88% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 92% to 80% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.5
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
28.3
KS2
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St Raphael's Catholic Primary School
From St Raphael's Catholic Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with St Raphael's Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Raphael's Catholic Primary School.
- Inspire Sports Holiday ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Raphael's Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Raphael's Catholic Primary School is in Tameside; for families living there:
Apply to Tameside for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 3 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 Tameside is 12 (the median across 111 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 Raphael's Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at St Raphael's Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Raphael's Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Raphael's Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Raphael's Catholic Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Tameside, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Raphael's Catholic Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Tameside 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
92%
Near capacity
193 pupils
210 places
17 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Stalybridge
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Stalybridge
Across Tameside council
Places available
3,050
Applications
2,451
Got 1st preference
95.4%
Got preferred school
98.8%
All primary applications across Tameside council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
15
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
8.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
212
Total Pupils
104
Boys
108
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
21.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,956
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,524
Per pupil
£1226k
Total funding
£55k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.9%
Overall absence
8.1%
Persistent absence
172
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 Raphael's Catholic Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Raphael's Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Raphael's Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Raphael's Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 84% reached the expected standard in reading and 88% did so in maths.
What is St Raphael's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Raphael's Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Raphael's Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Raphael's Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Tameside allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Raphael's Catholic Primary School?
St Raphael's Catholic Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Raphael's Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St Raphael's Catholic Primary School average 28.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Raphael's Catholic Primary School?
St Raphael's Catholic Primary School has around 212 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Raphael's Catholic Primary School?
3.9% of sessions were missed at St Raphael's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 8.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Raphael's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Tameside's coordinated admissions process, naming St Raphael'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 Raphael'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: Inspire Sports Holiday Club (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 Raphael's Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 3 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Tameside is 12 (the median across 111 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Raphael's Catholic Primary School?
St Raphael's Catholic Primary School is at Huddersfield Road, Millbrook, Stalybridge, Cheshire, SK15 3JL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)