St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School, Oldham
St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Oldham. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 68th-highest of the 68 schools in Oldham with published results, and 14,122nd of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 102% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Oldham (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils at St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 43% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 74% in Oldham and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (45% in reading, 48% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 12 families put St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School as their first choice and 26 named it as one of their preferences, for 13 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School are Hodge Clough Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 79% reading, 69% maths); St Joseph's RC Junior, Infant and Nursery School, A Voluntary Academy (1 mile); East Crompton St George's CofE School (1 mile, Good, 69% reading, 66% maths); and Woodlands Primary Academy (1 mile, Good, 60% reading, 64% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School.
Hodge Clough Primary SchoolSt Joseph's RC Junior, Infant and Nursery School, A Voluntary AcademyEast Crompton St George's CofE SchoolWoodlands Primary Academy
Who goes there
48% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 16 pupils (7.2%) received SEN support and 17 (7.6%) 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.
St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 12 places, 6 pupils on roll.
Staffing
St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 31 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Shaw and Crompton (Manchester Metrolink), about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Thomas (outside), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) 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
In 2024/25, St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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; DfE school workforce census; 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are well cared for and are happy at school. They learn how to be healthy in mind and body. For example, many pupils take part in a wide range of sporting activities outside of the school day. Pupils are entrusted with a range of leadership roles. They relish these opportunities. Pupils who help to look after Tia, the school's therapy dog, carry out this role with gentle respect. They know that Tia plays a part in helping them to stay mentally well.
Pupils understand how they are expected to behave. Reception-age children act as positive role models to children in the Nursery Year. They learn cooperatively alongside one another. Across the school, pupils do their best to treat others in the same way that they would like to be treated. They value earning rewards for their positive behaviour. For example, pupils wear their 'always' badges with genuine pride to show that they uphold the school's golden promises consistently well.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school's 2023 published data shows that a significant proportion of pupils did not meet the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. In response to this data, the school has acted decisively to improve its early reading curriculum. It has introduced a new phonics programme and made sure that staff are trained to deliver this programme well. Children in the Reception class now build their phonics knowledge securely. Pupils in key stage 1 also learn the sounds that letters represent in a more consistent way than they did previously. However, weaknesses in earlier phonics teaching mean that some pupils have gaps in their reading knowledge. This means that, despite effective support from staff, these pupils struggle to read with fluency and accuracy. On occasion, this hinders how well they access the wider curriculum.
In most other subjects, the school has improved and refined its curriculum over a period of time. It has designed a suitably broad and ambitious curriculum. In doing so, the school has carefully considered staff's workload and well-being, for example by trialling and evaluating the impact of new initiatives before rolling them out to all classes.
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
48.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 45% to 50% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 48% to 43% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 63% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.9
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
30.5
KS2
8
Total classes
4 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 Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School
Before and after school care
St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Oldham
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School is in Oldham; for families living there:
Apply to Oldham for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 2 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
2 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 Oldham is 14 (the median across 129 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 Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School
Will you get a place at St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Oldham, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Oldham 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
102%
Over capacity
214 pupils
210 places
4 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Oldham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Oldham
Across Oldham council
Places available
3,927
Applications
2,814
Got 1st preference
92.0%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Oldham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
16
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
14.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 12 places, 6 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
223
Total Pupils
112
Boys
111
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
31.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,166
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,280
Per pupil
£1586k
Total funding
£165k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.3%
Overall absence
18.8%
Persistent absence
191
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 Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 50% reached the expected standard in reading and 43% did so in maths.
What is St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2015 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School is oversubscribed, Oldham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School?
St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School was full in 2025, at 102% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School?
Classes at St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School average 27.9 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School?
St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School has around 223 pupils on roll. 48% are eligible for free school meals.
Does St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 12 places, 6 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School?
7.3% of sessions were missed at St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School in 2024/25. 18.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School?
Apply through Oldham's coordinated admissions process, naming St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) 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 Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 2 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 2 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 Oldham is 14 (the median across 129 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School?
St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School is at Coleridge Road, Sholver, Oldham, Lancashire, OL1 4RL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)