St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School, Salford
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Salford. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 29 schools in Salford with published results, and 2,234th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 105% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
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 Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School in detail
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "The fundamental aim of our school, and the very reason for our existence, is to enable each child who attends to be all that they can be - to embrace and fulfil their unique, God given potential. Our school is a warm, happy and successful place."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £2 per day.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 91% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 73% in Salford and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 93% in reading and 97% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 66 families put St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School as their first choice and 93 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 8 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School are Marlborough Road Academy (0.1 miles, Good, 67% reading, 62% maths); Cheetham CofE Community Academy (0.2 miles, Good, 69% reading, 75% maths); Unity Community Primary (0.3 miles, Requires improvement, 69% reading, 68% maths); and Brentnall Academy (0.4 miles, 82% reading, 79% maths).
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Marlborough Road AcademyCheetham CofE Community AcademyUnity Community PrimaryBrentnall Academy
Who goes there
57.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 42.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Black (33%), Mixed (26%) and White British (20%).
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Abraham Moss (Manchester Metrolink), about 1110 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Thomas' Church (outside), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Thomas of Canterbury 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 Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School are Beis Yaakov High School (0.5 miles), The King David High School (0.8 miles) and Abraham Moss Community School (0.8 miles).
Beis Yaakov High SchoolThe King David High SchoolAbraham Moss Community School
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); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Salford published that the last place for 2021 entry went to a family 0.656 miles away (straight line). The cut-off moves every year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its December 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
Rated Good for
Early years.
At a Glance
57.7%
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 93% to 85% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 97% to 91% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 85% to 89% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
31.4
Avg class size
33.2
Infant (KS1)
30.8
KS2
15
Total classes
8 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 of Canterbury RC Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School.
- Satmar Kids370m away · Not yet graded
- CHEETHAM KIDS ACADEMY LTD770m away · Not yet graded
- Awaaz After School Club830m away · Not yet graded
- BJPS870m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Thomas of Canterbury 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
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Thomas of Canterbury 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
- 24
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 17 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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 Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School
Will you get a place at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School.
- Last distance offered for 2016, 2017 and 2021 entry, from Salford's own figures, and how your distance compares each year.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Thomas of Canterbury 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.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
105%
Over capacity
443 pupils
420 places
23 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Salford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Salford
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
93
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
22.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
503
Total Pupils
251
Boys
252
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
24
Teachers
21.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,187
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,926
Per pupil
£3157k
Total funding
£371k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
13.0%
Persistent absence
386
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 of Canterbury RC Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 85% reached the expected standard in reading and 91% did so in maths.
What is St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2023.
How close to St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School do you need to live?
Salford publishes how far the last offered place was, in miles: 0.607 for 2016 entry, then 0.278 for 2017 entry, then 0.656 for 2021 entry. The cut-off has held fairly steady over that period. These are the authority's own figures, not a fixed boundary - the cut-off moves with the number of applications each year.
Is it hard to get a place at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School?
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School was full in 2025, at 105% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School?
Classes at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School average 31.4 pupils (2025/26). 8 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School?
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School has around 503 pupils on roll. 58% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School?
4.7% of sessions were missed at St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School in 2024/25. 13% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School?
Apply through Salford's coordinated admissions process, naming St Thomas of Canterbury 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 Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 4 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School: Satmar Kids (370m away, registered, not yet graded), CHEETHAM KIDS ACADEMY LTD (770m away, registered, not yet graded) and Awaaz After School Club (830m 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 Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 17 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School?
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School is at Hadfield Street, Higher Broughton, Salford, Greater Manchester, M7 4XG.
Sources: Salford admissions booklets; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)