School Chooser

Roundthorn Primary Academy

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademy245 pupilsNurseryOldham
School Chooser Score
67
Above
similar schools
Likely range 42 to 84, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 76% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, December 2023
Reached the expected level at 1173%England 63%
Attendance93.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families33%A bit more than most schools
PlacesFull245 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher21.8School workforce census

Roundthorn Primary Academy is a converter academy in Oldham for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 245 pupils, 35 more than it has places for. About 33 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. We give it 67 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 76% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Roundthorn Road, Oldham, OL4 5LN0161 770 8600roundthornprimaryacademy.co.ukMrs Joelle Hardman executive principalAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 6 December 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

30 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1173%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score106.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score108.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 52%52%20172018: 80%80%20182019: 60%60%20192023: 59%59%20232024: 67%67%20242025: 73%73%2025
Since 2017: +21%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017OldhamEngland
Pupils tested303032303031
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths73%67%59%60%80%52%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%3%6%7%7%0%4%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score106.0103.0103.0104.0108.0104.0104.5105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score108.0107.0105.0105.0107.0106.0103.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score107.0106.0104.0103.0106.0105.0105.0105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard80%73%66%77%93%68%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard93%93%84%83%100%87%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)73%77%72%83%80%71%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.1+0.2+3.3+2.9
Maths progressMaths progress score+3.3+1.1+2.4+5.0
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged73%56%58%50%46%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged73%71%60%67%56%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
73%73%
No gapEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
71%75%
Gap 4 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
71%73%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Full211 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
101% full

The school is full, with 1 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place.

EntryPlacesHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary30all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll245Census January 2026
Places210117% full
Pupils from low-income families29%33% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English45%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support9%21 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%13 pupils with a plan
Average class size28.88 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils25%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)32%£103,850 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls117 / 128
White British pupils1%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (19), emotional and mental health (4), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Severe learning difficulty (2), Vision impairment (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll245253240245242231
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals29%26%23%19%17%18%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language45%48%53%56%57%54%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support9%13%13%16%19%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%3%3%2%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school16.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.42024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.4%5.8%5.9%6.8%6.4%3.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.9%3.8%3.6%4.6%3.7%2.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.5%2.1%2.3%2.2%2.8%1.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence16.0%17.0%18.1%20.2%17.3%7.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.41.30.00.01.7
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers10.6full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher21.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants12.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,820
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher6.02024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,851England £7,128. Total £1.6m
Income per pupil£7,664England £7,587. Total £1.8m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,081England £3,405
Money in reserve7%Not much put by: £128k, £546 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£191kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,851spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Local crime rate0 per 1,000 people100% lower than the England average
Typical house price£208,000Oldham
Nearest bus stop60 mRoundthorn Primary Academy, 11 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Glodwick Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil640 m365Not inspectedCompare
Oasis Academy ClarksfieldAcademy810 m461Good 202323Compare
Alt AcademyAcademy840 m343Good 20228Compare
St Thomas' Leesfield CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England860 m200Good 202356Compare
Alexandra Park Junior SchoolAcademy910 m342Requires improvement 20212Compare
St Hugh's CofE Primary SchoolAcademy950 m211Good 202314Compare
Horton Mill Community Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles238No overall grade 202514Compare
St Anne's RC Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyAcademy0.7 milesRequires improvement 2024Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Roundthorn Primary Academy with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats76%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 67 is 24 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 3 · middle 44 · highest 96100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Roundthorn Primary Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Gregory's RC Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyAcademy12.5 miles185Good 202479Compare
St William of York Roman Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic14.4 miles233No overall grade 202594Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 67 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 67% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 42 to 84. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
-0.01
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 30 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.8 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.13
DfE progress measure; 30 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.10
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.06
2024/25; 187 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
+0.03
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 30 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Roundthorn Primary Academy a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Roundthorn Primary Academy scores 67 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 76% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 42 to 84, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is Roundthorn Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Roundthorn Primary Academy good at its last full inspection on 6 December 2023.

How good are Roundthorn Primary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 73% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Roundthorn Primary Academy have?

245 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 117% full.

Is Roundthorn Primary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 1 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at Roundthorn Primary Academy?

Pupils were in school 93.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 16% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Roundthorn Primary Academy?

The average class had 28.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 25% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Roundthorn Road, Oldham, OL4 5LN
Telephone
0161 770 8600
Website
www.roundthornprimaryacademy.co.uk
Executive Principal
Mrs Joelle Hardman
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Focus Academy Trust (UK) Ltd (15 schools)
Local authority
Oldham
Ward
St Mary's
Constituency
Oldham East and Saddleworth
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2013 (academy converter)
URN
140100 · LAESTAB 3532022 · UKPRN 10043041
Formerly
Roundthorn Community Primary School

Where these figures come from