School Chooser

St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic213 pupilsNursery Free breakfast clubRochdale
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredThere isn't enough published data yet. To get a score, a school needs results or an inspection plus at least one other figure.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, November 2021
Reached the expected level at 1170%England 63%
Attendance94.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families32%A bit more than most schools
PlacesFull213 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher18.5School workforce census

St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is a converter academy in Rochdale for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 213 pupils, 3 more than it has places for. About 32 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2021.

Ann Street, Rochdale, OL11 1EZ01706 647195stjohnthebaptist.stoccat.org.ukMrs Lisa Campbell headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 11 November 2021 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

30 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale, the school this one replaced.

Reached the expected level at 1170%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level13%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 74%74%20172018: 53%53%20182019: 59%59%20192023: 81%81%20232024: 57%57%20242025: 70%70%2025
Since 2017: -4%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025†2024†2023†2019†2018†2017†RochdaleEngland
Pupils tested302826374531
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths70%57%81%59%53%74%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths13%7%12%5%4%3%4%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0101.0104.0102.0103.0102.0104.3105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0103.0106.0104.0103.0104.0103.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0104.0107.0106.0108.0108.0105.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard73%64%81%62%67%74%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard90%75%92%78%76%84%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)83%75%92%84%80%84%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.7-2.9-0.3+0.8
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.2-1.2+0.4+2.9
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged64%50%79%63%50%75%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged75%60%83%56%67%73%

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.

† These results are for St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale, the school this one replaced in November 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

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. 2 of the 4 gaps are 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
64%75%
Gap 11 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
57%81%
Gap 24 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
74%70%
Gap 4 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
21%13%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 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. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Rochdale council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll213Census January 2026
Places210101% full
Pupils from low-income families29%32% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English69%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support16%33 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%7 pupils with a plan
Average class size25.38 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils13%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)29%£88,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls105 / 108
White British pupils7%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 26.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 27.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (23), emotional and mental health (8), Specific learning difficulty (5), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Hearing impairment (1), Physical disability (1).

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school17.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Missed without permission2.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/25†2023/24†2022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.2%5.4%6.3%5.3%3.7%5.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.0%3.7%3.7%2.8%2.0%2.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.2%1.7%2.6%2.5%1.8%2.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence17.9%14.0%21.5%17.0%6.9%9.6%12.8%

† These attendance figures are for St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale, the school this one replaced in November 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

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

Teachers11.0full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher18.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants10.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£48,838
Vacancies1

Money

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

Spend per pupil£6,867England £7,738. Total £1.5m
Income per pupil£7,194England £7,697. Total £1.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,039England £3,480
Money in reserve6%Not much put by: £91k, £415 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£72kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,867spent 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

Crimes within 500 m112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate0 per 1,000 people100% lower than the England average
Typical house price£207,000Rochdale
Nearest bus stop130 mRochdale Railway Station, 20 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
Deeplish Primary AcademyAcademy470 m452Good 202072Compare
Broadfield Community Primary SchoolCouncil520 m406Good 202316Compare
Ashfield Valley Primary SchoolCouncil910 m239Good 202380Compare
Lowerplace Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles533Good 202410Compare
Brimrod Community Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles208Good 202443Compare
St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England0.8 miles455Good 202245Compare
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, BalderstoneAcademy0.8 miles208Good 2022Compare
Sandbrook Community Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles583Report card 20263Compare

Questions parents ask

Is St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy a good school?

St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in November 2021.

What is St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy good at its last full inspection on 11 November 2021. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How good are St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 70% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 13% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have?

213 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 101% full.

What is attendance like at St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

Pupils were in school 94.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 18% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

The average class had 25.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 13% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

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

Contact and details

Address
Ann Street, Rochdale, OL11 1EZ
Telephone
01706 647195
Website
www.stjohnthebaptist.stoccat.org.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Lisa Campbell
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Salford
Multi-academy trust
St Teresa Of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust (27 schools)
Local authority
Rochdale
Ward
Milkstone & Deeplish
Constituency
Rochdale
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 November 2025 (academy converter)
URN
151819 · LAESTAB 3543501 · UKPRN 10098046
Formerly
St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale

Where these figures come from