School Chooser

St Mary's RC Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedRoman Catholic228 pupilsNurseryManchesterTameside
School Chooser Score
36
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 17 to 61, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 27% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, October 2024
Reached the expected level at 1136%England 63%
Attendance96.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families16%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull228 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher20.3School workforce census

St Mary's RC Primary School is a Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) in Manchester for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 228 pupils, 18 more than it has places for. About 16 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 36 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 27% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Kynder Street, Denton, Manchester, M34 2AR0161 336 3322stmarysdenton.comMr Neil Price headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 15 October 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

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

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1136%
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 score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 70%70%20172018: 67%67%20182019: 71%71%20192023: 48%48%20232024: 63%63%20242025: 36%36%2025
Since 2017: -34%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017TamesideEngland
Pupils tested283029313030
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths36%63%48%71%67%70%62%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%7%3%13%23%10%4%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0108.0105.0107.0106.0107.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0103.0104.0105.0106.0107.0104.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0105.0105.0108.0107.0108.0105.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard75%90%79%81%83%90%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard71%73%69%84%90%90%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)43%73%72%87%80%80%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.8+2.0+2.8+1.9
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.3+0.0+3.4+2.1
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged17%33%43%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged41%75%78%

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. 1 of the 3 gaps 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
17%41%
Gap 24 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
0%50%
Gap 50 ptsEngland 5 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. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Full210 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
100% full

The school is full. 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?

The last child to get a place lived 360 m away in 2026, 880 m away in 2025, 740 m away in 2024. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

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. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 360 m from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year. 38 families put it down as their first choice and 30 of them got in (79%).

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeFirst choices who got inHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary3038783079%360 mLA
2025 Primary3034703088%880 mLA
2024 Primary3034753088%740 mLA
2023 Primary3033713091%730 mLA
2022 Primary3030823090%460 mLA
2021 Primary3038813079%110 mLA
2020 Primary30300.7 milesLA

The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.

What a home within 740 m of the school costs

Typical sale price within 740 m of the school£200,000half sold for £169k to £253k
Homes sold239December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district-7%a typical home in the district sells for £215,000

Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

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 roll228Census January 2026
Places210109% full
Pupils from low-income families16%16% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English12%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support13%30 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan9%21 pupils with a plan
Average class size24.88 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)17%£55,800 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls129 / 99
White British pupils60%

Specialist SEND provision. SEN unit with 7 pupils, for autism, speech, language and communication.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Tameside with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (23), Moderate learning difficulty (15), emotional and mental health (10), Specific learning difficulty (2), Physical disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll228231226230227224
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals16%15%16%12%13%11%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language12%11%11%8%6%5%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support12%13%14%14%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans7%4%4%0%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school3.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.92024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.3%4.2%3.8%4.7%2.2%3.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.5%3.5%3.1%4.0%1.9%2.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%0.7%0.7%0.6%0.4%0.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence3.9%6.1%7.0%7.7%4.4%5.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.90.02.21.80.5
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers11.1full-time equivalent, 13 people
Pupils per teacher20.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants10.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£49,503
Teachers who left in the year20%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.42024/25

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£7,009England £7,738. Total £1.6m
Income per pupil£7,082England £7,697. Total £1.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,062England £3,480
Money in reserve2%Very little put by: £25k, £109 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£17kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,009spent 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£215,000Tameside
Nearest bus stop120 mPitt Street, 33 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
Greswell Primary School and NurseryAcademy630 m438Good 202342Compare
Russell Scott Primary SchoolCouncil800 m440Good 202348Compare
Linden Road Academy and Hearing Impaired BaseAcademy890 m228Good 202348Compare
St Anne's Primary SchoolAcademy900 m202Good 2023Compare
Corrie Primary SchoolAcademy960 m358Good 202142Compare
Manor Green Primary AcademyAcademy0.9 miles262Report card 20265Compare
St John Fisher RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy, DentonAcademy1.0 miles237Good 2022Compare
Poplar Street Primary SchoolAcademy1.1 miles447Good 202226Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Mary's RC Primary School with the 48 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 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats27%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 36 is 19 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 56 · highest 97100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than St Mary's RC Primary School, 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 Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, RochdaleRoman Catholic7.1 miles213No overall grade 202565Compare
Hollins Grundy Primary SchoolCouncil10.6 miles211Good 202364Compare
All Souls Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England10.7 miles234Outstanding 202395Compare
St Gilbert's RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic10.8 miles227No overall grade 202553Compare
St Paul's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England12.2 miles226Good 202346Compare
Christ The King RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic12.3 miles234Not inspected95Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 36 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 36% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 17 to 61. 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
-0.07
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 28 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 1.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.06
DfE progress measure; 28 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.07
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well above
+0.12
2024/25; 181 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.10
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 28 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 St Mary's RC Primary School a good school?

It is about average. St Mary's RC Primary School scores 36 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 27% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 17 to 61, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is St Mary's RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Mary's RC Primary School not judged at its last full inspection on 15 October 2024.

How good are St Mary's RC Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 36% 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 St Mary's RC Primary School have?

228 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 109% full.

Is St Mary's RC Primary School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 360 m away. 38 families put it down as their first choice and 30 of them got in. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at St Mary's RC Primary School?

Pupils were in school 96.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 4% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Mary's RC Primary School?

The average class had 24.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 13% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does St Mary's RC Primary School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has sen unit for autism, speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

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

Contact and details

Address
Kynder Street, Denton, Manchester, M34 2AR
Telephone
0161 336 3322
Website
www.stmarysdenton.com
Headteacher
Mr Neil Price
Type of school
Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Salford
Local authority
Tameside
Ward
Denton North East
Constituency
Gorton and Denton
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
106252 · LAESTAB 3573322 · UKPRN 10078732

Where these figures come from