School Chooser

St Paul's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic110 pupilsStockportCheshire East
School Chooser Score
40
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 17 to 70, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 55% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, April 2024
Reached the expected level at 1171%England 63%
Attendance93.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families16%Far fewer than most schools
Places40 spare110 pupils, 150 places
Pupils per teacher15.5School workforce census

St Paul's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is a converter academy in Stockport for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 110 pupils and room for 150. About 16 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 40 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 55% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Marley Road, Poynton, Stockport, SK12 1LY01625 877688stpauls.cheshire.sch.ukMrs Victoria Danton headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 30 April 2024, 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”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

17 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 1171%
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 score107.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score104.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 76%76%20172018: 71%71%20182019: 65%65%20192023: 39%39%20232024: 71%71%20242025: 71%71%2025
Since 2017: -5%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017Cheshire EastEngland
Pupils tested171718171417
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths71%71%39%65%71%76%65%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%18%21%6%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0107.0106.0109.0108.0108.0106.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score104.0107.0101.0105.0106.0105.0105.1104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0106.0105.0107.0110.0109.0106.0105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard100%88%67%100%79%82%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard82%88%50%71%71%82%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)88%76%67%94%79%76%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.0+4.3+0.3+3.7
Maths progressMaths progress score-4.5-1.6-0.4+1.0

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. None of the 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 11Boys vs girls
50%82%
Gap 32 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.

A few spare places102 pupils for 119 places, 2024/25
86% full

About 17 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 12% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

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 Cheshire East council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

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 roll110Census January 2026
Places15073% full
Pupils from low-income families16%16% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support20%22 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan7%8 pupils with a plan
Average class size15.33 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)22%£32,550 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls57 / 53
White British pupils83%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (10), emotional and mental health (9), Hearing impairment (5), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Physical disability (2), Other difficulty or disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll110105109122113111
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals16%20%18%20%18%18%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%6%3%5%4%4%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support24%20%18%12%14%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans7%4%3%3%4%

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 school18.6%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.4%5.8%5.6%5.5%3.8%3.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.6%5.1%4.8%5.1%3.6%3.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%0.7%0.8%0.5%0.2%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence18.6%17.7%17.5%13.5%7.9%6.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.82.70.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers7.1full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher15.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£47,242
Teachers who left in the year23%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.12024/25

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£7,905England £7,128. Total £830k
Income per pupil£7,467England £7,587. Total £784k
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,533England £3,405
Money in reserve21%A lot put by: £164k, £1,564 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out-£46kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,905spent 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 m13812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate36 per 1,000 people61% lower than the England average
Typical house price£300,000Cheshire East
Nearest bus stop160 mWeller Avenue, 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
Vernon Primary SchoolCouncil400 m394Outstanding 202497Compare
Worth Primary SchoolAcademy840 m197Requires improvement 202315Compare
Lower Park SchoolAcademy0.8 miles272Good 202376Compare
Lostock Hall Primary SchoolAcademy0.9 miles197Good 202486Compare
Woodford Primary SchoolFree school1.5 miles149No overall grade 2025100Compare
Adlington Primary SchoolAcademy1.6 miles97No overall grade 202492Compare
Queensgate Primary SchoolAcademy1.8 milesNot inspectedCompare
Norbury Hall Primary SchoolAcademy2.0 miles457Good 202275Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Paul's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats55%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 40 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 37 · highest 84100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 40 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 40% 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 70. 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
-0.03
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 17 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.4 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.15
DfE progress measure; 17 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well above
+0.12
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.06
2024/25; 97 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
-0.01
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 17 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 Paul's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy a good school?

It is about average. St Paul's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy scores 40 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 55% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 17 to 70, 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 St Paul's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Paul's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy good at its last full inspection on 30 April 2024.

How good are St Paul's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 71% 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. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does St Paul's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy have?

110 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 150 places, so it is 73% full.

Is St Paul's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 17 places were empty in 2024/25 (14% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St Paul's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?

Pupils were in school 93.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 19% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Paul's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?

The average class had 15.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class 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
Marley Road, Poynton, Stockport, SK12 1LY
Telephone
01625 877688
Website
www.stpauls.cheshire.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Victoria Danton
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Shrewsbury
Multi-academy trust
Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Academy Trust (16 schools)
Local authority
Cheshire East
Ward
Poynton West and Adlington
Constituency
Macclesfield
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 March 2015 (academy converter)
URN
141831 · LAESTAB 8953566 · UKPRN 10048786
Formerly
St Paul's Catholic Primary School

Where these figures come from