School Chooser

St Paul's CofE Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedChurch of England191 pupilsNurserySalford
School Chooser Score
36
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 17 to 64
Out of 100. Better than 36% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, June 2026
Reached the expected level at 1170%England 63%
Attendance94.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families39%Far more than most schools
Places44 spare191 pupils, 235 places
Pupils per teacher14.7School workforce census

St Paul's CofE Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Salford for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 191 pupils and room for 235. About 39 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 36 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 36% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in June 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Nevile Road, Salford, M7 3PT0161 566 2643Mr Paul Puckey (Executive Headteacher) headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 9 June 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
As expected
Achievement
As expected
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Needs attention
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Strong
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
As expected
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
As expected
Early years
As expected
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
22 June 2022UngradedSchool remains Good

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1170%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level7%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score106.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 33%33%20172018: 80%80%20182019: 65%65%20192023: 54%54%20232024: 64%64%20242025: 70%70%2025
Since 2017: +37%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017SalfordEngland
Pupils tested272824201524
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths70%64%54%65%80%33%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths7%4%0%0%13%8%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0104.0104.0105.0108.0100.0105.3105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score106.0102.0105.0106.0108.0103.0104.4104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0102.0104.0106.0108.0102.0105.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard74%68%75%80%93%46%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard81%64%75%100%100%71%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)70%68%67%80%87%50%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.0+3.1+3.1+0.3
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.1+4.4+3.2+3.2
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged64%64%46%57%67%14%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged77%65%64%83%100%60%

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. 3 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%77%
Gap 13 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
57%85%
Gap 28 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
67%70%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
7%7%
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 Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

A few spare places181 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
86% full

About 29 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 3% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

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 (22 offers for 30 places).

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary303422all offeredLA
2025 Primary303120all offeredLA
2024 Primary303730all offeredLA
2023 Primary303519all 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 roll191Census January 2026
Places23581% full
Pupils from low-income families39%39% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English41%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support17%33 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%5 pupils with a plan
Average class size23.98 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)38%£100,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls89 / 102
White British pupils33%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 25.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 24.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (23), Moderate learning difficulty (8), emotional and mental health (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), Other difficulty or disability (1), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll191200202210195213
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals39%33%34%35%38%33%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language41%42%38%40%41%39%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%13%13%11%7%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%2%1%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school16.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.52024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission3.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.9%6.8%6.9%6.8%4.4%4.5%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.8%3.6%3.5%4.2%2.7%2.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence3.1%3.2%3.4%2.6%1.7%1.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence16.3%17.3%23.1%29.4%12.3%11.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.52.53.82.10.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions01000

Staff and money

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

Teachers13.0full-time equivalent, 13 people
Pupils per teacher14.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers92%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants13.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£48,411
Teachers who left in the year16%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.12024/25

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£6,730England £7,738. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£6,644England £7,697. Total £1.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,997England £3,480
Money in reserve5%Not much put by: £60k, £302 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£17kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,730spent 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£230,000Salford
Nearest bus stop270 mChurch Lane, 7 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
St Philip's RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic480 m354Outstanding 202396Compare
Yesoiday Hatorah Boys AcademyAcademy870 m423Good 202378Compare
Yesoiday Hatorah Girls AcademyAcademy910 m437Outstanding 202483Compare
Sedgley Park Community Primary SchoolAcademy990 m242Good 2024Compare
Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Primary SchoolAcademy0.6 miles312Good 202259Compare
Brentnall AcademyAcademy0.7 miles184Inadequate 202251Compare
Lower Kersal Community Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles245Good 202320Compare
Butterstile Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles382Good 202343Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Paul's CofE Primary School 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.

Beats36%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 36 is 14 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 50 · highest 95100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 47 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than St Paul's CofE 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 John Church of England Primary School, FarnworthAcademy5.3 miles154Good 202250Compare
St Gregory's RC Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyAcademy5.3 miles185Good 202479Compare
Parochial CofE Primary and Nursery School, Ashton-under-LyneAcademy8.0 miles212Good 202354Compare
St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, BoltonRoman Catholic8.9 miles220Good 201942Compare

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 64. 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; 27 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%below
-0.14
Ofsted report card, 0.3 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.08
DfE progress measure; 27 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.09
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.05
2024/25; 172 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
+0.03
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 27 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 CofE Primary School a good school?

It is about average. St Paul's CofE Primary School scores 36 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 36% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 17 to 64, 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 CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 9 June 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as needs attention, leadership as as expected.

How good are St Paul's CofE Primary School'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%. 7% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Paul's CofE Primary School have?

191 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 235 places, so it is 81% full.

Is St Paul's CofE Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 29 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 CofE Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.1% 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 St Paul's CofE Primary School?

The average class had 23.9 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
Nevile Road, Salford, M7 3PT
Telephone
0161 566 2643
Headteacher
Mr Paul Puckey (Executive Headteacher)
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Manchester
Local authority
Salford
Ward
Kersal & Broughton Park
Constituency
Bury South
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
105928 · LAESTAB 3553006 · UKPRN 10068557

Where these figures come from