St Christopher's RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Review 2026: Elite KS2 outcomes, Catholic ethos, and a culture of calm

A primary where behaviour, personal development, and early years are a clear strength, and where academic outcomes sit among the highest-performing in England (top 2%). Its Catholic character is not an add-on; it is built into the school’s values, worship, and admissions arrangements. The school also offers nursery provision and wraparound care, which matters in a part of Tameside where childcare logistics can shape school choice as much as performance.

Leadership sits within a wider shift, with the school converting to academy status with Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust around March 2025.

The day-to-day culture here is intentionally structured. Routines are explicit about where children go at drop-off and collection, with different arrangements by phase, which tends to reduce low-level friction and helps pupils build independence early.

The school’s stated core values are Faith, Friendship, Kindness and Courage, and they are presented as behavioural expectations rather than posters. That matters because it creates a shared language for pupils, staff, and families, which is often what makes a school feel consistent across classrooms and year groups.

The Catholic dimension runs through daily life and governance. The Reception admissions policy positions the school within the Diocese of Salford and sets out the expectation that families understand and respect the ethos, while still stating that families who are not Catholic may apply. This combination, strong identity with open access in principle, is typical of popular Catholic primaries. In practice, when the school is oversubscribed, faith-based criteria shape who is most likely to secure a place.

A wider structural change is also part of the story. The school’s governing board set out a move into Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust, and local authority documentation describes conversion to academy status taking place on or around 01 March 2025 (or as soon as possible thereafter). For parents, the practical implication is usually continuity in daily experience, paired with changes behind the scenes, such as trust-level policies, HR, and school improvement support.

Nursery provision

Nursery provision is a meaningful feature here, not just a token early years add-on. The nursery page sets out an early years team model that includes qualified teachers and named early years leads, plus an emphasis on outdoor play and communication with families through an online learning journal (Tapestry).

One practical advantage is continuity. Children can join at age 3 and remain through Year 6, with wraparound available via the school’s Busy Bees club if families need extended hours.

The results profile is the headline. In 2024, 97% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 36.67% achieved greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with an England average of 8%. Reading and maths scaled scores are both 110 (England average is typically 100), and grammar, punctuation and spelling is 112.

Ranked 227th in England and 1st in Ashton-under-Lyne for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), this sits in the elite tier, placing it in the top 2% of schools in England.

These figures matter in two ways. First, they suggest that pupils, as a cohort, are leaving Year 6 very well prepared for secondary study. Second, the greater depth figure indicates that this is not only a “getting most pupils over the line” school; a sizeable proportion are being stretched beyond the expected standard.

The most recent graded Ofsted inspection (5 and 6 December 2023) judged the school Good overall, with Outstanding judgements for behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision.

Reading sits at the centre of the learning model, and early reading is treated as a priority from the earliest years. The practical implication is usually consistency in phonics routines and tight alignment between what pupils have been taught and what they are asked to read, which tends to show up in fluency and comprehension by Key Stage 2.

More broadly, curriculum planning is presented as structured from nursery through to Year 6, with content built in “bitesize chunks” over time. This approach tends to suit pupils who benefit from careful sequencing and revisiting key concepts, and it can be particularly effective for pupils who need routines and clarity.

There is also a clear wellbeing thread. The school references the SUMO for Schools programme (Stop, Understand, Move On) as part of its approach to mental health and resilience. For families, that suggests an emphasis on explicit language for handling setbacks, which often pairs well with a high-expectations academic culture.

A balanced view includes the main improvement point raised in the most recent inspection: in some subjects beyond the core, curriculum depth and checking of essential knowledge were not consistently strong enough, which could limit how securely pupils connect ideas over time. For parents, this is the kind of nuance worth exploring on a visit, asking how subject leadership is developing foundation subjects and how staff check retention, not just coverage.

As a primary, the key transition is to local secondary options across Tameside and neighbouring areas. In Catholic communities, patterns often include movement to Catholic secondaries where places are available, and the school’s own nursery page references St Damian’s High School as a common next step.

For pupils who stay within Tameside, readiness for Key Stage 3 is the critical outcome, and the combined reading, writing and maths attainment suggests most pupils will enter secondary with strong core skills. That tends to reduce the risk of a difficult adjustment in Year 7, particularly in subjects that rely heavily on reading and writing stamina.

This is a popular school, and the numbers illustrate that clearly. For the primary entry route, there were 86 applications and 30 offers, which is 2.87 applications per place. The first-preference pressure is also meaningful, with first preferences running at 1.5 times the number of offers. Those figures are consistent with a school where demand is the main barrier, not the offer on paper.

Admission is coordinated through Tameside, but the governing body is the admissions authority and the school applies its own oversubscription criteria when applications exceed places. The published planned admission number (Reception intake) for September 2026 is 30.

For families applying for Reception entry in September 2026, the Tameside timetable is clear: the online system opens 01 November 2025, the closing date is 15 January 2026, and National Offer Day is 16 April 2026.

Catholic oversubscription criteria and what it means in practice

If you want your application assessed under the school’s religious criteria, you must complete a supplementary form in addition to the local authority preference form. Evidence of Catholic baptism (or reception into the Catholic Church) is required for the baptised Catholic categories.

The oversubscription order prioritises, in summary: baptised Catholic looked-after and previously looked-after children, exceptional need cases, baptised Catholic siblings, baptised Catholic children in the parish of Holy Cross and St Helen (Ashton), then looked-after children, other siblings, other baptised Catholic children, then all other applicants. Where places need to be split within a category, distance to the school gate is used, measured by the local authority’s mapping system.

If you are trying to understand your chances, this is exactly where tools like the FindMySchool Map Search can help, because small differences in distance can matter once you are competing within the same criterion.

Behaviour and personal development are a formal strength, and that matters because it affects every child, not just those who would otherwise struggle. A school that is calm in lessons tends to protect learning time and reduce stress for pupils who find distraction difficult. It also supports quieter pupils who can otherwise be crowded out socially.

There is also evidence of pupil roles that reinforce belonging and responsibility. The inspection report references pupils taking on roles such as librarians and reading buddies, which is consistent with a school that treats contribution as part of its culture rather than a bolt-on.

For younger children, early years provision is positioned as a key strength across nursery and reception, and wraparound provision is explicitly linked in the nursery page as a route for extended hours when needed.

The extracurricular picture is heavily sport-led, with structured sessions across the week and a wide range of sports listed. The clubs page references multi-sports and cheerleading, plus specific clubs including music samba, football, chess, media and coding, drama, and science club.

There are also signs of competitive participation, with the school referencing involvement through the Tameside Passport to Sport and Catholic clusters. The implication is that sport is not only recreational; it is also used as a route into competition, teamwork, and representation.

For families who want childcare as well as enrichment, wraparound matters just as much as clubs. Busy Bees is presented as available from nursery through Year 6, with hours stated as 7.30am to 5.30pm. The page does not clearly publish pricing in the portions accessible here, so families should confirm costs directly.

The core school week is stated as 32.5 hours, with the morning bell at 8.45am, session start at 8.55am, and the end-of-day bell at 3.15pm. Collection routines vary by phase, including specific line-up locations and a Forest School area used for some Key Stage 2 collection, which can help manage busy pick-up periods.

Wraparound is available via Busy Bees, with hours 7.30am to 5.30pm.

• Admission pressure and faith criteria. With 86 applications for 30 places, demand is high. Families who need priority under the Catholic criteria should be ready to complete the supplementary form and provide the required evidence.

• A high-attainment culture can feel intense for some children. The outcomes suggest strong academic expectations. For many pupils that is motivating; for others it can feel like a lot, particularly if a child is still building confidence as a learner.

• Foundation subject depth is an area to probe. The most recent inspection highlighted that in a few subjects beyond the core, depth and checking of essential understanding were not as consistent as they should be. Ask how subject leaders are strengthening knowledge and retention across the wider curriculum.

• Academy transition context. Conversion into a trust structure tends to be smooth for families day to day, but policies and improvement priorities can shift. If your child is starting during this period, ask what has changed and what has stayed the same.

This is a high-performing Catholic primary with elite Key Stage 2 outcomes and a clear strength in behaviour, personal development, and early years. It suits families who want a faith-grounded school culture, strong academic standards, and practical childcare options through nursery and wraparound. The limiting factor is admission rather than the education itself, so a realistic plan should include understanding the oversubscription criteria and timelines early.