St Mary’s Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich Review 2026: High-achieving parish primary with structured routines and strong pupil leadership

A small, oversubscribed primary with a clear Church of England identity, an established nursery, and a reputation for calm, orderly routines. Academic outcomes at the end of Year 6 are a standout, with 2024 key stage 2 results well above the England average in reading, writing and maths combined, plus strong scaled scores in reading and maths. The school day itself is tightly organised, with staggered starts and finishes across year groups to keep arrival and pick-up manageable.

Leadership has recently changed, with Deborah Holding named as headteacher, and government information indicating a start date of 01 September 2023. The latest inspection grades (February 2025) confirm a school that gets behaviour, personal development and day-to-day culture right, while still refining curriculum detail and assessment in a small number of subjects.

For families, the practical headline is demand. In the most recent reception application cycle captured here, there were 75 applications for 30 offers, which equates to about 2.5 applications per place. Entry remains the limiting factor.

The first thing that comes through is the school’s emphasis on belonging and responsibility. A large part of pupil life is organised around roles that give children a genuine stake in how the school runs. The school council is one visible strand, but it goes beyond the usual model. Eco Council activity sits alongside an Ethos Group linked to worship, and STEM Leaders who represent the school in science and computing work beyond the classroom.

That leadership culture is not just decorative. The most recent inspection describes older pupils as role models and highlights a deliberate approach to developing leadership skills and citizenship. In practical terms, that tends to show up in how corridors, playground, assemblies and transitions are managed. Expectations are clearly communicated, and children learn the routines early, starting in the early years where settling in and positive learning habits are explicitly noted.

The Church of England character is not a bolt-on. Worship time is explicitly counted as part of the school week, and the timetable presentation makes clear that worship is treated as an essential, planned part of the day rather than an occasional event. If you are looking for a school where values language is visible in everyday practice, this is one where governance, admissions criteria, and day-to-day culture all align around a faith framework.

A final point on atmosphere is the school’s approach to consistency. Systems such as Operation Encompass, where schools receive information following reported domestic abuse incidents so they can support children appropriately, are referenced in the safeguarding information, including identification of the trained key adult. That kind of infrastructure is often what makes a school feel predictable and safe for pupils, especially those who need adults to spot changes early.

Key stage 2 outcomes in 2024 are strong by any benchmark. In reading, writing and maths combined, 80.33% of pupils met the expected standard, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 29.67% reached the higher threshold, compared with an England average of 8%. Reading and maths scaled scores are also high at 108 for reading and 108 for maths, with grammar, punctuation and spelling at 107. (All figures are the most recent published key stage 2 measures.)

The school’s performance also translates into a strong national position. Ranked 2,475th in England and 46th in Manchester for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), it sits above the England average, placing it comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England.

A useful way to interpret that is breadth as well as top-end attainment. High proportions meeting the expected standard indicate that most pupils are securely on track by the end of Year 6, and the high scaled scores suggest that reading comprehension and maths fluency are consistently taught rather than concentrated in a small group.

The 2025 inspection grades add context. The February 2025 Ofsted inspection graded Quality of Education as Good, Behaviour and Attitudes as Outstanding, Personal Development as Outstanding, Leadership and Management as Good, and Early Years as Good. Under the current framework, there is no single overall effectiveness grade for state-funded schools inspected from September 2024, so it is the pattern across these areas that matters most.

For parents comparing local options, a helpful approach is to use FindMySchool’s Local Hub comparison tools to line up end of key stage outcomes with admissions pressure. High results are valuable, but they matter most when you can realistically secure a place.

Teaching is presented as structured and cumulative. The inspection report describes a curriculum that has been refined to focus on key knowledge in most subjects, with teachers checking learning well in those areas so future teaching can be planned precisely. The improvement work is also clearly defined: in a small number of subjects, including aspects of early years, the school has needed to sharpen exactly what pupils should know and remember, and to tighten assessment so gaps are identified earlier.

Early writing provision is one of the more distinctive features. The school uses Greg Bottrill’s Scribble Club in nursery and links it to early mark-making and movement-based writing development, drawing on Squiggle Whilst You Wiggle. This is not simply “handwriting practice earlier”, it is a deliberate approach to gross motor movement, rhythm and controlled mark-making as a foundation for later writing fluency. For children who learn best through physical activity and play, this can make the start of school feel accessible rather than formal too soon, while still building the habits that matter later in key stage 1.

Reading is another area where the evidence is strong. The inspection report notes consistent delivery of the phonics programme across early years and key stage 1, rapid correction of misconceptions, and increasing fluency, with pupils reading with intonation and understanding by the end of key stage 2. That aligns with the high reading scaled score in the 2024 data.

For pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, the inspection report highlights early identification and support that is precisely matched to need, enabling pupils to progress well through the curriculum. The SEND information also reinforces an inclusion-led approach, with adaptive teaching positioned as the default route to curriculum access.

As a primary, the key “destination” question is which secondary schools families typically consider and how transition is supported. Formal destination statistics are not published on the school website in a way that can be safely summarised here, so the most reliable guidance is to think in terms of local authority routes and local geography.

For Prestwich families in Bury, secondary transfer applications are made through the local authority, with published deadlines that typically fall in the autumn of Year 6. For children starting secondary school in 2026, Bury’s deadline was 31 October 2025. Even if you are planning further ahead, the pattern is stable: applications open early in the autumn term and close by the end of October, with offers later in the school year.

What tends to matter most for transition is readiness, both academically and socially. The school’s emphasis on leadership roles, responsibility and calm behaviour often supports pupils in handling the step up to a larger setting. The inspection report’s focus on respectful relationships, pupils resolving differences, and strong role modelling by older pupils suggests a primary culture that prepares children well for the independence required at Year 7.

This is a voluntary aided Church of England primary with a published admission number of 30 for reception. The admissions process is coordinated by Bury Metropolitan Borough Council, with governors as the admissions authority.

The application process is two-track for many families:

• A local authority primary application is required for reception entry, and the national closing date for the September 2026 intake was 15 January 2026, with offers on 16 April (or the next working day).

• If applying under faith-based criteria, families also complete a supplementary information form.

The oversubscription criteria are where the school’s Church of England identity becomes practical rather than symbolic. After looked-after and previously looked-after children, the policy includes siblings, then prioritises children within the Prestwich and Kersal Mission Community boundaries with qualifying worship attendance, followed by similar criteria for other Christian churches, and then distance-based criteria for all other applicants. For families considering a faith route, the key point is that the policy defines qualifying worship attendance and evidencing requirements in detail, and it expects the child’s attendance to be certified through the supplementary process.

Competition is evident in the numbers. In the most recent primary entry dataset here, reception saw 75 applications for 30 offers, with the route marked oversubscribed and an applications-to-offers ratio of 2.5. If you are trying to judge your realistic chance, use FindMySchool’s Map Search tools to evaluate proximity and to sanity-check your broader shortlist, then treat any single oversubscribed option as only part of a plan.

Nursery admissions

The nursery is a real entry point into the community, but it is not a guaranteed route into reception. The nursery admissions policy is explicit that a nursery place does not guarantee a reception place, and a separate reception application must still be made.

Nursery places are applied for directly to the school. For September 2026 nursery entry, applications were required by midday on 13 January 2026, with outcomes communicated by 31 January 2026. The policy also sets out session structures and oversubscription criteria, which broadly mirror the school’s faith and community priorities.

Open days follow a consistent pattern: the school states it holds three open days each year in the autumn term, but dates should be checked directly as they are not always confirmed far in advance.

Pastoral culture is one of the school’s defining strengths. The inspection report describes pupils feeling welcomed, valued and included, with extremely positive relationships that support mutual respect among pupils and staff. That is a high bar, and it is reinforced by the emphasis on pupils actively encouraging each other’s success and maintaining a calm environment where learning is not disrupted.

Safeguarding information points to structured practice rather than vague reassurance. Operation Encompass is referenced directly, including identification of the trained key adult in school. For parents, the practical implication is that the school is positioning itself to respond quickly when a child’s circumstances change, and to do so without relying on families to retell difficult experiences.

Attendance and punctuality are treated as core expectations. The inspection report notes high attendance rates and a close focus on persistent absence, with effective actions to improve further. In an oversubscribed school, that consistency tends to be part of the wider culture of high expectations.

Extracurricular life here is closely tied to responsibility, representation and enrichment rather than simply “clubs after school”. The pupil leadership structure is unusually prominent, with named groups such as Eco Council, Ethos Group, School Council and STEM Leaders. These are not generic labels; they show up in the school’s galleries and communications as active strands of school life.

STEM

STEM enrichment has a specific outward-facing dimension. The school highlights participation in the Great Science Share at Salford University, with pupils acting as ambassadors and even opening an event that included dozens of schools and hundreds of pupils. Separately, the STEM Leaders page notes representation at pupil panel events for STEM science at Manchester University and a focus on science, computing and sharing learning with others.

The implication for families is that STEM is treated as more than curriculum coverage. Pupils who enjoy explaining, presenting and collaborating with other schools are likely to find this motivating. It also builds confidence for secondary transfer where science and computing become more specialised.

Wider experiences

The school’s news and galleries point to broader experiences such as a Year 6 residential trip to Wales and events that link school life to the parish context, including worship-related activities. These are the kinds of experiences that often shape a child’s confidence and independence, particularly in Year 5 and Year 6 when pupils are preparing for the step into secondary school.

The school runs staggered start and finish times by year group, designed to make the start and end of the day calmer and more orderly. The published school-day information confirms at least a 6.5-hour day for pupils, meeting the 32.5-hour weekly expectation, with specific start and finish times varying by class.

Wraparound care is clearly defined. Breakfast club runs 7.30am to 9.00am, and after-school care is provided through an external partner (from September 2025) running 3.20pm to 5.45pm, with children collected from classrooms.

For travel, the local area is well served by public transport. Prestwich tram stop is on Rectory Lane with the same postcode area, which is useful for commuting parents.

• Oversubscription is the reality. Recent entry data shows 75 applications for 30 offers for reception, around 2.5 applications per place. Families should plan a shortlist rather than relying on a single first choice.

• Faith criteria can materially affect priority. As a voluntary aided Church of England school, the admissions policy includes worship-attendance-based criteria and a supplementary form for faith routes. This suits families comfortable with that framework; others should read the criteria carefully before assuming distance alone will decide the outcome.

• Curriculum refinement is still in progress in some areas. The most recent inspection highlights that, in a small number of subjects (including aspects of early years), the school is still tightening clarity on what pupils should know and how learning is assessed.

• Nursery is not a guaranteed path into reception. The nursery policy is explicit that nursery attendance does not guarantee a reception place, and families still need to apply through the normal reception route.

A high-performing, well-organised parish primary where culture and outcomes reinforce each other. Behaviour and personal development are clear strengths, pupil leadership is unusually well developed, and the academic picture at key stage 2 is well above the England average. Best suited to families who want a structured school day, value a Church of England ethos that shows up in daily life and admissions, and are prepared for the practical challenge of competing for places.