St Mary’s RC Primary School, Swinton Review 2026: Catholic primary with strong KS2 outcomes and a clear character programme

Strong Key Stage 2 outcomes are the headline here. In 2024, 86.67% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, well above the England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 33.33% reached greater depth, compared with 8% across England. The school’s reading and maths scaled scores were both 108, with grammar, punctuation and spelling at 107, a consistently high profile across the core measures.

The 2023 graded inspection judged the school Good overall, with Personal development rated Outstanding, and Early years also graded Good.

Leadership has also been refreshed recently. Suzanne Brown was appointed as headteacher and took up the role after the Christmas holidays, aligning with a January 2025 start.

This is a Catholic primary where faith, values, and community-facing activities are not an add-on, they are part of the day-to-day operating model. The school’s published values language runs through multiple areas of school life, from admissions documentation to curriculum and personal development priorities.

Personal development is a genuine calling card. The most recent graded inspection highlights warm relationships, strong behaviour, and broad character opportunities, including charity events and residential experiences. That combination matters for families who want academic focus without narrowing the child’s world to tests and worksheets.

The Catholic life programme is unusually detailed for a primary website. The GIFT Team is made up of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils who lead weekly Monday morning praise assemblies using prayers they have written, and they also take visible roles in Masses and liturgies across the year. The Eco Council adds another strand to the school’s identity, linking environmental action to Catholic social teaching through participation in the Laudato Si’ campaign and pupil-led initiatives.

Nursery provision is integrated into the wider school rather than operating as a separate, detached early years unit. Nursery is part of the wraparound offer too, including eligibility for breakfast club once children are settled.

The outcomes data suggests a school that secures strong basics and then pushes beyond them.

In 2024

• 86.67% met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined (England average 62%).

• 33.33% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths (England average 8%).

• Reading scaled score 108, maths 108, and grammar, punctuation and spelling 107.

The FindMySchool ranking position reinforces that this is not simply a good year. The school is ranked 2,273rd in England and 41st in Manchester for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), placing it comfortably within the top quarter of schools in England, and around the 15th percentile based on the ranking distribution.

For parents comparing nearby options, this is where the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tools earn their keep. It is much easier to interpret these results when you can view multiple schools side by side rather than trying to hold numbers in your head.

One important nuance for families: these outcomes also bring attention. Strong results often correlate with heavier demand at the point of entry, and the admissions data supports that pattern.

The curriculum picture, as described in the most recent graded inspection, is broad and carefully sequenced across year groups, with subject knowledge and clear explanations highlighted as strengths. That matters because high results can come from many models, but sustained strength usually depends on staff consistency and a clear progression map from early years to Year 6.

Reading is treated as a priority from early years onward, including phonics delivery in Reception and systematic support for pupils who need to catch up. The practical implication is that this is likely to suit families who want explicit teaching of core skills rather than a purely discovery-led approach in the early stages.

The school’s wider curriculum and enrichment links back into results too. Forest School sessions are positioned as a structured way to take learning outdoors, using the space and trees on site for exploration, building dens, and collaborative tasks that build independence and social skills.

As a primary, the key destination question is less about published statistics and more about likely pathways and transition readiness.

The overall academic profile suggests pupils leave Year 6 with strong preparation for the next stage, particularly in the core skills that underpin Key Stage 3 success. The school also talks about liaising with pupils’ different high schools, which indicates that Year 6 transition is treated as an active process rather than a handover.

For Catholic families, local Catholic secondary routes are likely to be part of the conversation. St Ambrose Barlow RC High School publishes a primary transition page that includes this school, signalling an established relationship within the local Catholic education network, even if individual pupil destinations will vary by cohort and admissions outcomes.

A sensible approach for families is to treat Year 6 as a two-part plan: confirm likely secondary options early, then use open evenings and transition events to check pastoral fit, travel practicality, and the child’s confidence with the step up in homework and subject teaching.

Demand is real at the main entry point. For the most recent Reception admissions dataset provided, there were 78 applications for 30 offers, which equates to 2.6 applications per place. The route is described as oversubscribed, and first preference demand broadly matches supply, which usually indicates a school that is highly desired by local families.

This is a voluntary aided Catholic school, so there are two things to hold together at once:

1. Applications are coordinated through the local authority for the normal admissions round.

2. The governing body is the admissions authority and applies faith-based oversubscription criteria when the school is oversubscribed.

For September 2026 entry, the school’s published admissions policy sets the planned intake at 30 in Reception and 26 in Nursery. Oversubscription priorities begin with Catholic looked-after and previously looked-after children, then Catholic siblings, then Catholic children resident in the relevant parish categories, followed by other categories including other Christian denominations and then remaining applicants. Where a tie-break is needed within a category, the policy specifies a straight-line distance measurement to the school.

Key dates for September 2026 Reception entry (Salford)

the application window opens 01 September 2025 and closes 15 January 2026, with offers viewable from 16 April 2026 for on-time online applications.

Families who like to be organised can map these deadlines backwards and plan school visits well before the Christmas break.

Open events are published on the school site and have historically been scheduled in November for early years, but families should rely on the school’s current calendar for exact dates for the year they are applying.

If you are trying to judge how realistic a place is, this is also a good moment to use FindMySchool’s Map Search tools to understand your real-world proximity and then read the oversubscription criteria carefully, especially for faith and parish-related categories.

Pastoral care is a distinctive strength in the 2023 inspection findings, and the school’s internal structures reinforce that emphasis. Leadership expectations around behaviour are described as clear, and the inspection evidence points to calm conduct in lessons and around the site.

Safeguarding culture is described as strong, with staff training, prompt reporting, and multi-agency work to support vulnerable pupils and families. For parents, the practical implication is that this should feel like a school where small concerns are not brushed aside and where escalation routes are understood by staff.

Attendance is one area where improvement work is flagged, with some pupils still missing learning through low attendance. That is less a judgement on the community and more a reminder of a basic truth: even strong schools cannot deliver learning if a child is not consistently present. Families who struggle with routines may want to ask about attendance support approaches early.

Enrichment is unusually specific for a primary website, and it spans sport, arts, faith leadership, and structured personal development.

The school lists a large set of clubs that rotate through the year. These include Choir, Drama Club, Dance Club, Mad Science Club, Gardening Club, Cross Country, Netball, Rugby, Minecraft Club, Lego Club, Film Club, Crafty Hands Club, and Pyramid Club, alongside French and multi-skills. The implication is breadth: children with different “hook points” should find a route into extracurricular participation, not just those who live for football.

Outdoor learning is also formalised. Forest School is described as taking learning outdoors for part of the day, using the school grounds and trees for exploration, teamwork, tool-sharing, and independence-building. For some children, this can be the difference between coping with the structure of the school day and genuinely enjoying it.

Eco Council work provides another pillar. The school reports receiving an Eco Award with Distinction for three years running, and it lists concrete pupil-led projects, including a nature garden with pond and wormery, a vegetable patch used in cookery lessons, litter picking, battery recycling, plastic reduction, Bikeability, and road safety work with local partners. This matters because it shows pupils being trusted with real responsibility, not just token roles.

Finally, the Catholic life programme adds leadership opportunities through the GIFT Team, which supports assemblies, prayer and worship, and charity links including Caritas and CAFOD. Families who want faith to be lived rather than labelled will see this as a strong match.

School session times are clearly published. Nursery runs from 8:45am to 3:20pm, while Reception and Key Stages 1 and 2 run from 8:55am to 3:30pm, with published break and lunchtime structures.

Wraparound is available. Breakfast Club runs 7:45am to 8:45am and is priced at £4.50 per day from 01 September 2025. The after-school offer is delivered with Premier Education, with multiple session-length options and published prices.

Transport and access questions are best handled pragmatically here: ask about drop-off expectations, parking guidance, and walking routes that work in practice for Swinton families, then stress-test the routine against your working day before committing.

• Oversubscription is not hypothetical. With 2.6 applications per place in the most recent Reception dataset provided, admission is competitive. Families should read the oversubscription criteria carefully, especially the Catholic and parish categories.

• Nursery does not guarantee Reception. The school explicitly states that a nursery place does not guarantee a Reception place, and parents must still follow the normal application route for full-time education.

• Faith expectations are real. The admissions policy makes clear that Catholic doctrine and practice permeate school life, and the GIFT Team and Catholic life programme reinforce that. This will suit many families, but it is worth considering if you are only loosely connected to the faith.

• Some teaching consistency work remains. The 2023 inspection highlights that assessment checks are not always applied with the same precision across classrooms, which can affect how securely some pupils build knowledge over time.

This is a high-demand Catholic primary with strong Key Stage 2 outcomes and a distinctive whole-child programme that includes faith leadership, environmental action, and a broad extracurricular menu. It best suits families who want clear academic priorities, strong personal development, and a Catholic ethos that shapes daily routines rather than sitting in the background.

The limiting factor is admission rather than experience. Families who align with the faith criteria, plan early for deadlines, and value structured teaching plus rich enrichment will see this as a serious contender.