St Anne's RC Primary School

A clearly faith-led primary in Greenacres with an on-site nursery and a stated mission built around love, respect, and responsibility. The school’s latest inspection outcome is Requires Improvement, with stronger grades for behaviour, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision.

Academically, the most recent published KS2 picture is mixed. In the 2025 dataset, 60% of pupils met the expected standard across reading, writing and mathematics combined, with no pupils recorded at the higher standard on that combined measure. Science outcomes were stronger than before, with 80% reaching the expected standard. (Rankings and KS2 metrics in this review are from FindMySchool’s analysis of official data, and are not official league tables.)

Leadership is currently listed as Headteacher Amy Wainwright.

The school positions itself as explicitly Catholic while welcoming families of other faiths and backgrounds, and this is not framed as a bolt-on. Its website puts prayer and worship alongside learning and play as part of everyday life, and the messaging is consistent across wider curriculum statements, including its approach to spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

For families who actively want a faith-shaped environment, that clarity matters. Expect Catholic life to show up in assemblies, celebrations and the language used around behaviour and relationships. In practice, this can create a strong shared vocabulary between pupils, staff and families, especially where expectations around respect and responsibility are reinforced both pastorally and through routine.

Nursery provision is part of the offer, with published morning hours, and the school describes a straightforward progression into the wider primary. Outdoor play is emphasised in early years communications, with a clear message that children are encouraged outdoors in most weather, which is useful for parents weighing the balance between structured learning and physical, exploratory play.

The headline KS2 measure many parents look for is the combined reading, writing and mathematics expected standard. In the 2025 dataset, 60% of pupils met that combined expected standard. At the higher standard, no pupils were recorded as achieving the higher standard across reading, writing and mathematics.

Scaled scores also help explain the shape of attainment. In the 2025 dataset, reading was 103, mathematics was 105, and GPS (grammar, punctuation and spelling) was 104.

Science was stronger in the 2025 dataset, with 80% reaching the expected standard.

In FindMySchool’s primary outcomes ranking, St Anne’s RC Primary School, Oldham is ranked 10,132nd out of 14,978 schools in England for primary academic outcomes and 55th in Oldham. This is a proprietary FindMySchool ranking based on official data.

What does that mean in plain English. The England rank places the school below the national midpoint overall, and the 2025 combined expected-standard figure is moderate rather than strong. That pattern often shows up where a school has a reasonable expected-standard conversion but fewer pupils reaching the higher standard, or where outcomes vary between subjects across cohorts.

For parents, the practical implication is this. If your child is aiming to confidently meet expected standards by the end of Year 6, the published figures suggest that is a realistic ambition here. If you are looking for consistently high proportions at greater depth across the curriculum, the picture is less assured, and it is sensible to probe how the school stretches higher attainers and how consistently subject leaders check impact across subjects.

The latest inspection outcome indicates the school has further work to do to secure consistently strong achievement across subjects, which usually points to differences between subjects, classes, or both. That kind of profile often accompanies curriculum work that has been redesigned or tightened but is still bedding in, particularly where subject leadership is developing.

Where the school does provide useful day-to-day signals is in how it communicates early years and core learning routines. For example, Reception information emphasises regular outdoor learning and practical support for communication and early language. That tends to suit pupils who learn best through talk, play, and well-structured routines, especially when school and home are aligned on reading and language practice.

A practical question worth asking on a visit is how reading is taught, practised, and supported across the school, especially for pupils who start below age-related expectations. Another is how subject leaders monitor the quality of work beyond English and maths, because that is often where inconsistency can persist even when core areas are improving.

As a primary school, the next step is secondary transfer. For most families this is governed by Oldham’s coordinated admissions and the realistic travel pattern from Greenacres. The school itself is a useful starting point for transition readiness, but the real decision for parents is the secondary mix that is viable from home: journey time, siblings, and the balance between local options and any faith-based preference.

If your family is considering Catholic secondary routes, it is worth understanding early how supplementary faith evidence is used by your preferred schools, and how realistic the journey is at peak times. If you are uncertain, FindMySchool’s Saved Schools feature can help you keep a shortlist, and the Comparison Tool can help you sense-check options side-by-side once you have narrowed to a few realistic secondaries.

St Anne’s is a state-funded primary, so there are no tuition fees. Admissions for Reception entry are handled through Oldham’s coordinated process, with the key dates clearly published by the local authority.

For September 2027 entry, Oldham’s published timeline gives a closing date of 15 January 2027 and decision day of 16 April 2027. Families should check Oldham’s admissions page for the application-opening date for their entry year.

Demand looks meaningfully higher than places in the most recent. There were 44 applications for 28 offers for the Reception entry route, with an oversubscribed status and an application-to-offer ratio of 1.57. Put plainly, that is roughly one and a half applications per place. Families should treat that as a signal that timing, preference order, and realistic backup choices matter.

The school’s public communications put considerable emphasis on wellbeing, including structured pupil leadership through Mental Health Ambassadors, and the idea of peer support on the playground. The examples given include assemblies tied to national awareness weeks and an organised “buddy” style approach at break times.

That combination can be reassuring for parents who want a school to actively teach social skills rather than simply enforce behaviour. It is also worth noting that the latest Ofsted sub-judgements rate behaviour and attitudes as Good, alongside Good grades for personal development and leadership and management, which supports the idea that the culture is not the main area of concern.

The extra-curricular offer is unusually concrete, with a published programme by term, day, and year group. In 2025 to 2026, this includes gymnastics, tag rugby, dodgeball, badminton, hockey, basketball and dance across different phases and half terms.

There are also signs of targeted opportunities beyond the usual menu. One example is a cricket club run by ECB qualified coaches at a local cricket centre, which signals that pupils who enjoy sport can access coaching that feels more structured than a casual lunchtime club.

For parents, the implication is straightforward. If your child thrives on variety and short cycles of activity, the half-term rotation approach keeps things fresh and lowers the barrier to trying something new. If your child prefers sustained commitment to one activity, it is worth asking which clubs run all year, and how the school supports progression from “have a go” to genuine development.

The published school day runs from 8.45am to 3.15pm. Breakfast club is advertised as free for Reception through Year 6, with doors opening at 8.15am and closing at 8.25am. Nursery hours are published as morning sessions.

The website is clear about start and finish times, but it does not present a single, standard after-school childcare offer running beyond 3.15pm in the same way it describes breakfast club. Families who need wraparound care every day should check what is currently available term-by-term, and whether places are limited.

• Inspection trajectory and consistency. The most recent inspection outcome is Requires Improvement, with the core message that achievement is not yet as strong as it should be in some subjects. This suits families comfortable with a school that is still tightening consistency, rather than one that is already operating at a settled level across all subjects.

• Competition for Reception places. With 44 applications for 28 offers in the Reception entry route, admission is not automatic. Having realistic alternatives matters, and it is sensible to check distance and criteria early.

• Catholic life is central. The school’s ethos is explicitly Catholic and integrated into daily language and worship. This is a positive for many families, but those seeking a more secular setting should be confident the ethos fits their child.

• Wraparound needs vary by family. Breakfast provision is clearly set out; after-school childcare beyond 3.15pm is not presented as a single, daily service in the same way. Parents relying on extended hours should verify the current offer.

St Anne’s RC Primary School, Oldham offers a clearly Catholic environment, published nursery provision, and a structured set of clubs that gives pupils regular opportunities beyond lessons. The latest Ofsted outcome confirms there is still work to do to secure consistently strong achievement across subjects, and the 2025 KS2 dataset shows a mixed picture: 60% met the combined expected standard, with no pupils recorded at the higher standard on that combined measure.

Best suited to families who value a faith-led community and want a school with solid core outcomes, practical routines, and an improving agenda. The main constraint is admissions competitiveness, so shortlisting realistic alternatives alongside this option is wise.