St Mary’s CofE Primary School High Crompton Review 2026: A faith-led primary with strong KS2 outcomes and clear routines

A primary where academic expectations and pastoral routines pull in the same direction. St Mary’s CofE Primary School High Crompton combines a Church of England identity with a highly structured approach to learning, and the numbers at the end of Year 6 back that up. In 2024, 87% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, comfortably above the England average of 62% (and high scores were also notably strong).

Capacity is modest at 210 pupils, with 30 places per Reception intake, which keeps relationships manageable while still offering breadth through clubs and pupil roles. Admission is competitive, with 60 applications for 30 offers in the latest available Reception cycle so families should treat it as an oversubscribed option rather than a fallback.

The school’s Christian vision is explicit and practical, centring on love, respect and valuing others, with a stated anchor in John 13:34-35. This matters because it shapes how the school frames behaviour, pupil leadership, and community activities, rather than sitting as abstract messaging.

Expect a calm, purposeful tone in lessons and around school. The most recent formal report describes pupils who enjoy learning, work hard, and behave very well, with politeness and careful listening called out as everyday norms. That kind of clarity tends to suit children who thrive with predictable routines and consistent expectations, and it also gives quieter pupils space to participate without competing for attention.

Leadership is stable. Mrs Pamela Hartley is listed as head teacher, and the senior team structure is clearly set out publicly, including a named deputy head and an assistant head who also leads special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The headline at Key Stage 2 is strong. In 2024:

• 87% reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined (England average: 62%).

• 34.67% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths, compared with the England average of 8%.

• Average scaled scores were 107 in reading, 107 in maths, and 109 in grammar, punctuation and spelling.

These outcomes align with a school that prioritises early reading and tight teaching routines across the curriculum.

On the FindMySchool rankings (based on official data), the school is ranked 2,167th in England and 10th in Oldham for primary outcomes. This places it above England average, comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England.

A useful implication for parents: the profile suggests depth as well as basic competency. High-standard measures are often the differentiator between “solid” and “stretching” primaries, and this is where St Mary’s stands out most clearly.

Teaching is structured around a broad curriculum that is intended to build knowledge in a planned sequence, including in the early years so that Reception content prepares pupils well for Year 1. When that sequencing is done well, it reduces the “restart every September” effect, pupils spend less time re-learning basics, and teachers can push into more demanding material sooner.

Early reading is treated as a priority. Phonics begins as soon as pupils enter the early years, staff are trained to teach it, and reading books are closely matched to the sounds pupils are learning. That coherence matters because it prevents the common primary problem of children being asked to read books containing patterns they have not yet been taught.

There is also an explicit focus on reading for pleasure through shared texts and structured reading challenges. The report references the “battle of the books” activity and pupils writing reviews, which gives reading a social and purposeful dimension, not just a decoding task.

One area to watch is consistency of assessment practice outside the core subjects. The most recent report notes that in some wider curriculum subjects, checks are not always precise enough to identify what pupils know and remember, which can make it harder to build learning cumulatively. For many families this will be a manageable weakness, but it is worth asking how leaders are tightening curriculum assessment beyond English and maths.

As a primary, the key question is transition rather than destination statistics. The school’s SEND policy describes structured handover for pupils moving to a new school, and for Year 6 transfer it references a review meeting in the summer term to support transition to secondary school.

The practical implication is that families should expect transition to be planned, particularly for pupils with additional needs, but should still do their own due diligence on secondary options across Oldham and Greater Manchester. If your child is anxious about change, ask how Year 6 prepares pupils socially and organisationally for the secondary timetable, multiple teachers, and larger peer groups.

Admission is governor-led because this is a voluntary aided Church of England school, and the published admission number for Reception is 30. In the most recent dataset cycle provided, there were 60 applications for 30 offers, with the route described as oversubscribed.

The practical steps for September 2026 entry are unusually important here:

• Apply via the Local Authority by the national closing date of 15 January.

• Offers are issued on 16 April (or the next working day).

• A Supplementary Information Form is required to be considered under several faith-related oversubscription criteria.

Oversubscription is detailed and faith-sensitive. In priority order after looked-after and previously looked-after children, it includes: exceptional medical or social need; siblings; regular worship within specified local mission community churches; then other Church of England worship; then a set of places allocated by proximity; then other Christian denominations; other faiths; and finally remaining places by proximity.

Two details parents often miss:

1. “Regular” worship is defined with a minimum attendance threshold, and for September 2026 entry the policy specifies the measurement period as 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025.

2. Distance is calculated by the Local Authority using a straight-line measure between postcodes, with random allocation used as a tie-break where needed.

Because the dataset distance field is not available here, families should treat proximity as a factor but not a number, and use the FindMySchool Map Search to sanity-check daily travel time and practical logistics before committing to an application strategy.

Wellbeing is presented as an explicit programme rather than a vague aspiration. The most recent report references a “five ways to well-being” approach, along with staff responsiveness to worries and a clear line that issues are dealt with immediately. This tends to matter most in KS2, when friendships become more complex and pupils are more aware of social hierarchies.

Safeguarding is treated as systematic. The 15 to 16 November 2022 inspection confirmed the school continues to be Good, and safeguarding arrangements were judged effective.

For pupils with SEND, the school describes early identification, staff training, and the use of outside agencies where specialist support is required. The most useful parent question is practical: how the SENDCo deploys support across classes, and how teaching adaptations are monitored term by term.

Clubs and pupil roles are presented as part of the school’s identity, not bolt-ons. The most recent report references activities including choir, flute, badminton, and drama, and it also points to older pupils taking responsibility through roles such as an ethos club leading assemblies and Year 6 buddies supporting Reception pupils.

These details matter because they indicate breadth for a relatively small primary. Choir and instrumental activity signal an organised music pipeline; badminton suggests structured sport beyond the obvious football and netball; drama implies performance opportunities that help confidence and oracy.

The school also builds civic and values-led activity into pupil leadership, including a school council promoting monthly citizenship challenges. The best version of this is not tokenistic, it creates regular “practice reps” of responsibility, service, and teamwork.

The core day runs 9:00am to 3:30pm, with gates opening at 8:40am and pupils expected to arrive between 8:45am and 8:55am.

Wraparound provision is available via Squirrels, with published sessions of 7:30am to 9:00am and 3:30pm to 6:00pm, plus holiday provision, with published session pricing. This is particularly useful for working families who want predictable childcare coverage without relying on informal arrangements.

Transport-wise, most families will treat this as a local walking or short-drive school, but with competitive admissions, it is wise to plan your routine early. If you expect to rely on wraparound care, check availability as well as times.

• Faith criteria and paperwork. Several priority categories depend on a completed Supplementary Information Form and verified worship attendance within specified periods. This suits committed churchgoing families; it can be frustrating if you prefer a purely distance-led system.

• Competition for places. The latest dataset shows 60 applications for 30 offers for Reception, so admission is not guaranteed even if you like the school.

• Wider curriculum assessment consistency. The most recent report flags that assessment precision varies across non-core subjects, which can affect how securely knowledge builds over time.

St Mary’s CofE Primary School High Crompton offers a structured, values-led primary education with strong Key Stage 2 outcomes and a calm behavioural culture. The combination of early reading focus, clear expectations, and meaningful pupil responsibility will suit families who want a traditional, well-organised primary with an explicit Christian framework. The main hurdle is admission, particularly for families who cannot qualify through the faith criteria and are relying primarily on sibling or distance allocation.