St Peter’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Newchurch Review 2026: High-achieving Catholic primary with very strong KS2 outcomes

Small schools can feel limiting, or they can feel exceptionally personal. Here, the size looks like a strength. With a published admission number of 20 for Reception (September 2026 entry), pupils are taught in mixed-age classes, and older pupils take on formal responsibilities such as Ambassadors, playleaders and buddy roles. The school’s latest graded inspection (October 2024) judged every key area as Outstanding, including early years provision.

Academically, the Key Stage 2 picture is well above England averages, with high prior attainers also doing well. Admissions are competitive; demand data for the most recent Reception entry route shows 84 applications for 20 offers, which is a meaningful gap for a village school.

The school’s Catholic identity is clear and practical rather than performative. Prayer, worship and the liturgical calendar are part of the rhythm of the year, supported by a Chaplaincy Team and a Sacramental Programme listed within the school’s mission pages. The mission statement is anchored in a set of Christian values (including Love, Respect, Hope, Truth, Forgiveness, Friendship, Trust, Thankfulness, Justice, Joy), which gives families a simple language for expectations at home as well as in school.

Leadership is stable and visible. The headteacher is Helen Sullivan, and the website signals a leadership model where parents can expect regular communication and a head who is present in day-to-day school life, including welcoming prospective families. For a small primary, that matters; it tends to reduce the “mystery layer” between families and decision-making.

A distinctive feature is how responsibilities are structured for older pupils. Alongside School Council elections (with two representatives per year group from Year 1 to Year 6), pupils also take on roles that support younger children and improve the school grounds. The implication is that personal development is not left to chance; it is engineered into the day, and it gives quieter children routes into confidence that are not purely academic.

This is a high-performing primary on the available Key Stage 2 measures.

• In 2024, 82% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%.

• At the higher standard, 32% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with an England average of 8%.

• Average scaled scores are also strong: reading 108, mathematics 107, and grammar, punctuation and spelling 109.

Ranked 2064th in England and 3rd in Rossendale for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), performance sits above England average, placing it comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England. (That percentile framing matters because it helps parents distinguish between “good locally” and “good in the broader system”.)

A further indicator is the strength at the top end: 37% achieved high scores across reading, mathematics and GPS, and 23% were at greater depth in writing. In a small cohort, those figures can fluctuate year to year, but the overall profile suggests pupils are not just meeting the basics, they are building secure foundations with breadth and depth.

Parents comparing local options should use the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tools to view these KS2 indicators side-by-side with nearby primaries, because differences that look small on paper can translate into meaningful changes in classroom pace.

The curriculum is explicitly framed as broad and balanced, with Religious Education taught alongside core subjects and a full set of foundation subjects including history, geography, design technology, computing, music, art and physical education. The practical implication for families is that pupils are not channelled too early into narrow literacy and numeracy rehearsal, even though outcomes in those areas are strong.

The inspection evidence points to a clear internal structure: staff check what pupils know and remember, then address gaps quickly so knowledge builds securely over time. In a mixed-age class model, that type of deliberate sequencing is essential; without it, younger pupils can feel pulled along too quickly, and older pupils can feel held back. The report explicitly links the curriculum design to strong progress across subjects, which is reassuring for parents wary of mixed-age grouping.

Reading is a priority, and the school highlights pupils who can discuss books with real detail and confidence, including themes and character understanding. For many children, this is the difference between “can decode” and “can truly read”, and it tends to carry forward into secondary school success.

As a primary, the “next step” question is practical: transition to secondary, and readiness for the broader academic and social demands.

The inspection narrative places emphasis on pupils leaving “ready to face the future”, with resilience and motivation towards learning described as a consistent feature. For families, that usually translates into children who can manage homework routines, handle friendship friction with support, and approach unfamiliar learning with less anxiety.

Because this is a voluntary aided Catholic school with defined parish links in its admissions criteria, many families will also be considering Catholic secondary options within travel range. The school does not publish, on the pages reviewed, a named list of destination secondaries or transfer patterns. In practice, parents should ask directly at open events how recent cohorts have moved on, especially if they are balancing Catholic secondary preference against nearer non-faith options.

Admissions are coordinated with Lancashire, but the governing body is the admissions authority for this voluntary aided school. For the school year starting September 2026, the admission number is 20. Demand data for the primary entry route shows 84 applications for 20 offers, with oversubscription indicated. This is one of those situations where the education may be the easy part, and securing a place is the limiting factor.

Priority categories are faith-led, then distance-based within categories. The published oversubscription order includes, in summary:

1. baptised Catholic looked-after and previously looked-after children,

2. baptised Catholic children with a sibling at the school,

then other looked-after children, other siblings, then baptised Catholic children resident in the parish of Holy Apostles, Rossendale, followed by baptised Catholic children outside the parish, then other baptised or dedicated Christian children, then other children.

Proof of baptism or dedication is required via a Supplementary Information Form (SIF). If a tie-break is needed within a category, the policy uses straight-line distance home-to-school, and if distance is identical for the final place, a random lottery is used.

For September 2026 Intake, the school publishes these key timings:

• Applications open from 01 September 2025

• National closing date is 15 January 2026

• Offers are issued on 16 April 2026

If you are relying on distance for priority, use the FindMySchool Map Search to check your measured distance precisely and to sanity-check travel time. Even without a published “last distance offered” figure for this school, small primaries can move sharply year to year based on a few families relocating.

The wellbeing model is closely tied to the small-school structure. Pupils have daily visibility of the same adults, and that can make early identification of worries more likely, especially for children who do not volunteer concerns easily.

Support for pupils with additional needs is described as prompt identification and assessment, with activities adapted so pupils with SEND can access the curriculum alongside peers. For parents, the useful follow-up question is operational: what support looks like in mixed-age classes, and how interventions are timetabled without pulling children from the same lesson repeatedly.

Safeguarding is treated as a baseline expectation, and families can take reassurance from the formal judgement that arrangements are effective.

In a school of this size, enrichment is most meaningful when it is structured and regular, not occasional.

A practical strength is wraparound care that runs early and late enough to support working patterns. Breakfast Club runs from 7:45am to 8:50am and includes breakfast within the stated price. After school, Keys Club runs until 5:45pm. That matters because it turns the school into a workable option for families who would otherwise have to rule out a small village primary due to childcare logistics.

Pupil leadership and participation are also treated as extracurricular in the broadest sense. School Council provides an elected route for pupils to represent peers and propose changes, which is a good “starter version” of democratic participation for primary-age children. Alongside that, the inspection narrative describes a wide set of roles, including playleaders and buddies who organise games and support younger pupils.

Finally, the school structures community and fundraising through Friends of St Peter’s, a parent and staff group raising funds for experiences and items that sit outside the normal budget. That can be an important quality-of-life enhancer in small schools, since one successful fundraising year can transform resources for arts, trips, or outdoor improvements.

The published school day starts at 8:50am, with a staggered finish between 3:15pm and 3:25pm. Breakfast Club runs from 7:45am; after-school wraparound via Keys Club runs until 5:45pm.

For meals, the school publishes that Key Stage 1 pupils receive free school meals, and Key Stage 2 meals are priced per day. Uniform supplier information is published via the school’s FAQ page, but families should budget for uniform and trips as the typical extras in any state primary.

Transport specifics (for example, bus routes) are not set out on the pages reviewed; most families should plan based on their exact home location and preferred drop-off routine.

• Places are limited. With 20 Reception places for September 2026 and recent demand showing far more applications than offers, competition is real. For families outside the faith criteria, admission can be challenging.

• Faith criteria are meaningful. Proof of baptism or dedication is required for faith categories, and parish residence can affect priority. Families who want a Catholic education should find the admissions policy reassuring; families unsure about faith-based criteria should read it carefully before assuming this is a straightforward local option.

• Mixed-age classes will not suit every child. Many children do very well in mixed-age settings, especially with strong curriculum sequencing, but some parents prefer single-year classes for social dynamics or pacing. Ask how groupings work in practice across the year.

• Wraparound costs add up. Breakfast Club and after-school care are clearly priced, which is helpful for planning, but regular use becomes a meaningful monthly cost for some households.

A small Catholic primary that combines very strong KS2 outcomes with clear structures for personal development and pupil responsibility. Best suited to families who value Catholic life in school, want a tight-knit setting, and can engage early with the admissions process. The main hurdle is securing a place, particularly for applicants who do not qualify under higher-priority faith or sibling categories.