Christ Church CofE Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 4 June 2026

Pupils are part of a friendly and nurturing school. They uphold the school’s vision to treat others as they wish to be treated. As such, they show kindness and consideration to everyone. Pupils are proud to belong to Oldham’s smallest and oldest primary school. This is a place where everyone is known and treated as an individual. The warm and trusting relationships between staff, pupils and families create a secure sense of belonging. Pupils are well cared for and safe. They know that adults are there to protect them from harm. This includes preventing bullying and teaching pupils about online safety. Pupils enjoy learning and demonstrate positive ‘can do’ attitudes. At times, they do not learn as well as they could because some lessons are not carefully considered to ensure that they build their knowledge securely. This includes children in the early years, who sometimes find the content of the curriculum too challenging. A small number of pupils struggle to keep up with their learning due to gaps in their knowledge that have not been addressed. In contrast, pupils' achievement is stronger in reading, writing and mathematics. This means that, in these subjects, most Year 6 pupils are well prepared for their secondary education. Across the school day, pupils behave well. They play together happily during social times, demonstrating high levels of self-control and respect. The Friday awards and 'hive points' that they receive keep them motivated to try their best. Those who may face difficulties, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive well-thought-out support by skilled adults. This ensures that these pupils are able to access aspects of school life as well as their peers. Pupils' attendance rates are improving over time. Pupils enjoy playing an active role in their school community. Many hold additional responsibilities such as school councillors, who make positive changes, and ‘bee’ ambassadors, who ensure that the school rules are followed. Pupils recognise the importance of building confidence and independence in preparing them for life in modern Britain.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that the curriculum, including the early years curriculum, is further refined so that pupils build the knowledge and skills that they need across all subjects and year groups to be better prepared for their next stage in learning.
• Leaders should improve the teaching of spelling, handwriting and number fluency, so that more children and pupils secure the foundational knowledge and skills that they need from the start of the early years in order to be better prepared for their future learning.
• Leaders should ensure that teachers provide learning opportunities that are matched to pupils’ starting points and build on what they already know and can do so that gaps in learning are reduced and pupils achieve well across the curriculum.
• Leaders, including governors, should clearly identify the right priorities to bring about timely improvement in areas of the school’s work that fall short of the expected standard.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)