St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School
Cherry Lane, Sale, M33 4GY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mr Jason Hughes
- Diocese
- Diocese of Shrewsbury
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Altrincham and Sale West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 223
- URN
- 106359
- Local authority
- Trafford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01619699852
About this school
St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in Sale. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 223 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 30 | 32 | 33 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | 69% | 55% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 9% | 15% |
| Expected standard in reading | 73% | 88% | 82% |
| Expected standard in maths | 73% | 81% | 58% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 77% | 78% | 64% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 106.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.30 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Trafford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 67% | 65.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 69% | 65.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 55% | 67.5% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 230 |
| 2023/24 | 240 |
| 2024/25 | 240 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School compares
St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School ranked 50th of 55 primary schools in Trafford for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 55% | 4.3% | 34.4% | 223 | — |
| Woodheys Primary School | 75% | 4.1% | 11.1% | 443 | 0.4 miles |
| Tyntesfield Primary School | 84% | 2.9% | 4.1% | 441 | 0.5 miles |
| Firs Primary School | 72% | 5.7% | 35.4% | 540 | 0.6 miles |
| Broadheath Primary School | 79% | 5% | 17.5% | 524 | 0.7 miles |
| Park Road Academy Primary School | 90% | 3.1% | 2.9% | 236 | 0.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 34.43%
- English as an additional language
- 33.3%
- Overall absence
- 4.25%
- Persistent absence
- 11.4%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Woodheys Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Sale
-
Tyntesfield Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Sale
-
Firs Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Sale
-
Broadheath Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Altrincham
-
Park Road Academy Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Altrincham
Other schools in Sale
St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School ranks 16th of the 16 ranked primary schools in Sale.
- All Saints' Catholic Primary School Primary
- Brooklands Primary School Primary
- Firs Primary School Primary
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Primary
- Lime Tree Primary Academy Primary
- Moorlands Junior School Primary
- Park Road Sale Primary School Primary
- Springfield Primary School Primary
- St Anne's CofE Primary School Primary
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Primary
- St Mary's CofE Primary School Primary
- Templemoor Infant and Nursery School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School teach?
- St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Sale.
- Who is the headteacher of St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School is Mr Jason Hughes, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School?
- St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School has 223 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School full?
- St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 223 on roll (106%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury.
- Does St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% in 2022/23 and 55% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School rank locally?
- St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School ranked 50th of 55 primary schools in Trafford for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School's absence rate?
- St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Margaret Ward Catholic Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.