St Thomas Church of England Primary School
Pimhole Road, Bury, BL9 7EY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE SYCAMORE CHURCH OF ENGLAND TRUST LIMITED
- Headteacher
- Mr Martin Van Hecke
- Diocese
- Diocese of Manchester
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Christ Church Church of England Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Bury North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 459
- URN
- 146156
- Local authority
- Bury
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01617647565
About this school
St Thomas Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Bury. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 459 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
- Good
- 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 | 42 | 48 | 47 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 62% | 63% | 66% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 6% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 67% | 69% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 79% | 79% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 69% | 77% | 77% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.10 | - | - |
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 Thomas Church of England 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 | Bury average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 62% | 58.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 63% | 63% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 66% | 63.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 419 |
| 2023/24 | 440 |
| 2024/25 | 450 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Thomas Church of England Primary School compares
St Thomas Church of England Primary School ranked 22nd of 55 primary schools in Bury for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 66% | 5.5% | 23.1% | 459 | — |
| East Ward Community Primary School | 62% | 5.8% | 55.3% | 474 | 0.4 miles |
| St. Marie's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy | — | — | — | — | 0.5 miles |
| Holy Trinity Primary School | 37% | 6.9% | 37.3% | 229 | 0.5 miles |
| St Paul's Church of England Primary School | 43% | 6.2% | 64.3% | 184 | 0.6 miles |
| St Luke's CofE Primary School | 56% | 6.7% | 24.4% | 465 | 0.7 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)
- 23.08%
- English as an additional language
- 75.6%
- Overall absence
- 5.54%
- Persistent absence
- 13.56%
Location
Nearby schools
-
East Ward Community Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Bury
- 0.5 miles
-
Holy Trinity Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Bury
-
St Paul's Church of England Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Bury
-
St Luke's CofE Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Bury
Other schools in Bury
St Thomas Church of England Primary School ranks 15th of the 32 ranked primary schools in Bury.
- Bury and Whitefield Jewish Primary School Primary
- Chantlers Primary School Primary
- Chesham Primary Academy Primary
- Christ Church CofE Primary School Primary
- East Ward Community Primary School Primary
- Edenfield Church of England Primary School Primary
- Elton Community Primary School Primary
- Emmanuel Holcombe Church of England Primary School Primary
- Fairfield Community Primary School Primary
- Greenhill Primary School Primary
- Greenmount Primary School Primary
- Guardian Angels Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Thomas Church of England Primary School teach?
- St Thomas Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Bury.
- Who is the headteacher of St Thomas Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Thomas Church of England Primary School is Mr Martin Van Hecke, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Thomas Church of England Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Thomas Church of England 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 Thomas Church of England Primary School?
- St Thomas Church of England Primary School has 459 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Thomas Church of England Primary School full?
- St Thomas Church of England Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 459 on roll (109%), 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 Thomas Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Thomas Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Manchester.
- Does St Thomas Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Thomas Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St Thomas Church of England Primary School?
- St Thomas Church of England Primary School is part of THE SYCAMORE CHURCH OF ENGLAND TRUST LIMITED. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Thomas Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 62% in 2022/23 and 66% 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 Thomas Church of England Primary School rank locally?
- St Thomas Church of England Primary School ranked 22nd of 55 primary schools in Bury for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% 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 Thomas Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- St Thomas Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Thomas Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Thomas Church of England 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 10 July 2026.