School Context Comparator

Exam results say a lot about a school's pupils, not just its teaching. A school where many children are disadvantaged or have special educational needs will usually have lower results, even if it's doing a great job. This compares each school with what you'd expect from the pupils it teaches.

Primary and junior schools in Oldham: SATs results in context

% meeting the expected standard, average of the three years to 2024/25. Each numbered dot is a school (see the table below). Above the line means better results than you'd expect from its pupils; the shaded strip is "about what you'd expect".

  • Better than expected
  • About as expected
  • Below expected

The faint grey dots behind are every other school in England, for comparison.

Outlined in black: the school you compared (marked "Compared" in the table).

Green ring: low teacher turnover – among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay (three-year average).

3030404050506060707080809090Better than expectedBelow expectedExpected % (from the school's pupils)Actual % meeting the expected standard1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162636465666768
3030404050506060707080809090Better than expectedBelow expectedExpected %Actual % meeting the expected standard1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162636465666768

Loading stats for 13,485 schools across England…

Did you know? In a class of 30, one child moves a school's SATs percentage by more than 3 points - which is why we use a three-year average. How this works

How each school compares

# School Compared with what you'd expect Actual Expected Gap Disadvantaged SEN EAL Pupils(3 years) Teacher turnover(a year)
1 St Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School Well above 77% 50% +26.6 69% 28% 3% 98 28%high
2 Rushcroft Primary School Well above 78% 55% +23.0 47% 30% 0% 85 36%
3 Christ Church CofE Primary School Well above 85% 63% +22.3 38% 21% 46% 119 26%
4 Diggle School Well above 82% 66% +16.3 13% 20% 3% 83 6%
5 St Anne's CofE Lydgate Primary School Well above 84% 68% +16.3 16% 10% 6% 91 20%high
6 St Agnes CofE Primary School Well above 70% 56% +14.3 47% 33% 20% 46 0%
7 Limehurst Community Primary School Well above 71% 58% +13.0 55% 18% 28% 127 8%low
8 Buckstones Primary School Well above 79% 66% +12.7 17% 13% 0% 87 0%
9 St Mary's CofE Primary School High Crompton Well above 81% 69% +12.3 10% 10% 0% 88 16%
10 Willowpark Primary Academy Well above 63% 51% +12.1 75% 22% 9% 87 21%high
11 St Thomas' Leesfield CofE Primary School Above 71% 60% +10.8 50% 13% 25% 90 21%
12 Westwood Academy Above 75% 65% +9.8 47% 17% 97% 84 20%
13 Propps Hall Junior Infant and Nursery School Compared Above 71% 63% +7.8 31% 14% 7% 89 26%
14 Roundthorn Primary Academy Above 66% 60% +5.9 50% 20% 47% 92 4%
15 St Edwards Roman Catholic Primary, a Voluntary Academy Above 65% 59% +5.7 30% 32% 11% 108 18%
16 Beal Vale Primary School Above 63% 58% +4.9 47% 22% 16% 93 14%
17 Knowsley Junior School Above 68% 63% +4.6 39% 11% 26% 228 8%low
18 Delph Primary School As expected 70% 67% +3.0 10% 17% 0% 88 16%
19 Medlock Valley Primary School As expected 52% 49% +3.0 74% 43% 50% 126 21%
20 Hey-with-Zion Primary School As expected 64% 62% +2.4 39% 12% 5% 121 3%
21 Woodhouses Voluntary Primary School As expected 65% 63% +2.1 22% 22% 0% 55 20%
22 Yew Tree Community School As expected 59% 57% +1.7 52% 19% 11% 263 20%high
23 Fir Bank Primary School As expected 68% 67% +0.8 10% 17% 3% 91 15%
24 Royton Hall Primary School As expected 61% 60% +0.8 45% 13% 8% 130 12%below average
25 St Margaret's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School As expected 57% 58% −0.6 56% 21% 35% 129 10%below average
26 Holy Cross Ceva Primary School As expected 58% 59% −0.7 66% 19% 76% 179 10%below average
27 Greenfield Primary School As expected 61% 62% −0.9 26% 23% 3% 92 11%
28 Friezland Primary School As expected 60% 61% −1.0 23% 31% 8% 43 13%
29 St John's Church of England Primary School As expected 55% 57% −1.6 38% 35% 10% 117 6%low
30 Crompton Primary School As expected 64% 66% −1.7 34% 7% 28% 89 19%
31 Greenfield St Mary's CofE School As expected 62% 64% −1.9 20% 20% 0% 87 25%high
32 Stanley Road Primary School As expected 59% 61% −2.1 51% 25% 80% 178 15%above average
33 Greenacres Primary Academy As expected 61% 63% −2.2 33% 20% 33% 93 4%
34 Burnley Brow Community School As expected 69% 72% −2.5 35% 3% 98% 178 16%above average
35 St Luke's CofE Primary School As expected 45% 48% −2.6 69% 45% 21% 85 30%
36 East Crompton St James CofE Primary School As expected 57% 60% −3.1 52% 7% 10% 91 27%
37 Thorp Primary School Below 53% 59% −5.9 47% 17% 10% 86 7%
38 Werneth Primary School Below 59% 65% −6.0 40% 16% 68% 179 11%below average
39 Christ Church CofE Primary School Below 60% 66% −6.3 20% 10% 0% 35 37%
40 St Chad's Church of England Primary School Below 61% 67% −6.3 16% 11% 4% 122 21%high
41 South Failsworth Community Primary School Below 58% 65% −7.1 18% 17% 0% 177 11%below average
42 Richmond Academy Below 57% 65% −7.9 47% 18% 96% 168 29%high
43 Broadfield Primary School Below 55% 63% −8.4 39% 25% 73% 139 9%low
44 Hodge Clough Primary School Below 53% 62% −8.8 40% 12% 10% 179 9%low
45 Oasis Academy Limeside Below 42% 51% −9.1 74% 26% 21% 174 25%high
46 St Thomas CofE Primary School Below 52% 62% −9.5 46% 30% 87% 183 20%
47 Beever Primary School Below 42% 52% −9.7 75% 29% 43% 85 21%
48 Freehold Community Academy Below 56% 66% −9.7 42% 17% 88% 189 8%low
49 Mather Street Primary School Below 50% 60% −10.4 45% 17% 24% 84 17%
50 St Anne's CofE (Aided) Primary School Below 53% 64% −10.8 30% 18% 25% 118 19%
51 Littlemoor Primary School Below 48% 59% −10.9 51% 26% 53% 124 14%below average
52 St Thomas Moorside CofE (VA) Primary School Well below 43% 55% −12.1 70% 10% 10% 89 26%
53 Mayfield Primary School Well below 40% 52% −12.3 56% 34% 6% 96 12%below average
54 Mills Hill Primary School Well below 53% 65% −12.4 20% 18% 14% 267 13%below average
55 Oasis Academy Clarksfield Well below 47% 59% −12.4 60% 25% 87% 178 21%high
56 East Crompton St George's CofE School Well below 47% 60% −13.0 38% 21% 10% 88 27%
57 Woodlands Primary Academy Well below 43% 56% −13.1 58% 20% 18% 124 25%high
58 Greenhill Academy Well below 49% 62% −13.2 45% 30% 93% 182 21%high
59 Higher Failsworth Primary School Well below 48% 61% −13.4 32% 22% 12% 173 14%above average
60 Northmoor Academy Well below 47% 61% −13.6 54% 23% 77% 167 21%high
61 Coppice Primary Academy Well below 51% 65% −14.4 35% 16% 57% 209 10%below average
62 St Hugh's CofE Primary School Well below 40% 56% −15.9 58% 27% 38% 84 25%
63 Alt Academy Well below 39% 56% −17.4 63% 21% 42% 130 19%above average
64 St Hilda's CofE Primary School Well below 49% 67% −17.7 32% 14% 58% 178 16%above average
65 Lyndhurst Primary and Nursery School Well below 42% 62% −19.5 48% 10% 26% 183 14%above average
66 Bare Trees Primary School Well below 42% 67% −24.6 39% 18% 94% 257 7%low
67 Horton Mill Community Primary School Well below 40% 65% −25.4 40% 17% 77% 93 14%
68 Whitegate End Primary and Nursery School Well below 36% 62% −26.4 14% 32% 0% 88 12%

Results are the average of the last three Year 6 groups, which is steadier than a single year. Pupil percentages are for the latest Year 6. Disadvantaged: eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years, or looked after by the council. SEN: special educational needs (SEN support or an EHC plan). EAL: English as an additional language.

How this works

We looked at every comparable state primary and junior school in England (14,315 schools) to see how SATs results usually change with the make-up of a year group. On average:

  • For every 10 more disadvantaged pupils in every 100, the share meeting the expected standard is about 2.4 percentage points lower.
  • For every 10 more pupils with SEN in every 100, it's about 2.4 percentage points lower.
  • For every 10 more pupils with English as an additional language in every 100, it's about 0.7 percentage points higher. Pupils learning English often catch up quickly.

From those, each school gets an expected result for its own pupils, which we compare with its actual result. Primary year groups are small – in a class of 30, one child moves the percentage by more than 3 points – so we use the three-year average and allow for each school's own pupil numbers: a small school needs a bigger gap before we call it above or below what you'd expect.

What we found: schools where teachers stay

We put every primary and junior school's result-against-expected next to its teacher turnover – the share of its teachers who moved to another school or left state schools each year, averaged over three years (DfE school workforce census). Across 8,274 schools in England, split into four equal groups by turnover:

Teacher turnoverTypical turnoverResults vs expectedDid better than expected
Lowest turnover 7% a year +1.8 pts 40%
Lower-middle 12% a year +1.2 pts 37%
Upper-middle 17% a year +0.7 pts 36%
Highest turnover 26% a year −1.2 pts 32%

The pattern is the same as for secondary schools but weaker, and most of the difference is in the quarter of schools where teachers leave most often (−1.2 percentage points, against +1.8 for the lowest-turnover quarter). Primary staffs are small and SATs results move around from year to year, which blurs the picture.

A link isn't proof that one causes the other: losing teachers may hold results back, and a school that's struggling for other reasons (leadership, for example) may also lose more teachers. Nationally, turnover is fairly steady from year to year and teachers who move are replaced – but between schools it varies a lot, from under one teacher in ten a year to more than one in five. The green rings on the chart mark the lowest-turnover quarter.

What it can't tell you

  • These three things explain only about 18% of the differences between schools. Much of what makes a school stronger or weaker, and much about its pupils, isn't captured by any published figure.
  • Even averaged over three years, small schools' results move around a lot, so treat close calls as roughly equal.
  • It isn't an excuse for lower results. It shows how a school does compared with schools teaching similar pupils, so you can compare more fairly.
  • We deliberately don't adjust for attendance or exclusions: those are partly down to the school itself.

Source: Department for Education, Key Stage 2 performance data (2024/25). Calculated by The School Companion.