Best primary schools in Salford (2026)

Salford has 24 ranked primary schools with published results. The top-ranked is St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School, in the top 4% in England. The average reading, writing & maths here in 2025 was 56%, against 62% for England. 2 are in England's top 10%, and 2 are rated Outstanding by Ofsted.

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Rank	School	Reading, writing & maths (2023–2025 average)	Reading, writing & maths 2025	Higher standard	Ofsted
1 Top 4% in England	St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School Salford · Roman Catholic	86%	83%	15%	Outstanding
2 Top 7% in England	St Philip's RC Primary School Salford · Roman Catholic	80%	77%	17%	Outstanding
3 Top 21% in England	Brentnall Academy Salford	75%	75%	7%	Inadequate
4 Top 47% in England	Primrose Hill Primary School and Children's Centre Salford	66%	74%	5%	Good
5 Bottom 47% in England	St Paul's CofE Primary School Salford · Church of England	63%	70%	7%	Report card
6 Bottom 43% in England	Light Oaks Junior School Salford	60%	57%	7%	Not judged
7 Bottom 39% in England	St Sebastian's RC Primary School Salford · Roman Catholic	57%	52%	3%	No rating
8 Bottom 37% in England	St Paul's CofE Primary School Salford · Church of England	59%	61%	6%	Good
9 Bottom 36% in England	Holy Family VA RC Primary School Salford · Catholic	55%	52%	14%	Not judged
10 Bottom 33% in England	St John's CofE Primary School Salford · Church of England	57%	64%	5%	No rating
11 Bottom 33% in England	St Luke's RC Primary School Salford · Roman Catholic	54%	51%	5%	Report card
12 Bottom 30% in England	Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox Primary School Salford · Jewish	55%	72%	12%	No rating
13 Bottom 27% in England	River View Community Primary School Salford	53%	48%	7%	No rating
14 Bottom 26% in England	Lower Kersal Community Primary School Salford	56%	53%	0%	No rating
15 Bottom 25% in England	Willow Tree Primary School Salford	53%	62%	3%	Not judged
16 Bottom 16% in England	The Friars Primary School Salford	48%	48%	8%	Good
17 Bottom 15% in England	Marlborough Road Academy Salford	49%	45%	2%	Good
18 Bottom 14% in England	Summerville Primary School Salford	49%	45%	0%	No rating
19 Bottom 14% in England	St Boniface RC Primary School Salford · Roman Catholic	49%	67%	3%	Not judged
20 Bottom 13% in England	Lark Hill Community Primary School Salford	47%	55%	1%	Report card
21 Bottom 9% in England	The Cathedral School of St Peter and St John RC Primary Salford · Roman Catholic	45%	10%	0%	Good
22 Bottom 6% in England	St George's CofE Primary School Salford · Church of England	39%	31%	10%	Good
23 Bottom 3% in England	St Joseph's RC Primary School Salford · Roman Catholic	36%	30%	0%	Report card
24 Bottom 2% in England	St Philip's CofE Primary School Salford · Church of England	34%	50%	4%	Good

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Questions

What is the best primary school in Salford?

On exam results over the last three years, St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School is the top-ranked primary school in Salford, in the top 4% of schools in England.

How are the schools ranked?

By published Department for Education exam results averaged over three years: for secondary schools, Attainment 8 plus a quarter of the share getting grade 5+ in English and maths; for primary schools, the share reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths plus half the share reaching the higher standard. The order uses the three-year average, so a school can rank above one with a higher single-year result. Schools with fewer than 10 pupils taking the tests are not ranked. Exam results are only part of the picture: visit, read the Ofsted report and check admissions rules, as living nearby does not guarantee a place.