Our Lady and St Benedict Catholic Academy

About Our Lady and St Benedict Catholic Academy

Our Lady and St Benedict Catholic Academy sits in Stoke-on-Trent as a primary school that, on its headline academic measure, outperforms the local authority average by a clear margin. The LA average for pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined sits at 60 per cent, while this school achieves 67 per cent. That seven-point gap places it 22nd out of 63 primaries in the borough, putting it comfortably in the top half of local schools. The school also ranks in the top 50 nationally for this metric. Given that over half its pupils — 55.3 per cent — are eligible for free school meals, a figure well above the national average, this result is particularly striking. It suggests that the school’s approach is working well for a cohort that often faces additional challenges, and that the gap between its pupils and the wider LA average is not just present but meaningful.

The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2023, awarded it Outstanding across every category: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is a dramatic turnaround from its previous inspection in December 2019, when it was rated Requires Improvement overall, with a grade 3 for quality of education and leadership. The improvement is reflected in the KS2 results: 90 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in reading, 83 per cent in maths, and 73 per cent in writing. At the higher standard, 27 per cent reached that level in reading and 37 per cent in maths, though only 7 per cent achieved it across all three subjects. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to compare pupil progress directly against the LA average, but the attainment figures alone show a school performing above the local norm.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 37 applications for 24 places and 22 first-preference offers made. It has a nursery provision and serves children from age three to 11. Facilities include an ICT suite, music rooms, a gymnasium, a chapel, and an outdoor playground. Sports on offer include rounders, gymnastics, cross country, dance and football, while clubs range from chess and coding to gardening, eco club, art club and drama. The school lists SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, and physical disability. This is a Catholic school that has clearly undergone a significant improvement journey, and its current data suggests it is a strong option for families in Stoke-on-Trent who want a primary that delivers above-average results despite a high-needs intake.

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