Our Lady Catholic Primary School

About Our Lady Catholic Primary School

Parents considering Our Lady Catholic Primary School will find a school that local families clearly want to get into. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 94 applications for just 30 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.13. Of those applicants, 35 put it as their first preference, and all 30 places went to first-preference families. That level of demand suggests a strong reputation among local parents, though the school doesn't publish a parent-view recommendation percentage in its data. The school is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary for mixed genders aged 4 to 11, with a nursery provision attached. Headteacher Richard Curry leads a school of 208 pupils, which is slightly below its capacity of 243, so there is some room for growth. The school sits in Welwyn Hatfield, within the Hertfordshire local authority.

Academically, Our Lady Catholic Primary holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2021, with notable strengths in personal development and behaviour and attitudes, both judged Outstanding. The early years provision and quality of education were both rated Good. This marks a clear improvement from the school's previous inspection in 2017, when overall effectiveness was Requires Improvement. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 63% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is just below the Hertfordshire local authority average of 64%. However, the school's average scaled scores in reading (106) and maths (107) are solid, and 17% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. In the local Welwyn Hatfield ranking, the school sits 21st out of 34 primary schools, placing it in the middle of the pack.

The school offers a practical range of facilities including a Forest School, library, playing fields, art studios, sports hall, outdoor playground and a chapel. Sports provision covers cross country, dance, athletics, swimming and netball, while clubs include coding, chess, book club, film club and choir. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties. This is a faith-based school that will particularly suit Catholic families who value the religious character, but its oversubscription figures show it appeals to a broader local audience too. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Countess Anne Church of England School, 3.1 km away, which may be worth a look for comparison.

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