Our Lady of Victories Catholic School

About Our Lady of Victories Catholic School

Parents considering Our Lady of Victories Catholic School will find a school that is clearly popular with local families. In the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 76 applications for just 28 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.71. Of those applicants, 37 put the school as their first preference, and all 28 places went to first-preference families. That level of demand suggests a strong reputation among parents in the area. The school is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary for children aged 3 to 11, with a nursery on site. It currently has 245 pupils on roll, slightly above its official capacity of 237, which reinforces the sense of a school that is well-regarded and full. Headteacher John Devlin leads a mixed-gender school where 15.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, a figure that is broadly in line with the national average for primary schools.

Academically, the picture is more mixed. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, the school was rated Good overall, with Good marks for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is a significant improvement from its previous inspection in 2022, when it was rated Inadequate overall, with leadership and management also marked Inadequate. At Key Stage 2 in 2023/24, pupils achieved an average reading score of 104 and an average maths score of 102. However, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 0%, and the school ranks bottom in Bradford for this metric. The local authority average for expected standard in all three subjects is 59%, so this is a notable gap. That said, 63% of pupils met the expected standard in maths individually, and 60% did so in reading, which suggests the combined figure is being pulled down by writing.

The school offers a solid range of facilities, including a chapel, sports hall, playing fields, music rooms, art studios and an ICT suite. Clubs include drama, film club, science club, book club, choir and eco club, while sports on offer are netball, cricket, football and rounders. The school has identified SEND provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, and physical disability. For families who value a Catholic ethos and a school that is clearly in demand locally, Our Lady of Victories is worth a look, though the KS2 combined results are a clear concern. If strong academic outcomes at age 11 are your priority, the nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Merlin Top Primary Academy, just 0.4 km away.

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