Our Lady & St Edward Primary & Nursery Catholic Voluntary Academy

About Our Lady & St Edward Primary & Nursery Catholic Voluntary Academy

Our Lady & St Edward Primary & Nursery Catholic Voluntary Academy is a popular choice among local families, with 36 first-preference applications for just 30 places in the 2025/26 admissions round. The school is officially oversubscribed, receiving 55 total applications for those 30 spots, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.83. Of the 30 places, 29 were offered to first-preference applicants, suggesting that for most families who put it top of their list, it worked out. Parent satisfaction is not formally measured here, but the demand alone signals a strong local reputation. The school is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary for mixed genders from age 3 to 11, with its own nursery provision, and is led by headteacher Rachel Byrne. It currently has 245 pupils on roll against a capacity of 268, so there is a little breathing room, though the oversubscription figures show that won't last.

Academically, the school holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2024, with all five graded categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — all rated Good. This is consistent with its previous inspection in 2012, which also rated overall effectiveness as Good. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 53% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That is below the Nottingham local authority average of 60%, placing the school 54th out of 72 primary schools in the area. Reading scores averaged 103 and maths 102, both just above the national benchmark of 100. However, only 6% of pupils reached the higher standard across all three subjects, and progress scores were not published, so it is hard to gauge how much value the school adds relative to starting points.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a Forest School, playing fields, an ICT suite, art studios, a sensory room, music rooms and a chapel. Sports provision covers swimming, cross country, netball, cricket, dance and rounders, while clubs include drama, film club, choir, eco club and gardening. SEND support is well-documented, with provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. With a quarter of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a diverse intake. It will suit Catholic families who value the faith context, but also any local family looking for a Good-rated primary with strong SEND support and a clear sense of community, even if academic outcomes are not the highest in the city.

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