St Aloysius' Catholic Primary School

About St Aloysius' Catholic Primary School

St Aloysius' Catholic Primary School in Oxford is a state primary for mixed pupils aged 3 to 11, with a current roll of 203 children against a capacity of 240. That leaves some physical headroom, but the school is clearly in demand: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 57 applications for just 17 places, an oversubscription ratio of 3.35 to one. All 17 first-preference applicants were offered a spot, meaning the school is popular but not impossible to get into for those who prioritise it. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 8.4%, which is notably lower than the national average for primary schools (typically around 23-24%), suggesting the intake draws from a relatively less deprived catchment. The school has a Roman Catholic religious character, which likely shapes its admissions criteria, and it offers nursery provision for the youngest children. Headteacher Hannah Tebb leads a school that, while not full to the brim, clearly commands strong local interest.

Academically, St Aloysius' most recent Ofsted inspection in 2021 rated it Good overall, with leadership and management also judged Good and early years provision rated Good. This represents a clear improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2016, when the school was rated Requires Improvement. At Key Stage 2 in 2023/24, 47% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the local authority average of 61%. The school ranks 27th out of 31 primary schools in Oxford on this measure, placing it in the bottom half of the LA table. Individual subject scores show 70% of pupils achieved the expected standard in maths (average score 104), 53% in reading (average score 101), and 57% in writing. At the higher standard, 17% of pupils reached the higher benchmark across all three subjects, with maths seeing the strongest higher performance at 27%.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a sports hall, library, music rooms, gymnasium, playing fields, ICT suite, forest school and a chapel. Sports provision covers tennis, football, cricket and swimming, while clubs include art, choir, book club and science club. SEND support is comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate and severe learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. For families who prioritise a Catholic primary with strong local demand, a clear improvement trajectory from its previous Ofsted rating, and a broad set of facilities and SEND provisions, St Aloysius' is a solid option. However, parents should weigh the below-average KS2 outcomes against the school's other strengths when making their decision.

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