St Anthony's Catholic Primary School

About St Anthony's Catholic Primary School

St Anthony's Catholic Primary School in Fareham is a state primary that is noticeably popular with local families. The school has capacity for 222 pupils and currently enrols 215, so it is running close to full. The demand is clear from the admissions data for the 2025/26 intake: the school received 76 total applications for just 30 places, and 45 of those were first-preference choices, resulting in an oversubscription ratio of 2.53. That means more than two families applied for every place available. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 4.2%, which is well below the national average for primary schools and suggests a relatively affluent catchment. The school is Roman Catholic in character, and its nursery provision means children can join from age two, which may be a practical draw for working parents in the area.

Academically, St Anthony's performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 72% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Hampshire local authority average of 61%. The school also achieved strong average scaled scores of 108 in both reading and maths. At the higher standard, 44% of pupils achieved above the expected level in reading, 34% in maths, and 13% in writing. This performance places St Anthony's 8th out of 22 primary schools in Fareham and in the top 50% nationally. Ofsted last inspected the school in 2021 and confirmed it remains Good, a rating it has held consistently across its previous inspections. The early years provision, leadership and management were all judged Good in the most recent graded inspection.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a sports hall, playing fields, music rooms, art studios, a chapel and a sensory room. Sports on offer include swimming, football, gymnastics, dance, netball, tennis and cross country, while clubs extend to chess, choir, art, film, coding and drama. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech and language needs, hearing impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. Given its strong academic results, Catholic character and high demand for places, St Anthony's is likely to suit families who prioritise a faith-based primary with good outcomes and a broad extracurricular offer, though securing a place will require an early application and likely a connection to the church.

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