St Catherine Catholic Primary School

About St Catherine Catholic Primary School

St Catherine Catholic Primary School in Hillingdon is clearly a popular choice among local families. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 87 applications for just 30 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.9. Of those, 39 families put it down as their first preference, and 27 first-preference offers were made. That level of demand suggests a strong reputation among parents in the area. The school is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 3 to 11, with a nursery on site. It currently has 233 pupils, just one short of its full capacity of 234, and 19.5 per cent of children are eligible for free school meals. The headteacher is Thomas Booth, who leads a school that Ofsted rated Good overall in its most recent graded inspection in November 2023.

Academically, St Catherine performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 tests, 74 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Hillingdon average of 64 per cent. That places the school 17th out of 55 primary schools in the borough, comfortably in the top third. The school also scores well on higher attainment: 13 per cent of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. In individual subjects, 35 per cent reached the higher standard in reading, 23 per cent in maths and 17 per cent in writing. Average scaled scores were 108 in both reading and maths. Ofsted’s breakdown is particularly strong on personal development, which was rated Outstanding, while quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision all received Good grades. The previous inspection in 2014 also rated the school Good overall.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, sensory room, playing fields, gymnasium, ICT suite and a chapel. Sports on offer include cricket, football, netball, tennis and gymnastics, and there are clubs such as book club, art club, gardening, coding and chess. The school’s SEND provision covers moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. For families considering St Catherine, the high oversubscription ratio means applying as a first preference is important. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Hillingdon Primary School, 3.6 km away, so St Catherine is a strong Good option within the borough. It suits families who value a faith-based primary with strong academic outcomes, a clear focus on personal development, and a wide range of enrichment activities.

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