St Finian's Catholic Primary School

About St Finian's Catholic Primary School

St Finian's Catholic Primary School in West Berkshire holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across both its most recent inspections. The school’s most recent graded inspection took place in 2011, with an ungraded visit in 2021 confirming it remains Good. However, the most telling academic metric comes from the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results: just 41% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That figure sits well below the West Berkshire local authority average of 57%, and places the school 50th out of 57 primary schools in the area. In the wider South East region, it ranks in the bottom 10% of schools by this measure. The picture is mixed when you look at individual subjects: 68% reached the expected level in reading and 64% in writing, but maths was lower at 59%. Only 14% of pupils achieved the higher standard in reading or maths, and none did so in writing.

The Ofsted breakdown from the 2011 graded inspection rated leadership and management, overall effectiveness, and early years provision all as Good, with early years scoring a 1 (Outstanding) in the previous 2009 inspection. The school has a small cohort of 206 pupils against a capacity of 218, and just 3.4% are eligible for free school meals, which is notably low. There is no data available on pupil progress scores for reading, writing or maths, so it is difficult to assess how much value the school adds relative to starting points. The absence of a nursery provision means children join at age four. The school’s Roman Catholic character is reflected in its on-site chapel, and the headteacher is Anna Jarratt.

For families considering St Finian’s, the practical picture is one of high demand: the school received 77 total applications for 30 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, with 42 first-preference applications and 30 offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.57. Facilities include playing fields, a library, music rooms, a sensory room and a dining hall. Sports on offer are football, dance, gymnastics and netball, and clubs include book, science and film clubs. The school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties (dyslexia), social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a small, faith-based primary school that is clearly popular locally, but the academic outcomes data suggests parents should weigh the strong community feel against the below-average KS2 results.

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