St Margaret Clitherow Roman Catholic Primary School

About St Margaret Clitherow Roman Catholic Primary School

Parents considering St Margaret Clitherow Roman Catholic Primary School will find strong signals of local satisfaction. In the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 75 applications for just 30 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.5 to one. Of those, 37 families put it as their first preference, and all 30 first-preference applicants were offered a place. That level of demand suggests a school that local families actively choose. The school is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary for mixed genders, serving children aged 3 to 11, and currently has 233 pupils on roll against a capacity of 236. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 7.6 per cent, below the national average, which may reflect the demographic of the surrounding area. Headteacher Carmela Puccio leads the school, which also offers nursery provision for younger children.

Academically, St Margaret Clitherow performs well above the local authority average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Hertfordshire average of 64 per cent. This places the school second out of 19 primary schools in Stevenage, and within the top 25 per cent nationally. Pupils also achieved strong scores in individual subjects: an average reading score of 109 and maths score of 108, with 53 per cent reaching the higher standard in reading and 43 per cent in maths. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2024, rated it Good overall, with Outstanding marks for personal development and for behaviour and attitudes. Leadership and management, quality of education, and early years provision were all judged Good. This represents a change from its previous inspection in 2013, when it was rated Outstanding across the board.

The school offers a solid range of facilities, including a library, sports hall, ICT suite, music rooms, chapel, playing fields and an outdoor playground. Sports on offer include cross country, cricket, athletics, dance and tennis, while clubs cover coding, drama and gardening. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder, social and emotional mental health needs, and other difficulties or disabilities. The school is oversubscribed, so families applying from outside the Catholic faith or catchment area should be aware of the admissions criteria. Given its strong academic outcomes and high local demand, this is a school that will particularly suit families who prioritise a faith-based primary with proven results and a supportive community feel.

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