St Paul's Catholic Primary School, Thames Ditton

About St Paul's Catholic Primary School, Thames Ditton

St Paul's Catholic Primary School in Thames Ditton holds a Good rating from Ofsted, confirmed in an ungraded inspection in January 2024 where inspectors judged that the school 'remains Good'. This is a notable shift from its previous graded inspection in 2014, when it was rated Outstanding overall. The most telling academic metric is the Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard: 88% of pupils met this benchmark in the 2023/24 academic year. That figure is well above the Surrey local authority average of 66% for primary schools, placing St Paul's 6th out of 21 schools in the Elmbridge borough and in the top 5% nationally. The school's ranking score of 88 reflects strong core performance, though it sits behind local peers such as South Farnham School and Cardinal Newman Catholic Primary School.

Digging deeper into the 2023/24 KS2 results, the school's strengths are clearest in reading, where pupils achieved an average scaled score of 111 and 56% reached the higher standard. In maths, the average score was 107, with 39% hitting the higher threshold. Writing saw 37% of pupils working at greater depth. The combined higher standard across all three subjects was 20%, a solid figure for a state primary. The school does not publish Progress 8 scores, so it is not possible to measure how much value it adds relative to pupils' starting points, but the raw attainment data is consistently strong. With 348 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, the school is not at full capacity, yet it is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, 177 families applied for 60 places, and all 53 first-preference applicants were offered a place, giving an oversubscription ratio of nearly 3:1.

The school offers a broad set of facilities including a chapel, library, music rooms, playing fields, a forest school area and a gymnasium. Sports provision covers football, netball, rounders, gymnastics, cross country, tennis and swimming, while clubs include science, book and choir groups. SEND support is in place for pupils with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, social and emotional challenges, physical disabilities and autistic spectrum disorder. As a Roman Catholic state primary, it will naturally suit families seeking a faith-based education within the Surrey system. The nearest Outstanding-rated Catholic alternative is St Alban's Catholic Primary School, 1.5 km away, but St Paul's strong academic record and high local demand make it a compelling choice for families who prioritise solid KS2 outcomes and a faith environment.

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