St Philip Howard Catholic Primary School

About St Philip Howard Catholic Primary School

St Philip Howard Catholic Primary School in Welwyn Hatfield is clearly a popular choice among local families, with 81 applications for just 46 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.76. Of those 81 applicants, 42 put the school as their first preference, and all 42 were offered a place. While the school does not publish a parent recommendation percentage, the high demand suggests a strong reputation. The school is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary for mixed genders aged 3 to 11, with a nursery provision on site. Headteacher Mairead Waugh leads a school that is almost at full capacity, with 462 pupils against a capacity of 469. Just over a fifth of pupils (22.8%) are eligible for free school meals, which is slightly above the national average for primary schools.

In its most recent graded inspection in 2014, Ofsted rated the school Good overall, with Good ratings for leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness. An ungraded inspection in June 2024 confirmed the school remains Good. Academically, the school's Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 year show 61% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is just below the local authority average of 64%. In reading, 69% reached the expected standard and 34% achieved a higher score; in maths, 79% hit the expected standard and 20% reached the higher threshold. The average scaled scores were 106 in reading and 104 in maths. Nationally, the school ranks in the 55th percentile among all primary schools, and within Welwyn Hatfield it sits 22nd out of 34 schools, placing it in the bottom half of the local authority.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, art studios, sports hall, ICT suite, chapel, and outdoor playing fields. Sports provision covers swimming, netball, dance, football, rounders, gymnastics and athletics, and there are clubs such as coding, film club, chess, art club and book club. SEND support is well-documented, with provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, multi-sensory impairment, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties. For families seeking a Catholic primary with a strong sense of community and a broad extracurricular offer, St Philip Howard is a realistic option, though it is oversubscribed. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Countess Anne Church of England School, just one kilometre away, which may be worth considering for families who prioritise a top Ofsted grade.

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