St Saviour's Catholic Primary School

About St Saviour's Catholic Primary School

St Saviour's Catholic Primary School sits well below the Isle of Wight average for Key Stage 2 outcomes, with just 40% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of 52%. That twelve-point gap places the school 29th out of 36 primary schools on the island, in the bottom 20% locally and the bottom 10% nationally. The picture is mixed when you look at individual subjects: 55% met the expected standard in reading and 50% in maths, but writing lagged at 45%, and no pupil at all achieved the higher standard in writing or in the combined measure. Maths and reading both saw a small number reach the higher bar — 15% and 20% respectively — but these figures are modest. The school's average scaled scores of 101 in maths and 100 in reading are exactly in line with the national average of 100, suggesting that while most children are not falling catastrophically behind, the proportion exceeding expectations is very low.

The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2024, rated overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement, a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2015. However, the breakdown shows that several areas remain strong: behaviour and attitudes, personal development, early years provision, and leadership and management were all judged Good. The weaker area is quality of education, which was graded Requires Improvement. This suggests the school has solid foundations in pastoral care and leadership but is struggling to translate that into consistently strong academic outcomes. With 29.9% of pupils eligible for free school meals — well above the national average — the school serves a relatively disadvantaged community, which may partly explain the attainment gap. The headteacher, Maggie Sanderson, has been in post since at least the inspection, and the leadership team was rated Good, so there is capacity for improvement.

St Saviour's is a small Roman Catholic primary school with 117 pupils against a capacity of 140, and it is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 19 applications for 10 places, with all 10 first-preference families offered a spot. That oversubscription ratio of 1.9 suggests strong local demand despite the academic rating. Facilities include a chapel, forest school, music rooms, art studios, a sports hall and playing fields, with clubs ranging from choir and eco club to chess and science club. The school supports children with specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. For families who prioritise a faith-based environment and strong pastoral care over headline exam results, St Saviour's offers a nurturing community — but parents should be aware that academic outcomes are currently below the local average and the school is working through an improvement plan.

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