St Stephen's Catholic Primary School

About St Stephen's Catholic Primary School

St Stephen's Catholic Primary School sits in the London Borough of Bexley, where it ranks third out of 55 primary schools in the local authority. That puts it comfortably inside the top five per cent of primaries in the borough, rubbing shoulders with other high-performing Catholic schools: St Thomas More Catholic Primary School and St John Fisher Catholic Primary School are the two schools above it in the local rankings, while Haberdashers' Slade Green Primary sits just below. The school is one of only 11 primaries in Bexley to hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted, a grade it earned in its most recent graded inspection in 2015 and has maintained through an ungraded inspection in 2021, when inspectors confirmed the school remains Outstanding. Its nearest Outstanding neighbour is Leigh Stationers' Primary Academy, about 1.5 kilometres away. With a capacity of 420 and 418 pupils on roll, the school is effectively full, and its Roman Catholic character gives it a distinct identity within the local primary landscape.

Academically, St Stephen's delivers strong results at Key Stage 2. In the 2023/24 assessments, 92 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well above the Bexley local authority average of 67 per cent. The school's performance in individual subjects is similarly impressive: 93 per cent met the expected standard in reading, 95 per cent in maths, and 97 per cent in writing. At the higher standard, 27 per cent of pupils achieved the combined benchmark, while 50 per cent reached the higher standard in reading, 70 per cent in maths, and 45 per cent in writing. Average scaled scores sit at 110 for reading and 111 for maths. Nationally, the school ranks 214th out of 13,686 primaries, placing it in the top two per cent of schools across the country. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points, but the raw attainment figures are clearly strong.

The school offers a range of facilities including a chapel, music rooms, a forest school area, a gymnasium, playing fields and an ICT suite. Sports provision covers netball, football, cross country and cricket, and there are clubs such as book club, choir and chess. For pupils with additional needs, the school lists support for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder. Admissions for the 2025/26 intake show the school is oversubscribed: 143 applications were received for 60 places, with 54 offers going to first-preference applicants out of 58 who put the school first, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.38. This is a school that suits families who value strong academic outcomes within a Catholic faith context and who are prepared to compete for a place. The lack of nursery provision means entry is at Reception, and there is no sixth form, so secondary transfer will need to be planned from Year 6.

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