St Theresa's Catholic Primary School

About St Theresa's Catholic Primary School

St Theresa's Catholic Primary School is a small state primary in the London borough of Barnet, where it sits comfortably among the top performers in the local authority. Out of 80 primary schools in Barnet, it ranks 6th, placing it in the top 5% of schools in the area. Its ranking score of 87 puts it in the company of the borough's strongest peers, including Courtland School, St Andrew's CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School in Totteridge, and Ashmole Primary School. The school is oversubscribed, receiving 49 applications for just 9 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, with 8 of those offers going to first-preference families. That works out at more than five applicants per place, a clear sign of its popularity among local parents. Headteacher Barbara Costa leads a school with a Roman Catholic character, and the most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024 confirmed it remains Good, a rating it has held consistently since at least 2015.

Academically, St Theresa's performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 87% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Barnet average of 73%. The school also excels at the higher standard, with 17% of pupils achieving that level across all three subjects. In reading, 43% of pupils reached the higher standard, and in writing it was 17%, while in maths 33% hit that mark. Average scaled scores were 108 in both reading and maths, comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. Progress scores are not available in the data, but the school's strong attainment suggests pupils are performing well relative to their starting points. The school's Ofsted breakdown from its most recent graded inspection in 2019 rated leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness all as Good, with no outstanding judgements recorded.

The school offers a practical range of facilities including a sensory room, forest school area, ICT suite, outdoor playground, dining hall and a chapel. Sports provision covers gymnastics, tennis, rounders and cross country, while clubs include book club, gardening and science club. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists specific provisions for dyslexia, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication difficulties, and autistic spectrum disorder. With a capacity of 262 but only 158 pupils on roll, the school is not at full capacity, though the high oversubscription ratio suggests demand is strong for the places available. It also offers nursery provision for younger children. This is a faith-based school that suits families who value strong academic outcomes in a small, oversubscribed setting, and who are comfortable with a Roman Catholic ethos. The nearest outstanding-rated school is Chalgrove Primary School, 1.3 km away.

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