St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic Voluntary Academy

About St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic Voluntary Academy

St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School in York is a state-funded voluntary academy with a Roman Catholic character, currently educating 263 pupils against a capacity of 280. That means the school is running close to full, and the demand is clear: for the 2025/26 reception intake, the school received 63 applications for just 32 places, with 30 of those offers going to first-preference families. The oversubscription ratio sits at 1.97, meaning nearly two families compete for every place. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 8.6%, which is notably lower than the national average for primary schools, suggesting a relatively affluent intake. The school is mixed-gender and takes children from age 3, with nursery provision on site. Helen Keith is the headteacher, and the school’s religious character as Roman Catholic will naturally shape its ethos and admissions criteria, though the data doesn’t specify how faith-based prioritisation works.

Academically, St Wilfrid’s performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 73% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a York local authority average of 62%. That places the school 11th out of 47 primaries in the local authority rankings, and within the top 25% nationally. The school’s overall ranking score of 73 reflects solid performance. Looking at individual subjects, 82% of pupils met the expected standard in both reading and writing, and 75% in maths. At the higher standard, 50% achieved in reading, 45% in maths, and 25% in both writing and the combined RWM measure. Average scaled scores were 109 in reading and 106 in maths. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2022 rated it Good across all five categories, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership. This is a downgrade from its previous Outstanding rating in 2009, but the school has held Good consistently since.

The school offers a range of facilities including a library, playing fields, a sensory room, art studios and a chapel. Sports provision covers cross country, rounders, gymnastics, netball, tennis, athletics and swimming, while clubs include book, science, eco and art clubs. SEND support is in place for pupils with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Given the oversubscription, families applying will need to be strategic, particularly if they are not active members of the local Catholic community. The school suits families who value a faith-based primary with strong academic outcomes, a broad extracurricular offer, and a supportive SEND framework. Its location in York places it within a competitive local market, with the nearest Outstanding-rated school, Knavesmire Primary, just over two kilometres away.

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