The St Teresa Catholic Primary School

About The St Teresa Catholic Primary School

The St Teresa Catholic Primary School is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary in Barking and Dagenham, and it stands out as one of the strongest performers in the borough. Among 39 primary schools in the local authority, it ranks third, placing it in the top 10 per cent locally. Its closest academic peers at the top of the table are Rush Green Primary School, St Margarets CofE Primary School, and Riverside Primary School. The school is also the third-highest ranked primary in the LA overall, with only four schools in the entire borough rated Outstanding by Ofsted. St Teresa itself holds a Good rating from its most recent inspection in 2024, though its previous inspection in 2014 awarded it Outstanding. The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 30 places in the 2025/26 intake, it received 76 applications, all but one of which were first-preference choices, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.53 to one.

Academically, St Teresa delivers strong results at Key Stage 2. In the 2023/24 assessments, 84 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, well above the Barking and Dagenham average of 65 per cent. The school also excels at the higher standard: 28 per cent of pupils achieved that level across all three subjects. In reading, 48 per cent reached the higher standard, while in maths it was 40 per cent, and in writing 32 per cent. Average scaled scores in both reading and maths were 108, comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. The school’s Ofsted report highlights outstanding personal development and behaviour and attitudes, with leadership and management and the quality of education both rated Good. Parents are overwhelmingly positive: 95 per cent would recommend the school, and 98 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy there.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a chapel, library, sports hall, gymnasium, music rooms, and a sensory room, plus a forest school and playing fields. Clubs include drama, gardening, art, coding, eco club, and science club, while sports on offer are swimming, football, athletics, rounders, and cricket. The school has a nursery provision for children aged three and over, and its SEND support covers social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 224 pupils on a capacity of 230, the school is nearly full, and 11.9 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals. St Teresa is a good fit for Catholic families in Barking and Dagenham who prioritise strong academic outcomes and a school with a clear moral framework, though its popularity means securing a place is competitive.

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