St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School

St Scholastica’s Catholic Primary School is a good school across its key judgements, although, under the current inspection framework, it did not receive an overall effectiveness grade. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it took place after new executive headteacher and head of school appointments in September 2024. The school is a Roman Catholic voluntary-aided primary in Hackney, and provision for two-year-olds opened in January 2025. Pupils are happy, safe and well behaved, and relationships across the school are kind and caring. The school is ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND, and the curriculum is carefully sequenced from early years to Year 6. Reading is a priority, with effective phonics teaching, and pupils benefit from a strong focus on vocabulary and language. Parents, staff and pupils value the strong sense of community, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main area for improvement is assessment in some subjects. Teachers do not always check learning precisely enough, so misconceptions can persist and gaps in pupils’ knowledge can emerge. Leaders, governors and staff work well together, and staff feel supported, but the school needs to ensure that all staff identify and address learning gaps swiftly.

Strengths

• Strong sense of community valued by parents, pupils and staff
• Kind, caring and respectful relationships throughout the school
• Pupils feel safe, enjoy school and behave well
• Calm and orderly routines with effective support for pupils’ emotions
• Ambitious curriculum carefully sequenced from early years to Year 6
• Strong focus on extending pupils’ vocabulary and language skills
• Reading is a priority, with effective phonics teaching and well-matched books
• Pupils with SEND receive well-coordinated support from staff and outside professionals
• Effective support helps pupils catch up when they struggle in subjects
• Pupils benefit from enrichment activities, leadership roles and local partnerships
• Governors understand their role and staff feel well supported
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, teachers do not check learning precisely enough, so misconceptions persist and gaps in pupils’ knowledge emerge
• The school is at an early stage of evaluating the strategies it has put in place to improve attendance

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School attended 92.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.1% of pupils at St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School had 19.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 25.4% of pupils at St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School received £10,772 and spent £11,330 for each of its 199 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £81,000 (£408 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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What is St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School have?

St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School has 209 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School cover?

St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School?

St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School is at KENNINGHALL ROAD, CLAPTON, LONDON, E5 8BS.