St Bede's Catholic Primary School
| Type | Primary / Voluntary aided school |
| Age Range | 3-11 |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Thornton Road Clapham Park London SW12 0LF |
| Phone | 02086747292 |
| Reference Number | 100631 |
St Bede's Catholic Primary School is a new Roman Catholic primary that opened in September 2025 after the amalgamation of St Bernadette Catholic Junior School and St Bede's Catholic Infant School. Inspected in June 2026, it has no published national assessment outcomes yet because it is too new. Safeguarding standards are met, and inspectors found the school meeting expected standards across the areas evaluated. Leaders have created a welcoming, caring community and managed the merger well. Pupils feel safe, behave respectfully and attend regularly; the early years provision is strong, especially in speech, language and phonics. The curriculum is broad and well sequenced, teaching is generally effective, and pupils with SEND or EAL receive support to achieve well from their starting points. Personal development, enrichment, governance and staff support are also notable strengths. The main areas for further work are ensuring that checks on pupils' learning consistently identify gaps and readiness to move on, and that targets and adaptations for pupils with SEND are precise enough to have a strong impact. Leaders have already identified these priorities and are continuing training and support to address them.
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 143 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 41.96%
Girls: 58.04% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 44.8% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 53.8% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 15.9 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 12 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 24 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| 2 | 5 | 9 | 14 |
| 3 | 11 | 12 | 23 |
| 4 | 7 | 11 | 18 |
| 5 | 13 | 14 | 27 |
| 6 | 9 | 19 | 28 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| African | 37.1% |
| White, Other | 20.3% |
| Caribbean | 15.4% |
| Mixed, Other | 3.5% |
| White & Black (African) | 2.1% |
| White, British | 1.4% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 1.4% |
| White & Asian | 1.4% |
| Asian, Other | 1.4% |
| Pakistani | 0.7% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Expected standard |
| > Leadership & Governance | Expected standard |
| > Personal Development & Wellbeing | Expected standard |
| > Achievement | Expected standard |
| > Attendance & Behaviour | Expected standard |
| > Curriculum & Teaching | Expected standard |
| > Inclusion | Expected standard |
| > Early Years | Expected standard |
| Last Report Date | 03 Jun 2026 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 03 Jun 2026 | School inspection |
| 01 Mar 2023 | School inspection |
| 17 Oct 2017 | Short inspection |
| 02 Jul 2013 | Full inspection |
| 11 Jan 2010 | Full inspection |
| 28 Nov 2006 | Full inspection |
| 10 Jul 2000 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Welcoming, caring school community built successfully from two former schools.
- Pupils feel safe, behave well and show respect and empathy.
- Broad, well-resourced curriculum builds knowledge and skills from early years to Year 6.
- Strong early years provision, particularly in speech, language and phonics.
- Effective teaching with clear explanations and subject-specific approaches.
- Pupils with SEND and EAL receive well-targeted support to achieve well.
- Robust attendance systems and effective follow-up on absence.
- Comprehensive personal development, enrichment, clubs and trips.
- Pupils take on responsibilities and contribute to the school and wider community.
- Leaders accurately identify strengths and priorities and support staff well.
- Governance is knowledgeable, supportive and fulfils legal duties.
- Pupils achieve well from their starting points and are ready for next steps.
- Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and create an open culture of safety.
Areas for Improvement
- Occasionally, gaps in pupils' learning are not identified and addressed as routinely well, which can hinder progression to more complex concepts.
- Targets for some pupils with SEND occasionally lack precision, so adaptations are not sharply focused on their needs.
- The impact of additional support for some pupils with SEND is less secure when targets are not precise.
- Checks on pupils' learning are not yet consistently used to identify gaps in understanding and readiness for more complex ideas.
2026 Admissions
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | ||
| Second Preference | 6 | 0 |
| Third Preference | 7 | 2 |
| From another Local Authority | 3 | 2 |
Previous Years
Sample
Unlock| Name | Distance |
|
The White House Preparatory School & Woodentops Kindergarten
24 Thornton Road, London, SW12 0LF |
0.07 miles |
|
Telferscot Primary School
Telferscot Road, Balham, London, SW12 0HW |
0.15 miles |
|
Henry Cavendish Primary School
Hydethorpe Road, London, SW12 0JA |
0.31 miles |
|
Richard Atkins Primary School
New Park Road, London, SW2 4JP |
0.45 miles |
|
Maytree Nursery School
4 Allingham Road, London, SW4 8EG |
0.52 miles |
|
Glenbrook Primary School
Clarence Crescent, Clapham Park, London, SW4 8LD |
0.6 miles |
|
Christ Church, Streatham Church of England Primary School
Cotherstone Road, Streatham, London, SW2 3NF |
0.61 miles |
|
Bonneville Primary School
Bonneville Gardens, Clapham, London, SW4 9LB |
0.62 miles |
|
The Orchard School
Christchurch Road, London, SW2 3NE |
0.66 miles |
|
Alderbrook Primary School
Oldridge Road, Balham, London, SW12 8PP |
0.68 miles |
|
Holmewood Nursery School
66 Upper Tulse Hill, London, SW2 2RW |
0.7 miles |
|
Iqra Primary School
127 Park Hill, Off Clarence Avenue, Clapham, London, SW4 9PA |
0.75 miles |
|
The Livity School
Adare Walk, Streatham, London, SW16 2PW |
0.77 miles |
|
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School
Upper Tulse Hill, Lambeth, London, SW2 2RL |
0.77 miles |
|
Ravenstone Primary School
Ravenstone Street, Balham, London, SW12 9SS |
0.8 miles |
|
Balham Nursery School
72 Endlesham Road, London, SW12 8JL |
0.81 miles |
|
Trinity St Mary's CofE Primary School
6 Balham Park Road, London, SW12 8DR |
0.86 miles |
|
Eveline Day School
Swan House, 207 Balham High Road, Balham, London, SW17 7BQ |
0.88 miles |
|
Streatham Wells Primary
50 Palace Road, London, SW2 3NJ |
0.9 miles |
|
Hornsby House School
Hearnville Road, London, SW12 8RS |
0.9 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School
Atkins Road, London, SW12 0AB |
0.38 miles |
|
Harris Academy Clapham
Clarence Avenue, 33 Clarence Avenue, Clapham, London, SW4 8LD |
0.6 miles |
|
Streatham & Clapham High School GDST
|
0.65 miles |
|
Burlington House School Tooting
3 Garrads Road, Lambeth, London, SW16 1JZ |
0.74 miles |
|
St Francis Xavier Sixth Form College
Malwood Road, London, SW12 8EN |
0.8 miles |
|
London Park School Clapham
7-11 Nightingale Lane, London, SW4 9AH |
0.83 miles |
|
Elm Court School
Elm Park, London, SW2 2EF |
0.85 miles |
|
Harris Clapham Sixth Form
73 Kings Avenue, London, SW4 8DX |
0.85 miles |
|
Chestnut Grove Academy
Chestnut Grove, Balham, 45 Chestnut Grove, London, SW12 8JZ |
0.86 miles |
|
The Elms Academy
Elms Road, Clapham, London, SW4 9ET |
0.92 miles |
|
Maypole School (Leigham Court)
76 Leigham Court Road, Streatham, London, SW16 2QA |
0.93 miles |
|
City Heights E-ACT Academy
33 Abbots Park, Tulse Hill, London, SW2 3PW |
0.96 miles |
|
Oak Lodge School
101 Nightingale Lane, Balham, London, SW12 8NA |
1.03 miles |
|
South Bank Colleges
45 Clapham Common Southside, Clapham Common, London, SW4 9BL |
1.04 miles |
|
Dunraven School
94-98 Leigham Court Road, London, SW16 2QB |
1.06 miles |
|
Trinity Academy
Brixton Hill, Brixton, London, SW2 1QS |
1.08 miles |
|
South Bank University Sixth Form
56 Brixton Hill, London, SW2 1QS |
1.08 miles |
|
JUS Education
12a Danbury Mews, Wallington, Surrey, SM6 0BY |
1.13 miles |
|
The Elmgreen School
Elmcourt Road, Tulse Hill, London, SE27 9BZ |
1.43 miles |
|
Al Risalah Secondary School
145 Upper Tooting Road, London, SW17 7TJ |
1.46 miles |