English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School

English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School is a small, inclusive primary in Wapping that has undergone significant change since its last inspection, including the appointment of a new executive headteacher in September 2025. Inspectors found the school performing well overall, with every inspected area meeting the expected standard and safeguarding requirements met. Leaders have driven rapid improvements, particularly in attendance, behaviour and the quality of education, and pupils are safe, happy and well cared for. The curriculum is broad and well sequenced, early years provision is strong, and inclusion is central to the school's work. Pupils achieve in line with national expectations, with the highest attainers achieving significantly above national averages, and pupils with SEND make secure progress. Attendance has improved rapidly and is now close to national figures, while behaviour is calm and positive. Leadership and governance are effective, staff are well supported, and personal development is well planned. Leaders' next steps focus on sustaining these improvements, making teaching strategies more consistently effective—especially checking understanding and deepening learning—and ensuring the personal development programme is better matched to pupils' contexts and fully analysed. Although disadvantaged pupils achieve in line with their peers nationally, the school recognises further work is needed to fully narrow the disadvantage gap.

Strengths

• Pupils are safe, happy and well cared for in a calm, respectful school community.
• Attendance has improved rapidly and is now close to national figures, with disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND attending better than peers nationally.
• Behaviour is calm and positive, with clear routines, effective rewards and reduced suspension rates.
• The curriculum is broad and well sequenced, building knowledge logically from Nursery to Year 6.
• High-quality phonics and writing teaching helps pupils develop fluency and a love of reading.
• Pupils' attainment is in line with national expectations, with the highest attainers significantly above national averages.
• Pupils with SEND make secure progress and receive well-matched support, including tailored one-to-one teaching.
• Early years provision is strong, with children achieving a good level of development above national expectations.
• Inclusion is central, and disadvantaged pupils and those known to social care receive effective support.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with clear vision, swift action and strong support for staff wellbeing.
• Personal development is well sequenced and rooted in the school's Catholic ethos, with wide clubs, trips and pupil voice.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and pupils confident to report concerns.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching does not always check pupils' misconceptions or extend vocabulary before moving on.
• Improvements across the school need to be sustained over time.
• Personal development analysis does not yet fully inform planning, participation and context-matching for all pupils.
• Further work is needed to fully narrow the disadvantage gap in combined reading, writing and mathematics and in some individual subjects.

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 English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School attended 91.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 24.5% 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, 0.6% of pupils at English Martyrs Roman 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 English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School had 17.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.0% 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, 22.0% of pupils at English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.7% 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 English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School received £9,684 and spent £9,443 for each of its 174 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £356,000 (-£2,052 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

All schools in Tower Hamlets · Tower Hamlets local authority: places and applications

What is English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School have?

English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School has 177 pupils on roll.

What age range does English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School cover?

English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School?

English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School is at St Mark Street, Wapping, London, E1 8DJ.