St Teresa's Catholic Primary School

St Teresa's Catholic Primary School is a larger-than-average Roman Catholic primary school in Morden. This full section 5 inspection found a school performing well overall, with particular strengths in pupils' achievement, attendance and behaviour, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, achieve very well, especially in phonics, reading, writing and mathematics, and results have been above national averages over time. Attendance is high, behaviour is excellent, and pupils feel safe and well supported. Leadership is a notable strength: leaders have an accurate view of the school, support staff development and wellbeing well, and work effectively with parents and external partners. Safeguarding standards are met. Personal development and wellbeing are also strong, with a broad programme of enrichment, mental health support and leadership opportunities. The curriculum and teaching, early years, and inclusion meet expected standards. Recent curriculum work has strengthened sequencing, vocabulary and phonics, and staff generally support pupils with SEND well. However, inspectors identified two main areas for improvement: adaptations for pupils with SEND are not always applied consistently across year groups, and early years staff do not consistently maximise opportunities to develop children's transcription and early letter formation. The school is well placed to address these priorities. Leaders already recognise them and have appropriate plans in place. Overall, this is a highly effective school with strong outcomes and a calm, inclusive culture, but with some remaining inconsistencies to iron out so that all pupils, including those with SEND and children in early years, achieve as well as they can.

Strengths

• Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, achieve very well across the curriculum.
• Phonics and end of key stage 2 national test results have been consistently above national averages over time.
• Pupils read accurately and fluently and apply their knowledge across subjects to produce high-quality work.
• Attendance is high, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Leaders use effective systems and a balance of support and challenge to maintain and improve attendance.
• Pupils behave remarkably well and demonstrate excellent attitudes to learning.
• Suspensions remain consistently very low, and bullying and discrimination are rare.
• Leaders have a highly accurate view of the school's strengths and clear improvement priorities.
• Governors know the school well and provide high levels of support and challenge.
• Leaders and governors pay close attention to staff workload and wellbeing.
• Staff receive high-quality training and professional development, including early career teachers.
• Leaders build strong partnerships with parents and external organisations to support vulnerable pupils.
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is comprehensive, tailored and deeply supportive of pupils' social and cultural development.
• Pupils benefit from an extensive range of clubs, activities and educational visits, with disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND participating fully.
• Leadership roles build pupils' confidence, responsibility and sense of belonging.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and sequenced, with effective phonics teaching and a strong emphasis on vocabulary.
• Early years children benefit from warm relationships, a calm environment and effective assessment, and most are on track to achieve a good level of development.
• Inclusion is well led, with additional funding used effectively and part-time timetables managed appropriately to support return to full-time education.

Areas for Improvement

• Adaptations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are not applied consistently across year groups, which limits some pupils' deeper understanding.
• Early years staff do not consistently maximise opportunities to develop children's transcription skills, including early letter formation, so not all children are equally well prepared for writing in Year 1.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

• Benedict Academy
• Bishop Gilpin CofE Primary School
• Harris Primary Academy Merton
• Holy Trinity CofE Primary School
• Merton Park Primary School
• Park Academy
• Singlegate Primary School
• St Mark's Primary School
• Wimbledon Park Primary School

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

The latest Ofsted rating for St Teresa's Catholic Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

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

St Teresa's Catholic Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

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

St Teresa's Catholic Primary School has 485 pupils on roll.

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

St Teresa's Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Teresa's Catholic Primary School?

St Teresa's Catholic Primary School is at Montacute Road, Morden, Surrey, SM4 6RL.