St Finian's Catholic Primary School

St Finian's Catholic Primary School is performing securely overall. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school is judged strong for inclusion and personal development and wellbeing, while achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, and leadership and governance are at expected standard. Pupils are happy, safe and proud of their school, behave well, attend regularly, and benefit from a broad curriculum and rich enrichment offer. The strongest features are the highly effective SEND and inclusion provision, which identifies barriers quickly and provides well-matched support, and the carefully crafted personal development programme, which develops pupils' character, safety awareness and understanding of difference. Reading and phonics are improving, attendance is above national averages, and leaders and governors know the school well and support staff effectively. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, typically achieve broadly in line with national expectations. There are still areas to refine. Writing outcomes have been below national averages over the latest three-year period, and leaders should continue embedding strategies to strengthen transcription and writing across the curriculum. The school's high ambition for curriculum and teaching also needs to be consistently embedded so that task design reliably deepens pupils' learning over time. St Finian's is a smaller-than-average Roman Catholic primary with low free school meal eligibility, broadly average SEND levels, and one unregistered alternative provision; it remains well placed to build on its strengths.

Strengths

• Highly effective inclusion and SEND provision with early identification and well-matched support.
• A strong personal development programme that prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Pupils behave well and attendance, including for pupils with SEND, is above national averages.
• A broad, well-sequenced curriculum with secure subject knowledge and effective staff training.
• Phonics teaching has been strengthened and pupils typically learn to read well.
• Early years provision is ambitious and caring, with strong language, oracy and reading support.
• Leaders and governors understand the school well and make decisions in pupils' best interests.
• Pupils benefit from extensive enrichment, clubs, sporting opportunities and leadership roles.
• The pupil premium strategy is carefully aligned to disadvantaged pupils' needs and impact is monitored.
• Pastoral support and emotional regulation strategies meet pupils' needs effectively.
• Pupils feel safe, are proud of their school and have warm relationships with staff.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture of safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• Writing achievement has been below national averages over the latest three-year period.
• Transcription skills for clear and accurate writing across the curriculum need further strengthening.
• The school's high ambition for curriculum and teaching is not yet consistently embedded.
• Task design and adaptations do not always enable pupils to deepen their learning over time.
• Leaders should continue to embed strategies for developing writing skills to improve achievement.

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 Finian's Catholic Primary School attended 96.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.2% 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, 1.0% of pupils at St Finian'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 Finian's Catholic Primary School had 23.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.5% 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, 12.3% of pupils at St Finian's Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.9% 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 Finian's Catholic Primary School received £6,384 and spent £6,306 for each of its 204 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £54,000 (-£267 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 Thatcham · West Berkshire local authority: places and applications

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

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

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

St Finian's Catholic Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

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

St Finian's Catholic Primary School has 204 pupils on roll.

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

St Finian's Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Finian's Catholic Primary School?

St Finian's Catholic Primary School is at The Ridge, Cold Ash, Thatcham, Berkshire, RG18 9HU.