St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School

St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School is a close, supportive community where pupils feel safe, happy and valued. Pupils behave exceptionally well, attendance is exemplary, and their personal development is a standout feature: they are mature, self-regulating, active citizens who understand and live out values of tolerance and fairness. By the end of Year 6, pupils achieve well and are ready for secondary school. The curriculum is ambitious and logically organised, including for pupils with SEND, who are identified swiftly and supported expertly. Reading is a clear strength overall, especially for older pupils, and pupils love the library and reading. However, some curriculum content is not delivered effectively, and in a small number of subjects, including early reading, teaching is not monitored rigorously enough and staff do not always receive sufficiently sharp feedback. This means some younger pupils do not learn letter sounds as accurately or swiftly as they could, and some pupils' understanding does not develop as fully as it should. This was a graded inspection under the current framework, so no overall effectiveness grade was awarded. The school was previously judged to require improvement, and leaders have since made significant changes for the better. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, governors provide a solid balance of support and challenge, and staff welfare is well supported across the school community.

Strengths

• Strong close-knit community and family ethos where pupils feel safe and valued
• Exceptional behaviour and attitudes, with respect as the norm and consistent routines
• Outstanding personal development, including active citizenship and charitable work
• Pupils achieve well by the end of Year 6 and are ready for secondary school
• Ambitious curriculum with precisely identified and logically organised knowledge
• Pupils with SEND are swiftly identified and expertly supported
• Pupils love reading, and older pupils achieve significantly above national averages
• Attendance is exemplary, with pupils eager to attend school
• Leaders are passionate and have made significant improvements since the previous inspection
• Governors are well informed and provide effective support and challenge
• Staff welfare is effectively supported, and safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, including early reading, teaching is not monitored consistently enough
• Some teachers do not receive sufficiently rigorous feedback to improve their teaching
• Some curriculum content is not delivered effectively, so some pupils do not develop their understanding fully
• Some early reading teaching of letter sounds does not meet the school's expectations
• Some younger pupils could learn letter sounds more accurately and swiftly than they do

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 Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.2% 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, 0.4% of pupils at St Thomas Aquinas 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 Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School had 20.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 32.1% 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, 14.9% of pupils at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.0% 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 Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School received £7,318 and spent £7,255 for each of its 200 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £356,000 (£1,781 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 Milton Keynes · Milton Keynes local authority: places and applications

What is St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School have?

St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School has 201 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School cover?

St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are St Thomas Aquinas 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 Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School?

St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School is at St Mary's Avenue, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK3 5DT.