St Alban's Catholic Academy

St Alban’s Catholic Academy has demonstrated effective actions in maintaining the high standards established during its previous inspection, emphasizing a nurturing and collaborative environment. The school is characterized by a strong sense of community, where pupils exhibit politeness and respect towards peers and staff. In addition, the school has implemented an ambitious curriculum that prepares students well, particularly in reading and the foundational skills necessary for their further academic journey. The commitment to fostering a safe and supportive atmosphere contributes to students' enthusiasm for learning.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate high levels of engagement in their learning.
• The school environment is inclusive and nurturing.
• Effective support is provided for pupils with special educational needs.
• The phonics program is implemented effectively, resulting in confident readers.
• Parents and carers have a high regard for the school and its offerings.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils, especially those who speak English as an additional language, struggle to link previous knowledge to current learning.

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 Alban's Catholic Academy attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.1% 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, 0.9% of pupils at St Alban's Catholic Academy 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 Alban's Catholic Academy had 24.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 37.6% 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, 20.3% of pupils at St Alban's Catholic Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.3% 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 2024–25 St Alban's Catholic Academy received £6,913 and spent £6,750 for each of its 221 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £96,000 (£434 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,092 and spending £6,783 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Harlow · Essex local authority: places and applications

St Alban's Catholic Academy is part of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• St Luke's Catholic Academy Harlow
• St John Fisher Catholic Primary School Loughton

What is St Alban's Catholic Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Alban's Catholic Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was St Alban's Catholic Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St Alban's Catholic Academy was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does St Alban's Catholic Academy have?

St Alban's Catholic Academy has 227 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Alban's Catholic Academy cover?

St Alban's Catholic Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Alban's Catholic Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Alban's Catholic Academy?

St Alban's Catholic Academy is at First Avenue, Harlow, Essex, CM20 2NP.