The Faber Catholic Primary School

This small Catholic primary school provides a caring, family-like community where pupils feel safe, attend well and behave exceptionally well. Pupils are proud of their school, relationships with staff are strong, and personal development is a notable strength, with a wide enrichment offer, leadership roles and community involvement. Early years provision gives children a strong start, and pupils achieve well overall. The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced for mixed-age classes, reading and phonics are prioritised, and pupils with SEND are supported effectively. Leadership, governance and trust support are strong, and safeguarding is effective. However, pupils do not consistently get enough opportunities to develop mathematical reasoning and problem-solving, and in some foundation subjects written errors and misconceptions are not picked up and corrected consistently. The school is part of The Painsley Catholic Academy trust and has a headteacher appointed in September 2023. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and under the current framework it did not receive an overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Strong family-like community and caring relationships
• Pupils feel safe and attend highly
• Exemplary pupil behaviour and manners
• Ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum for mixed-age classes
• Strong early reading and phonics provision
• Effective support for pupils with SEND
• Strong early years provision with high expectations
• Extensive enrichment and pupil leadership opportunities
• Effective leadership that considers staff workload
• Dedicated governance and trust support
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Pupils develop a strong understanding of British values and staying safe

Areas for Improvement

• Limited opportunities for pupils to develop mathematical reasoning and problem-solving
• Inconsistent checking of writing accuracy in some foundation subjects
• Repeated written errors and misconceptions are not always addressed

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 The Faber Catholic Primary School attended 96.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.1% 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, 0.0% of pupils at The Faber 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 The Faber Catholic Primary School had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 8.3% of pupils at The Faber Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% 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 2024–25 The Faber Catholic Primary School received £9,136 and spent £9,416 for each of its 71 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £12,000 (£173 per pupil).

Across all 56 schools of St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,565 and spending £7,594 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 Stoke-On-Trent · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

The Faber Catholic Primary School is part of St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 64 schools. The nearest others:

• St Giles' Catholic Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Painsley Catholic College Stoke-On-Trent
• St Thomas' Catholic Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• St Filumena's Catholic Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Uttoxeter
• St Mary's Catholic Academy Leek
• St Augustine's Catholic Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• St Maria Goretti Catholic Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• St Gregory's Catholic Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Our Lady and St Benedict Catholic Academy Stoke-On-Trent

What is The Faber Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Faber Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was The Faber Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Faber Catholic Primary School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does The Faber Catholic Primary School have?

The Faber Catholic Primary School has 72 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Faber Catholic Primary School cover?

The Faber Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are The Faber Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Faber Catholic Primary School?

The Faber Catholic Primary School is at Cotton Lane, Cotton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST10 3DN.