St Filumena's Catholic Primary School

St Filumena’s Catholic Primary School is a highly effective school where pupils achieve exceptionally well and are exceptionally well behaved. Inspectors found an ambitious curriculum, skilled teaching, and strong systems for identifying and supporting pupils with SEND, with children in the early years getting off to a strong start, especially in reading. Pupils develop a love of learning, read fluently, and become confident mathematicians and communicators. The school’s strengths are underpinned by clear leadership, a supportive culture, and effective partnership with The Painsley Catholic Academy trust. Pupils feel safe, attendance is very high, and personal development is rich, with opportunities for leadership, music, sport, and learning about other cultures and faiths. Parents are positive about communication and care. This was the school’s first inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005, and it was judged outstanding in all key areas. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and no areas for improvement were identified in the report.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve exceptionally well across the curriculum.
• Behaviour is exceptional and classrooms are calm, uninterrupted learning environments.
• Pupils with SEND are identified early and achieve highly.
• Children in the early years learn to read from their first days in school.
• Pupils develop a love of reading and many read fluently by Year 3.
• Pupils become fluent mathematicians and solve increasingly complex problems.
• Attendance rates are very high.
• Pupils feel safe and form warm relationships with staff and each other.
• Pupils take pride in leadership roles and develop confidence.
• Leaders provide a clear vision and strong support for staff, with effective subject leadership.
• Parents are pleased with communication and the care their children receive.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

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 Filumena's Catholic Primary School attended 97.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 0.6% 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 St Filumena'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 Filumena's Catholic Primary School had 19.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.6% 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, 8.0% of pupils at St Filumena's Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.5% 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 Filumena's Catholic Primary School received £6,127 and spent £6,041 for each of its 179 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £105,000 (£586 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

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

• St Augustine's Catholic Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• St Gregory's Catholic Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• St Thomas More Catholic Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• Painsley Catholic College Stoke-On-Trent
• St Maria Goretti Catholic Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• St Giles' Catholic Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Our Lady's Catholic Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• St Thomas' Catholic Primary School Stoke-On-Trent
• Our Lady and St Benedict Catholic Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• St George and St Martin's Catholic Academy Stoke-On-Trent

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

The latest Ofsted rating for St Filumena's Catholic Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in November 2024.

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

St Filumena's Catholic Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

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

St Filumena's Catholic Primary School has 187 pupils on roll.

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

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

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

In 2025, 96% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Filumena's Catholic Primary School?

St Filumena's Catholic Primary School is at Caverswall, Blythe Bridge, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST11 9EA.