Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School has achieved a 'Good' rating in its recent inspection, demonstrating notable strengths across various domains such as education quality, behavior, personal development, and leadership. The school has ambitious leaders who are focused on ensuring all pupils, especially those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs, reach their full potential. While pupil outcomes were below the national average in 2022, the current scenario appears more promising with leaders implementing effective measures to address past challenges, including high rates of pupil mobility.

Strengths

• Strong leadership with ambitious goals for all pupils.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
• Good behavior and positive attitudes among pupils.
• Vibrant early years provision with well-structured learning.
• Consistent delivery of phonics and a love of reading promoted.
• Strong curricular connections enabling deeper learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in checking pupil knowledge across some subjects.
• Lack of curriculum monitoring by subject leaders in certain areas.

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 Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.9% 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, 1.9% of pupils at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary 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 Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy had 19.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.8% 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, 11.0% of pupils at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.1% 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 Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy received £7,854 and spent £8,065 for each of its 156 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £68,000 (£434 per pupil).

Across all 35 schools of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,555 and spending £7,362 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 Sleaford · Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is part of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 35 schools. The nearest others:

• Saint Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy Grantham
• St Peter and St Paul, Catholic Voluntary Academy Lincoln
• St Hugh's Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy Lincoln
• Saint Mary's RC Primary Academy Boston Boston
• Holy Trinity Catholic Voluntary Academy Newark
• Our Lady of Lincoln Catholic Primary School A Voluntary Academy Lincoln
• St Norbert's Catholic Voluntary Academy Spalding
• St Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy Stamford
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary and Nursery School Newark
• The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy Nottingham

What is Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy have?

Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy has 146 pupils on roll.

What age range does Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy cover?

Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?

Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is at The Drove, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 7AT.