St Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy

St Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy is a warm, welcoming primary school where pupils feel safe and well cared for. Since its previous inspection, the school has improved and staff have refined a broad, ambitious curriculum. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils, are well supported, and children in the early years get an excellent start. Reading is a clear priority, with consistent phonics teaching and strong support for pupils who fall behind. Pupils behave well, personal development is strong, and the multi-academy trust and local governing body provide effective support and challenge. The main areas for improvement are the consistency with which teachers check pupils' understanding and adapt activities to address misconceptions or provide greater challenge, and attendance, especially among disadvantaged pupils. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was a graded inspection, so no overall effectiveness grade was given.

Strengths

• Warm and welcoming school where pupils feel safe and well cared for
• High expectations and individualised support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND
• Pupils with SEND flourish alongside their peers
• Outstanding early years provision with meticulous planning matched to children's needs
• Strong personal development through school virtues, leadership roles, assemblies and enrichment
• Well-sequenced, broad and ambitious curriculum with clear subject knowledge
• Reading is a priority, with consistent phonics teaching and effective catch-up support
• Pupils are polite, courteous and behave well in lessons and around school
• Attendance has improved and absent pupils receive support
• Trust and local governing body know the school well and provide strong support and challenge
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not always check pupils' understanding carefully enough
• Learning activities are not always adapted to correct misconceptions or provide greater challenge
• Too many disadvantaged pupils are frequently absent and do not benefit fully from the curriculum

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 Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy attended 92.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 25.9% 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, 4.3% of pupils at St Augustine's Catholic 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 St Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy had 21.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.6% 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, 22.3% of pupils at St Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 14.6% 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 Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy received £10,454 and spent £12,075 for each of its 116 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £50,000 (£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 Stamford · Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

St Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy is part of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 35 schools. The nearest others:

• St Norbert's Catholic Voluntary Academy Spalding
• Saint Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy Grantham
• Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Sleaford
• Saint Mary's RC Primary Academy Boston Boston
• Holy Trinity Catholic Voluntary Academy Newark
• St Edmund Campion Catholic Primary School Nottingham
• The Sacred Heart Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy Nottingham
• Blessed Robert Widmerpool Catholic Primary and Nursery School Nottingham
• The Becket School West Bridgford
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary and Nursery School Nottingham

What is St Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

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

St Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does St Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy have?

St Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy has 103 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy cover?

St Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy?

St Augustine's Catholic Voluntary Academy is at Kesteven Road, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1SR.