St Vincent's Catholic Primary School

St Vincent’s Catholic Primary School is a small, inclusive Catholic primary in Mottingham, part of the St Oscar Romero Catholic Academy Trust since September 2025. This full section 5 inspection found safeguarding standards met and a school performing well overall. Pupils achieve very well from their starting points, with outcomes above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics, including for disadvantaged pupils, and pupils with SEND are supported to access the curriculum and make strong progress. The school’s strongest work is in achievement, inclusion and personal development. Leaders know pupils and families extremely well, support is tailored effectively, and pupils with SEND or other vulnerabilities participate fully in school life. Pupils behave calmly, feel safe, and benefit from a well-sequenced personal development programme and a broad range of enrichment and leadership opportunities. Leadership is reflective, staff feel supported, and the trust provides helpful monitoring and collaboration. The main priorities are to embed consistently effective teaching across all subjects and classes, particularly in deepening thinking and checking understanding in wider curriculum subjects, and to strengthen early years staff interactions so children’s language and thinking are extended more consistently. Attendance is broadly national but has been variable for some disadvantaged pupils and is not yet as high as it should be. Leaders have identified these areas for further development.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve very well from their starting points, with attainment above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The school’s focus on foundational knowledge, especially reading and mathematics, helps pupils build knowledge effectively over time.
• Pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and those known to children’s social care are supported effectively and make highly positive progress.
• Leaders have established a highly inclusive culture and know pupils and families extremely well.
• Support for pupils is carefully tailored, with well-trained staff promoting independence and access to the same curriculum as peers.
• Personal development is well-sequenced and responsive, covering relationships, wellbeing, diversity, citizenship and life in modern Britain.
• Pupils take on leadership roles and contribute to the school community, including reading ambassadors and lunchtime reading sessions.
• Pupils behave calmly and respectfully, bullying is rare, and pupils trust staff to resolve concerns.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced, with systematic phonics and secure early reading.
• Leadership is reflective and accurate, and the transition into the multi-academy trust has been managed effectively with helpful trust support.
• Governance provides effective strategic challenge and support, and staff feel well supported.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching is not consistently effective across all subjects and classes, with missed opportunities to deepen pupils’ thinking or extend their knowledge.
• Checks on pupils’ understanding are sometimes not focused enough on ensuring pupils fully secure key concepts before moving on.
• Learning in some wider curriculum subjects is not as well sequenced as in English and mathematics.
• Early years staff interactions do not consistently extend children’s language, communication and thinking.
• Attendance for some disadvantaged pupils has been variable and is not as high as it should be.
• Leaders need to further embed consistently effective teaching and strengthen early years interactions.

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 Vincent's Catholic Primary School attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.2% 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, 0.5% of pupils at St Vincent'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 Vincent's Catholic Primary School had 24.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.0% 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, 13.3% of pupils at St Vincent's Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.0% 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 St Vincent's Catholic Primary School received £6,239 and spent £7,048 for each of its 209 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £86,000 (£411 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of St Oscar Romero Catholic Academy Trust, income was £8,412 and spending £8,501 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 Bromley · Bromley local authority: places and applications

St Vincent's Catholic Primary School is part of St Oscar Romero Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 16 schools. The nearest others:

• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Bromley
• St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School London
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School London
• St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School Orpington
• St James' Roman Catholic Primary School Orpington
• St Peter Chanel Catholic Primary School Sidcup
• Notre Dame Catholic Primary School London
• St Philomena's Primary School Orpington
• St Anthony's Catholic Primary School London
• Holy Innocents Catholic Primary School Orpington

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

The latest Ofsted rating for St Vincent's Catholic Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

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

St Vincent's Catholic Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

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

St Vincent's Catholic Primary School has 203 pupils on roll.

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

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

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

In 2025, 81% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Vincent's Catholic Primary School?

St Vincent's Catholic Primary School is at Harting Road, Mottingham, London, SE9 4JR.