St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy is an academy converter in Ilkeston for pupils aged 4 to 11. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It has 225 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2018 of its predecessor, St Thomas Catholic Primary. In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Ofsted inspection: March 2023. KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 4-11 |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Church View Ilkeston Derbyshire DE7 4LF |
| Phone | 01159320550 |
| Reference Number | 146145 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 225 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 48%
Girls: 52% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 22.7% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 7.6% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 32.1 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 30 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 33.8 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | 14 | 25 |
| 2 | 9 | 21 | 30 |
| 3 | 17 | 17 | 34 |
| 4 | 14 | 18 | 32 |
| 5 | 20 | 14 | 34 |
| 6 | 22 | 13 | 35 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 79.6% |
| African | 5.8% |
| White & Asian | 3.6% |
| White, Other | 2.7% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 1.8% |
| Indian | 1.8% |
| Mixed, Other | 1.3% |
| Irish | 0.9% |
| Chinese | 0.4% |
| Unclassified | 0.4% |
| White & Black (African) | 0.4% |
| Asian, Other | 0.4% |
This school has not been graded since it changed URN, usually on converting to an academy. The rating shown is from its predecessor, St Thomas Catholic Primary, inspected in January 2018.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | 14 Feb 2023 – no overall grade published for this inspection |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 14 Feb 2023 | School inspection |
| 12 Sep 2018 | Academy conversion letter |
| 16 Jan 2018 | Short inspection |
| Previously as St Thomas Catholic Primary | |
| 22 May 2013 | Full inspection: |
| 02 Nov 2011 | Curriculum and development visit |
| 10 Nov 2009 | Full inspection: |
| 14 Mar 2007 | Full inspection: |
| 20 Jan 2003 | Full inspection |
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 70% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 3% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 106 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 106 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | -1.5 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Writing | -1.6 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 0.7 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
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See how St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 19 | 0 |
| Third Preference | 10 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 3 | 2 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy had 217 pupils for 245 places. 28 places (11.4%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “Kirk Hallam Primary” planning area
Derbyshire counted 152 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 166 in 2029–30, up 9%.
| 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 245 | 245 | 245 | 245 | 245 | 245 |
| Pupils | 244 | 243 | 237 | 233 | 227 | 217 |
| Unfilled | 0.4% | 0.8% | 3.3% | 4.9% | 7.3% | 11.4% |
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 Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy attended 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 2.6% | 2.2% | 5.5% | 4.4% | 3.9% | 3.2% |
| Unauthorised absence | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.0% | 0.5% | 1.4% | 0.0% | 1.5% | 0.5% |
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, 0.9% of pupils at St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 1.2 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 1.9 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
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 Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy had 26.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 14.4 | 14.1 | 20.5 | 13.8 | 12.5 | 13.9 | 12.2 | 12.7 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 0.0% | 11.5% | 0.0% | 17.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 58.3% | – | 66.7% | 91.7% | 45.5% | 58.3% | 54.5% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 7.3 | – | 9.3 | 8.8 | 8.4 | 4.1 | 6.1 | – |
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, 8.9% of pupils at St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Speech, language and communication needs | 10 | 1 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 3 | 4 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 4 | 0 |
| No specialist assessment of need | 2 | 0 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 0 | 2 |
| Hearing impairment | 1 | 0 |
| Other difficulty or disability | 0 | 1 |
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 Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy received £6,768 and spent £7,033 for each of its 216 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £250,000 (-£1,156 per pupil).
Across all 25 schools of St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,472 and spending £7,889 per pupil.
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £19,000 | £14,000 | £27,000 | -£51,000 | -£112,000 | -£169,000 | -£250,000 |
| per pupil | £77 | £59 | £113 | -£213 | -£478 | -£737 | -£1,156 |
| In-year balance | -£22,000 | -£39,000 | -£106,000 | -£6,000 | -£74,000 | -£76,000 | -£57,000 |
| per pupil | -£89 | -£160 | -£434 | -£25 | -£318 | -£331 | -£265 |
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.
| Name | Distance |
|
Field House Infant School
Lower Whitworth Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 4LT |
0.31 miles |
|
Kensington Junior Academy
St John's Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 5PA |
0.51 miles |
|
Hallam Fields Junior School
Longfield Lane, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 4DB |
0.55 miles |
|
Chaucer Infant School
Cantelupe Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 5LN |
0.56 miles |
|
Ladywood Primary School
Oliver Road, Kirk Hallam, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 4NH |
0.58 miles |
|
Chaucer Junior School
Cranmer Street, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 5JH |
0.68 miles |
|
Larklands Infant School
Park Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 5DR |
0.68 miles |
|
Dallimore Primary & Nursery School
Dallimore Road, Kirk Hallam, Dallimore Primary School, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 4GZ |
0.82 miles |
|
Charlotte Nursery and Infant School
Trinity Close, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 8LQ |
1.2 miles |
|
Granby Junior School
Heanor Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 8DX |
1.24 miles |
|
Trowell CofE Primary School
Derbyshire Avenue, Trowell, Nottingham, Notts, Nottinghamshire, NG9 3QD |
1.62 miles |
|
Cotmanhay Junior School
Beauvale Drive, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 8RR |
1.9 miles |
|
Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery School
Beauvale Drive, Cotmanhay, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 8RR |
1.9 miles |
|
Awsworth Primary and Nursery School
The Lane, Awsworth, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG16 2QS |
2.06 miles |
|
Scargill CofE Primary School
Beech Lane, West Hallam, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 6GU |
2.13 miles |
|
Mapperley CofE Controlled Primary School
Mapperley Village, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 6BT |
2.16 miles |
|
Albany Infant and Nursery School
Grenville Drive, Stapleford, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG9 8PD |
2.56 miles |
|
Albany Junior School
Pasture Road, Stapleford, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG9 8HR |
2.62 miles |
|
Cloudside Academy
Stanton Road, Sandiacre, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG10 5DE |
2.65 miles |
|
St Andrew's CofE Primary School
Station Road, Stanley, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 6FB |
2.79 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Kirk Hallam Community Academy
Godfrey Drive, Kirk Hallam, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 4HH |
0.45 miles |
|
Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy
King George Avenue, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 5HS |
0.51 miles |
|
Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy
Abbot Road, Kirk Hallam, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 4HX |
0.73 miles |
|
Blue Mountain Education
Willow Farm, Off Newton Lane, Ilkeston, Cossall, Nottinghamshire, NG16 2SD |
1.49 miles |
|
Bennerley Fields School
Stratford Street, Cotmanhay, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 8QZ |
1.78 miles |
|
Hemlock Stone School
Campus, 3 Isaac Lane, Stapleford, NG9 8GA |
2.81 miles |
|
Friesland School
Nursery Avenue, Sandiacre, Nottinghamshire, NG10 5AF |
2.99 miles |
|
Bramcote College
Moor Lane, Bramcote, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG9 3GA |
3.08 miles |
|
Foxwood Academy
Derby Road, Bramcote, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG9 3GF |
3.18 miles |
|
Nottingham University Samworth Academy
Bramhall Road, Bilborough, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG8 4HY |
3.19 miles |
|
Bilborough College
Bilborough Road, Bilborough, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG8 4DQ |
3.22 miles |
|
The Kimberley School
Newdigate Street, Kimberley, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG16 2NJ |
3.41 miles |
|
Fernwood School
Goodwood Road, Wollaton, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG8 2FT |
3.48 miles |
|
George Spencer Academy
Arthur Mee Road, Stapleford, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG9 7EW |
3.57 miles |
|
Jasmine House School
Jasmine House School, 34 Ilkeston Road, Heanor, Derbyshire, DE75 7DT |
3.65 miles |
|
Willowfield Academy
Chingford Road, Bilborough, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG8 3BT |
3.72 miles |
|
Hall Park Academy
Mansfield Road, Eastwood, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG16 3EA |
3.8 miles |
|
Progression 2 Work
Old Beauvale School, Beauvale, Newthorpe, Nottinghamshire, NG16 2EZ |
3.85 miles |
|
Alderman White School
Chilwell Lane, Bramcote, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG9 3DU |
3.9 miles |
|
Heanor Gate Spencer Academy
Kirkley Drive, Heanor, Derbyshire, DE75 7RA |
4.03 miles |
All schools in Ilkeston · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy is part of St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which runs 25 schools. The nearest others:
- Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy Ilkeston
- The Priory Catholic Voluntary Academy Nottingham
- English Martyrs' Catholic Voluntary Academy Nottingham
- St Alban's Catholic Voluntary Academy Derby
- St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy Derby
- Saint Benedict, A Catholic Voluntary Academy Derby
- St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy Derby
- St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy Derby
- St Elizabeth's Catholic Voluntary Academy Belper
- St George's Catholic Voluntary Academy Derby
What is St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2018 of its predecessor, St Thomas Catholic Primary.
When was St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy was last inspected in March 2023.
How many pupils does St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy have?
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy has 225 pupils on roll.
What age range does St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy cover?
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.
What are St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy?
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy is at Church View, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 4LF.