St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School is an academy converter in Guildford for pupils aged 2 to 11. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It has 436 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2018 of its predecessor, St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School. In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Ofsted inspection: March 2024. KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 2-11 |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Horseshoe Lane West Merrow Guildford Surrey GU1 2SX |
| Phone | 01483888388 |
| Reference Number | 147431 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 436 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 55.05%
Girls: 44.95% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 5% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 27.3% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 31.6 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 30.3 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 32.2 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35 | 25 | 60 |
| 2 | 29 | 31 | 60 |
| 3 | 32 | 33 | 65 |
| 4 | 33 | 31 | 64 |
| 5 | 35 | 29 | 64 |
| 6 | 36 | 26 | 62 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 49.1% |
| White, Other | 20.9% |
| African | 4.6% |
| White & Asian | 4.1% |
| Mixed, Other | 3.9% |
| Chinese | 3.7% |
| Unclassified | 3.7% |
| Irish | 2.1% |
| Asian, Other | 1.6% |
| Indian | 1.1% |
| White & Black (African) | 1.1% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 0.2% |
| Caribbean | 0.2% |
| Pakistani | 0.2% |
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 of Canterbury Catholic Primary School, inspected in March 2018.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | 06 Feb 2024 – no overall grade published for this inspection |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 06 Feb 2024 | School inspection |
| 07 Sep 2019 | Academy conversion letter |
| 06 Mar 2018 | Short inspection |
| Previously as St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School | |
| 11 Jul 2013 | Full inspection: |
| 07 Jan 2011 | Interim assessment |
| 06 Mar 2008 | Full inspection: |
| 08 Mar 2004 | Full inspection |
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 78% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 11% | 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 | 110 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 108 | 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 | 2.3 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Writing | -1.1 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 1.4 | 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 of Canterbury Catholic Primary School 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
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| 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 | 47 | 2 |
| Third Preference | 18 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 1 | 0 |
Previous years
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In 2024–25 St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School had 432 pupils for 420 places. That is 12 more pupils than the school has room for.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “East Guildford Primary” planning area
Surrey counted 258 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 219 in 2029–30, down 15%.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 | 420 |
| Pupils | 418 | 423 | 427 | 425 | 432 |
| Unfilled | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
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 of Canterbury Catholic Primary School attended 96.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 1.4% | 3.0% | 3.2% | 2.9% | 2.8% |
| Unauthorised absence | 0.3% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
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, 0.2% of pupils at St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 0.5 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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 of Canterbury Catholic Primary School had 24.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 11.7 | 12.2 | 11.8 | 11.0 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.7 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 1.0% | 0.0% | 12.6% | 5.7% | 14.4% | 8.1% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | – | 4.3% | 81.8% | 65.0% | 52.2% | 43.5% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | – | 0.4 | 5.5 | 3.6 | 1.1 | 1.8 | – |
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 of Canterbury 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
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| No specialist assessment of need | 18 | 0 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 10 | 2 |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 4 | 3 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 2 | 4 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 4 | 1 |
| Multi-sensory impairment | 1 | 1 |
| Down's syndrome | 0 | 1 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 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 of Canterbury Catholic Primary School received £6,413 and spent £6,474 for each of its 429 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £145,000 (£338 per pupil).
Across all 21 schools of Xavier Catholic Education Trust, income was £6,512 and spending £6,815 per pupil.
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £103,000 | £58,000 | £85,000 | £81,000 | £63,000 | £145,000 |
| per pupil | £245 | £138 | £204 | £188 | £149 | £338 |
| In-year balance | -£35,000 | £27,000 | £8,000 | -£90,000 | £8,000 | -£26,000 |
| per pupil | -£83 | £64 | £19 | -£208 | £18 | -£61 |
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 |
|
Boxgrove Primary School
Boxgrove Lane, Merrow, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 2TD |
0.21 miles |
|
Merrow Junior School
Sheeplands Avenue, Merrow, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 2SG |
0.55 miles |
|
Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School
Kingfisher Drive, Merrow, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 7EA |
0.71 miles |
|
Holy Trinity, Guildford, CofE Aided Junior School
Addison Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 3QF |
0.93 miles |
|
Pewley Down Infant School
Semaphore Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 3PT |
1.19 miles |
|
Sandfield Primary School
Stoke Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 4DT |
1.32 miles |
|
Burpham Primary School
Burpham Lane, Burpham, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 7LZ |
1.37 miles |
|
Weyfield Primary Academy
School Close, Off Woking Road, Guildford, GU1 1QJ |
1.48 miles |
|
St Nicolas' Church of England Infant School
Portsmouth Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 4YD |
1.81 miles |
|
Clandon CofE Aided Primary School
The Street, West Clandon, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 7ST |
1.9 miles |
|
Guildford Nursery School
Hazel Avenue, Guildford, GU1 1NR |
1.92 miles |
|
Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School
Dorking Road, Chilworth, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 8NP |
2.03 miles |
|
Northmead Junior School
Grange Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 9ZA |
2.1 miles |
|
Stoughton Infant School
Stoughton Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 9ZT |
2.18 miles |
|
Tillingbourne Junior School
New Road, Chilworth, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 8NB |
2.19 miles |
|
Shalford Infant School
Shalford Infant School, Station Row, Shalford, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 8BY |
2.21 miles |
|
Queen Eleanor's Church of England School
Queen Eleanor's Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7SD |
2.37 miles |
|
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
155 Aldershot Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 8YH |
2.6 miles |
|
Onslow Infant School
Powell Close, Onslow Village, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7DD |
2.69 miles |
|
Rydes Hill Preparatory School
Rydes Hill House, Guildford, GU2 8BP |
2.69 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
St Peter's Catholic School
Horseshoe Lane East, Merrow, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 2TN |
0.31 miles |
|
Tormead School
Cranley Road, Guildford, GU1 2JD |
0.58 miles |
|
George Abbot School
Woodruff Avenue, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 1XX |
0.75 miles |
|
Guildford High School
London Road, Guildford, GU1 1SJ |
0.96 miles |
|
Royal Grammar School Guildford
|
1.25 miles |
|
Castle Garden School
Pewely Hill, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 3SQ |
1.34 miles |
|
Surrey Maths School
Mary Road, Guildford, GU1 4QU |
1.62 miles |
|
Pond Meadow School
Larch Avenue, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 1DR |
1.83 miles |
|
Christ's College, Guildford
Larch Avenue, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 1JY |
1.87 miles |
|
Guildford County School
Farnham Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 4LU |
1.98 miles |
|
Kings College Guildford
Southway, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 8DU |
2.81 miles |
|
Gosden House School
Horsham Road, Bramley, Guildford, Surrey, GU5 0AH |
3.08 miles |
|
St Catherine's School
Station Road, Guildford, GU5 0DF |
3.34 miles |
|
Broadwater School
Summers Road, Farncombe, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 3BW |
3.67 miles |
|
Freemantles School
Smarts Heath Road, Mayford Green, Woking, Surrey, GU22 0AN |
3.85 miles |
|
Cranmore
Epsom Road, Leatherhead, KT24 6AT |
4.04 miles |
|
Hoe Valley School
Egley Road, Woking, Surrey, GU22 0NH |
4.06 miles |
|
Elysian, West Horsley
Hillside Farm, Shere Road, West Horsley, Elysian West Horsley, Shere Rd, Leatherhead, Surrey Kt24 6er, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT24 6ER |
4.07 miles |
|
Elysian, Shamley Green
Westland Farm, Lordshill Common, Guildford, Surrey, Surrey, GU5 0TL |
4.08 miles |
|
Unsted Park School
Munstead Heath Road, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1UW |
4.22 miles |
All schools in Guildford · Surrey local authority: places and applications
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School is part of Xavier Catholic Education Trust, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:
- St Peter's Catholic School Guildford
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Guildford
- St John the Baptist Catholic Comprehensive School, Woking Woking
- St Edmund's Catholic Primary School Godalming
- St Hugh of Lincoln Catholic Primary School Woking
- The Marist Catholic Primary School West Byfleet
- St Cuthbert Mayne Catholic Primary School Cranleigh
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Addlestone
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Dorking
- St Augustine's Catholic Primary School Camberley
What is St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2018 of its predecessor, St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School.
When was St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School was last inspected in March 2024.
How many pupils does St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School have?
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School has 436 pupils on roll.
What age range does St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School cover?
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.
What are St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School?
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School is at Horseshoe Lane West, Merrow, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 2SX.