English Martyrs Catholic Primary School

English Martyrs Catholic Primary School is a warm, welcoming school where pupils feel safe, happy and proud to belong. The school sets high expectations and most pupils achieve well, with strong attendance, positive attitudes and good behaviour across lessons and around the school. Pupils benefit from a broad curriculum, enriching trips, sports and leadership opportunities, and strong pastoral support, including effective provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Reading is a clear priority, phonics teaching is consistent, and children in the early years are well supported to develop language, cooperation and independence. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The curriculum is well thought out from Reception to Year 6, but there are some inconsistencies. In a small number of wider curriculum subjects, teachers' subject knowledge is less secure, and assessment is not used consistently enough to identify gaps and misconceptions. Handwriting is also an area for development: expectations are not always high enough, and some pupils do not develop accurate letter formation as quickly as they could. Leaders, trustees and the trust have a good understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development, and staff receive regular training and support. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school is part of Our Lady of the Magnificat Multi-Academy Company and has benefited from trust support in improving the curriculum.

Strengths

• Warm, welcoming school where pupils feel safe, happy and proud.
• High expectations and strong pupil achievement, with high attendance.
• Pupils are polite, respectful and behave well in lessons and around school.
• Strong pastoral support and effective identification and support for pupils with SEND.
• Reading is prioritised, with consistent phonics teaching and swift catch-up support.
• Broad enrichment through trips, visits, sports and leadership opportunities.
• Well-designed curriculum from Reception to Year 6 with clear knowledge, skills and vocabulary.
• Effective leadership and trust support, with regular staff training and positive staff morale.
• Early years provision supports language, communication, cooperative play and independence.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of wider curriculum subjects, teachers' subject knowledge is less secure, limiting pupil learning.
• Assessment information is not used consistently in a few subjects to identify gaps and misconceptions.
• Handwriting expectations are not consistently high enough, so some pupils do not develop accurate letter formation quickly.
• The new handwriting programme needs better staff support and more consistent delivery.

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 English Martyrs Catholic Primary School attended 96.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.3% 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, 1.6% of pupils at English Martyrs 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 English Martyrs Catholic Primary School had 23.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2023–24, 54.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 17.1%).

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, 14.2% of pupils at English Martyrs Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.2% 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 English Martyrs Catholic Primary School received £6,992 and spent £6,937 for each of its 190 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £129,000 (£681 per pupil).

Across all 24 schools of St Raphael the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,227 and spending £7,273 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 Rugby · Warwickshire local authority: places and applications

English Martyrs Catholic Primary School is part of St Raphael the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 29 schools. The nearest others:

• St Marie's Catholic Primary School Rugby
• Our Lady's Catholic Primary Academy Rugby
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Southam Southam
• Our Lady and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School Leamington Spa
• St Anthony's Catholic Primary Academy Leamington Spa
• St Francis Catholic Academy Bedworth
• St Peter's Catholic Primary Academy Leamington Spa
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy Leamington Spa
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary School Leamington Spa
• Trinity Catholic School Leamington Spa

What is English Martyrs Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for English Martyrs Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was English Martyrs Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

English Martyrs Catholic Primary School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does English Martyrs Catholic Primary School have?

English Martyrs Catholic Primary School has 176 pupils on roll.

What age range does English Martyrs Catholic Primary School cover?

English Martyrs Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are English Martyrs Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is English Martyrs Catholic Primary School?

English Martyrs Catholic Primary School is at High Street, Hillmorton, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV21 4EE.