The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great

The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great is a larger-than-average Catholic primary in Cheltenham and is part of the Little Way Catholic Educational Trust. It has experienced significant leadership change, with a new headteacher appointed in January 2026 and a new deputy headteacher in April 2026. Inspectors found safeguarding standards met and judged the school to be fulfilling the expected standard across most areas, with personal development and wellbeing a notable strength. Pupils are happy, polite and well supported, behaviour is positive, attendance is in line with national averages, and relationships with families are strong. Pupils generally achieve well. Reading, mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling outcomes at the end of key stage 2 are above national averages, phonics and early reading are effective, and disadvantaged pupils’ reading outcomes are above national levels. The curriculum is engaging and builds knowledge over time, early years provision gives children a positive start, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils are generally well included and supported, including through the school’s EDEN Base. However, writing at the end of key stage 2 is weaker, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, and leaders have rightly made this a priority. Leadership and governance are orderly and supportive: new leaders have established a positive culture, staff feel valued, and governors and trust leaders provide support and challenge. The main area for development is that leaders do not yet have a clear enough understanding of the impact of their actions on pupils, with monitoring not clearly linked to evaluation. Work to improve the writing curriculum, including handwriting and spelling, is still in the early stages of being embedded.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met within an open and positive culture.
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is strong and well sequenced.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment and leadership opportunities.
• Pastoral support is extensive, including play therapy and counselling.
• Pupils are polite, cooperative and behave well, and bullying is rare.
• Attendance is typically in line with national averages.
• Reading, mathematics and GPS outcomes at the end of key stage 2 are above national averages.
• Phonics and early reading are effective, with books matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ reading outcomes are above national averages.
• Assessment is used effectively to identify and close learning gaps quickly.
• The curriculum builds knowledge over time and generally engages pupils.
• Teachers generally have the subject knowledge and adapt learning for pupils with SEND.
• Early years provision is warm and nurturing, and children progress well from their starting points.
• Inclusion is strong, with effective support for SEND and disadvantaged pupils, including the EDEN Base.
• Staff feel valued and speak highly of professional learning and leadership support.
• Parents are positive about the school and feel included and valued.

Areas for Improvement

• Writing at the end of key stage 2 is weaker than other subjects, especially for disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils with gaps in handwriting, spelling and punctuation need support to become accurate and fluent writers across the curriculum.
• Recent improvements to the writing curriculum are still in the early stages of being embedded.
• Leaders do not yet have a clear enough understanding of the impact of their actions on pupils.
• Monitoring activities are not clearly linked to evaluation, limiting the sustainability of improvements.

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 The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.7% 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, 2.4% of pupils at The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great 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 The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great had 22.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.3% 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, 17.0% of pupils at The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.3% 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 The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great received £6,770 and spent £6,890 for each of its 410 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £136,000 (£333 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Little Way Catholic Educational Trust, income was £6,895 and spending £7,177 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 Cheltenham · Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications

The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great is part of Little Way Catholic Educational Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• St Thomas More Catholic Primary School Cheltenham
• St Peter's Catholic Primary School Gloucester
• The Rosary Catholic Primary School Stroud
• St Catharine's Catholic Primary School Chipping Campden
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Stonehouse

What is The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great last inspected by Ofsted?

The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great have?

The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great has 412 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great cover?

The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 48% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great?

The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great is at St James Square, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 3QG.