St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School is a small Catholic primary academy in Newport, Shropshire, part of Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Academy Trust. This full section 5 inspection found the school performing at a strong standard overall, with safeguarding met. Inspectors found pupils achieve very well, particularly in reading and mathematics, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Attendance is high, behaviour is calm and respectful, and personal development is a significant strength, with a wide range of enrichment and community activities. Leadership and governance are highly effective, and inclusion is a notable strength, with early identification of needs and precise support. The early years provision has recently expanded to include nursery and is judged at expected standard. The main area for development is children's early handwriting: some children need more support to develop an efficient pencil grip and to form letters and digits correctly. Leaders are already making suitable changes. The report notes no other significant concerns, and the school's purposeful curriculum, strong teaching and caring culture prepare pupils well for secondary school and life beyond.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve very well, with excellent progress and high attainment in reading and mathematics.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND achieve highly.
• Writing achievement compares favourably with national averages and improves over time.
• Pupils develop sophisticated knowledge across the wider curriculum, including geography, computing and Spanish.
• Reading and literacy are prioritised through systematic phonics, staff training and effective practice routines.
• Attendance is high, and leaders work successfully with families to overcome absence barriers.
• Pupils behave in an orderly, thoughtful and respectful way and support one another.
• Bullying is rare, and pupils are confident that staff deal with any incidents promptly.
• The curriculum is well organised, sequential and ambitious, with high expectations across subjects.
• Teaching is strong, with secure subject knowledge and enthusiastic delivery.
• Inclusion is highly effective, with early identification of SEND and precise support.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils known to social care are supported thoughtfully to overcome barriers.
• Leadership and governance are highly effective, with values-driven leadership and strong trust routines.
• Staff feel well supported, value training and report high job satisfaction.
• Personal development is comprehensive and prepares pupils very well for life beyond school.
• Pupils take part in a wide range of enrichment, trips and community activities.
• Pastoral support helps pupils manage feelings and understand themselves and others.
• Early years staff build warm relationships and focus deliberately on language and reading.
• Older pupils take on responsibilities and support younger pupils, reflecting a caring culture.
• Outdoor learning and use of neighbouring parkland enrich pupils' experiences.

Areas for Improvement

• Early years handwriting is not yet secure, with some children needing better support for pencil grip and correct formation of letters and digits.

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 Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy attended 96.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.6% 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, 0.0% of pupils at St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy 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 Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy had 26.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.2% 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, 10.2% of pupils at St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.7% 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Newport (Telford And Wrekin) · Telford and Wrekin local authority: places and applications

St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is part of Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• St Luke's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy. Telford
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary School Telford
• Shrewsbury Cathedral Catholic Primary School and Nursery Shrewsbury
• St John's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Bridgnorth
• Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School Congleton
• St. Mary's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Middlewich
• Our Lady and St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Oswestry
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Winsford
• Christ The King Catholic and Church of England Primary School Macclesfield
• All Hallows Catholic College Macclesfield

What is St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy have?

St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy has 177 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy cover?

St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

Where is St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?

St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is at Coppice Drive, Newport, Shropshire, TF10 7HU.