School Chooser

Our Lady and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic233 pupilsNursery Free breakfast clubLondonLewisham
School Chooser Score
54
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 21 to 83, so it could be “above”
Out of 100. Better than 64% of the 50 schools most like it.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, October 2019
Reached the expected level at 1158%England 63%
Attendance95.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families31%A bit more than most schools
Places153 spare233 pupils, 386 places
Pupils per teacher20.4School workforce census

Our Lady and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School is a converter academy in London for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 233 pupils and room for 386. About 31 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. We give it 54 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 64% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2019.

208 Sydenham Road, London, SE26 5SE020 8778 4386olspn.lewisham.sch.ukMr Matthew Ringham headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 17 October 2019 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

This inspection is more than 6 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

26 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1158%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level12%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score104.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 79%79%20172018: 71%71%20182019: 69%69%20192023: 57%57%20232024: 66%66%20242025: 58%58%2025
Since 2017: -21%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure20252024†2023†2019†2018†2017†LewishamEngland
Pupils tested263530423843
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths58%66%57%69%71%79%69%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths12%11%3%0%16%9%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score104.0105.0105.0107.0105.0104.0106.4105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0104.0102.0106.0105.0106.0105.5104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score108.0105.0103.0109.0108.0109.0106.0105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard81%80%80%76%76%81%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard69%74%67%83%82%91%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)73%80%83%74%92%95%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.6+2.5-1.4+0.3
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.0+0.4-0.9+2.4
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged50%40%58%57%69%67%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged61%76%56%75%72%84%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

† These results are for Our Lady and St Philip Neri Roman Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in April 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 4 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
50%61%
Gap 11 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
67%38%
Gap 29 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
50%58%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%12%
Gap 12 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places205 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
49% full

215 places were empty (51% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Lewisham council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll233Census January 2026
Places38660% full
Pupils from low-income families29%31% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English30%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support13%31 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%14 pupils with a plan
Average class size25.99 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)31%£96,100 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls122 / 111
White British pupils6%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 23.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (23), emotional and mental health (7), Autistic spectrum disorder (6), Specific learning difficulty (4), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Hearing impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census20262025
Pupils on roll233243
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals29%28%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language30%29%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support12%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school11.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/24†2022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.2%4.7%5.4%5.1%4.1%4.5%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.3%3.6%4.2%3.8%2.6%3.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.0%1.2%1.2%1.3%1.5%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence11.2%12.9%14.5%14.3%13.1%8.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions0

† These attendance figures are for Our Lady and St Philip Neri Roman Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in April 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers11.0full-time equivalent, 13 people
Pupils per teacher20.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants18.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£58,550
Teachers who left in the year8%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.02024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£8,803England £7,128. Total £2.1m
Income per pupil£9,329England £7,587. Total £2.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,385England £3,405
Money in reserve3%Not much put by: £74k, £318 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£123kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£8,803spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m98812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate100 per 1,000 people9% higher than the England average
Typical house price£470,000Lewisham
Nearest bus stop30 mHighclere Street, 15 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Michael's Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy300 m197Good 202058Compare
Haseltine Primary SchoolCouncil410 m385Good 202356Compare
Adamsrill Primary SchoolCouncil490 m361Not inspected78Compare
Alexandra Junior SchoolAcademy690 m245No overall grade 202589Compare
St Bartholomews's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England0.7 miles394Good 202389Compare
Perrymount Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles202Good 202350Compare
Elfrida Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles335Good 20227Compare
Kilmorie Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles613Good 202461Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Our Lady and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School with the 45 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 45 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats64%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 54 is 10 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 6 · middle 44 · highest 100100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 45 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Our Lady and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Ashmole Primary SchoolCouncil5.0 miles223Outstanding 202379Compare
St Agnes RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic7.1 miles214Outstanding 202492Compare
St Augustine of Canterbury CofE Primary SchoolAcademy9.1 miles192Not inspected72Compare
Thomas Jones Primary SchoolCouncil9.6 miles237Outstanding 2023100Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 54 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 54% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 21 to 83. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
-0.03
2025 results; 26 pupils
Ofsted inspection11% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 6.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.01
Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 26 pupils
Direction of travel over five years0%no data
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.05
2024/25; 188 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
+0.00
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 26 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Our Lady and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Our Lady and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School scores 54 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 64% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 21 to 83, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Our Lady and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Our Lady and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School good at its last full inspection on 17 October 2019. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How good are Our Lady and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 58% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 12% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Our Lady and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School have?

233 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 386 places, so it is 60% full.

Is Our Lady and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 215 places were empty in 2024/25 (51% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Our Lady and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Our Lady and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School?

The average class had 25.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Our Lady and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
208 Sydenham Road, London, SE26 5SE
Telephone
020 8778 4386
Website
www.olspn.lewisham.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Matthew Ringham
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Archdiocese of Southwark
Multi-academy trust
St Benedict Catholic Academy Trust (10 schools)
Local authority
Lewisham
Ward
Sydenham
Constituency
Lewisham West and East Dulwich
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 April 2024 (academy converter)
URN
150552 · LAESTAB 2093588 · UKPRN 10094560
Formerly
Our Lady and St Philip Neri Roman Catholic Primary School

Where these figures come from