School Chooser

Our Lady's Catholic Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic303 pupilsWellingboroughNorth Northamptonshire
School Chooser Score
3
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 2 to 6
Out of 100. Better than 2% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedRequires improvementLast Ofsted inspection, January 2024
Reached the expected level at 1147%England 63%
Attendance93.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families27%About the same as most schools in England
Places117 spare303 pupils, 420 places
Pupils on roll303Census January 2026

Our Lady's Catholic Primary School is a sponsored academy in Wellingborough for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 303 pupils and room for 420. About 27 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 3 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 2% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2024.

Henshaw Road, Wellingborough, NN8 2BE01933 224900ourladyscatholic.northants.sch.ukMiss Elise Gribble headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 31 January 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Requires improvement overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Requires improvement
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Requires improvement
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Requires improvement
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1147%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score101.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 50%50%20172018: 62%62%20182019: 53%53%20192023: 54%54%20232024: 56%56%20242025: 47%47%2025
Since 2017: -3%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232019†2018†2017†North NorthamptonshireEngland
Pupils tested605956586058
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths47%56%54%53%62%50%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%2%9%5%2%3%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0103.0102.0101.0104.0102.0104.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score101.0102.0102.0104.0102.0102.0103.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0102.0103.0104.0106.0104.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard62%66%63%60%80%59%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard55%66%70%76%72%71%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)70%68%68%71%80%64%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.4-2.1-1.2-3.5
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.2-0.4-2.3-3.7
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged21%27%18%18%25%58%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged59%63%62%62%71%48%

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's Catholic Primary School, Wellingborough, the school this one replaced in January 2021. 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. 2 of the 4 gaps are 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
21%59%
Gap 38 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
46%48%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
62%47%
Gap 15 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 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 places333 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
79% full

87 places were empty (21% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 14% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

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 North Northamptonshire 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 roll303Census January 2026
Places42072% full
Pupils from low-income families27%27% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English41%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support15%45 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%15 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.511 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)25%£114,700 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls159 / 144
White British pupils27%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.3 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 27.3 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (20), Moderate learning difficulty (12), language and communications needs (11), Autistic spectrum disorder (8), Physical disability (5), Multi-sensory impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll303324356378382398
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals27%26%24%21%19%18%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language41%41%40%41%40%37%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support10%9%12%11%11%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%2%2%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school19.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils17.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.7%7.4%7.5%6.7%4.3%4.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.0%5.3%5.3%4.9%3.3%3.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.7%2.2%2.2%1.8%1.0%1.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence19.8%20.1%20.9%23.0%12.8%9.8%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate17.025.611.41.30.5
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions01010

† These attendance figures are for Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Wellingborough, the school this one replaced in January 2021. 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.

Teachers5.3full-time equivalent, 6 people
Pupils per teacherPupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants9.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,479
Teachers who left in the year67%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.02024/25

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£6,361England £7,128. Total £2.1m
Income per pupil£6,756England £7,587. Total £2.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,920England £3,405
Money in reserve-2%In the red: -£49k, -£151 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£128kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,361spent 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 m18312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate273 per 1,000 people201% higher than the England average
Typical house price£265,000North Northamptonshire
Nearest bus stop40 mOur Lady's Junior School, 21 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
Croyland Primary SchoolCouncil520 m414Good 202115Compare
St Barnabas Church of England SchoolAcademy940 m170Good 202332Compare
Ruskin Infant SchoolAcademy980 m250Good 202319Compare
Warwick AcademyAcademy980 m258Good 202328Compare
Ruskin AcademyAcademy980 m255Good 202390Compare
Freemans Endowed Church of England Junior AcademyAcademy0.6 miles239No overall grade 202460Compare
Olympic PrimaryAcademy0.8 miles400Good 202389Compare
The Avenue Infant SchoolCouncil1.1 miles165Good 202333Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Our Lady's Catholic Primary School with the 50 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 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats2%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 3 is 42 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 45 · highest 100100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Our Lady's 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
St Andrew's Ceva Primary SchoolChurch of England4.7 miles281Good 201945Compare
The Arbours Primary AcademyAcademy6.1 miles333Outstanding 202399Compare
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolAcademy7.4 miles257No overall grade 202573Compare
Kettering Park Junior AcademyAcademy7.8 miles347Good 202445Compare
St Andrew's Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy7.8 miles348Good 202356Compare
Rockingham Primary SchoolAcademy14.1 miles367Good 202224Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 3 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 3% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 2 to 6. 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%below
-0.16
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 60 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well below
-0.57
Ofsted grade, 2.6 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.10
DfE progress measure; 60 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.09
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.09
2024/25; 324 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.14
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 60 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's Catholic Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Our Lady's Catholic Primary School scores 3 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 2% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 2 to 6, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Our Lady's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Our Lady's Catholic Primary School requires improvement at its last full inspection on 31 January 2024.

How good are Our Lady's Catholic Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 47% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Our Lady's Catholic Primary School have?

303 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 420 places, so it is 72% full.

Is Our Lady's Catholic Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 87 places were empty in 2024/25 (21% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Our Lady's Catholic Primary School?

Pupils were in school 93.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 20% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Our Lady's Catholic Primary School?

The average class had 27.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
Henshaw Road, Wellingborough, NN8 2BE
Telephone
01933 224900
Website
www.ourladyscatholic.northants.sch.uk
Headteacher
Miss Elise Gribble
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Northampton
Multi-academy trust
Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Academies Trust Ltd (12 schools)
Local authority
North Northamptonshire
Ward
Brickhill & Queensway
Constituency
Wellingborough and Rushden
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 2021 (new provision)
URN
148339 · LAESTAB 9402246 · UKPRN 10087283
Formerly
Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Wellingborough

Where these figures come from