School Chooser

St Benedict's Catholic Primary Academy

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic187 pupilsAtherstoneWarwickshire
School Chooser Score
67
Above
similar schools
Likely range 40 to 85, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 92% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, June 2023
Reached the expected level at 1174%England 63%
Attendance93.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families33%A bit more than most schools
Places23 spare187 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher18.5School workforce census

St Benedict's Catholic Primary Academy is a converter academy in Atherstone for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 187 pupils and room for 210. About 33 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. We give it 67 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 92% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Church Walk, Atherstone, CV9 1PS01827 712320stbenedictsonline.co.ukMrs Paula Parker headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 14 June 2023 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.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

19 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 1174%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level11%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score109.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score109.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 68%68%20172018: 74%74%20182019: 77%77%20192023: 70%70%20232024: 82%82%20242025: 74%74%2025
Since 2017: +6%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017WarwickshireEngland
Pupils tested192227302728
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths74%82%70%77%74%68%62%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths11%14%4%10%15%4%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score109.0112.0104.0106.0106.0105.0106.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score109.0109.0104.0106.0106.0103.0104.5104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score110.0112.0106.0106.0107.0106.0105.4105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard100%91%74%77%81%75%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard84%86%74%83%85%71%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)84%82%74%80%85%89%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.2+0.3+0.1-1.7
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.8+0.7+0.9-3.4
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged50%67%56%67%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged91%88%78%79%

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.

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. None of the 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%91%
Gap 41 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
82%63%
Gap 19 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%11%
Gap 11 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.

A few spare places179 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
85% full

About 31 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 5% 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 Warwickshire 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 roll187Census January 2026
Places21089% full
Pupils from low-income families33%33% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English10%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support13%24 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%8 pupils with a plan
Average class size26.86 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)28%£80,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls99 / 88
White British pupils68%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 26.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 27.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (13), Moderate learning difficulty (9), Specific learning difficulty (5), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), emotional and mental health (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll187182181187184165
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals33%28%29%29%25%18%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language10%9%9%13%15%17%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support12%12%10%10%18%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%3%2%3%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school17.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils1.12024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.9%8.2%10.4%9.5%5.3%4.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.0%5.3%8.0%9.1%4.7%3.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.9%3.0%2.5%0.3%0.6%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence17.9%24.9%31.0%31.6%13.0%8.0%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate1.14.42.11.10.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers10.1full-time equivalent, 12 people
Pupils per teacher18.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers92%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£45,818
Teachers who left in the year14%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher15.52024/25

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£7,071England £7,128. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£7,352England £7,587. Total £1.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,758England £3,405
Money in reserve6%Not much put by: £78k, £427 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£51kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,071spent 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 m23512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate101 per 1,000 people11% higher than the England average
Typical house price£265,000North Warwickshire
Nearest bus stop100 mChurch Walk, 18 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
Outwoods Primary SchoolCouncil600 m394Good 202324Compare
Witherley Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England850 m100Good 202244Compare
Racemeadow Primary AcademyAcademy0.6 miles360Good 202349Compare
Michael Drayton Junior SchoolAcademy2.1 miles578Not inspectedCompare
Nursery Hill Primary SchoolCouncil2.2 miles171Good 20238Compare
Nathaniel Newton Infant SchoolCouncil2.3 miles251Good 202415Compare
Woodside CofE Primary SchoolAcademy2.7 miles248Good 202430Compare
Sheepy Magna Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England2.8 miles95No overall grade 202549Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Benedict's Catholic Primary Academy with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats92%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 67 is 40 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 27 · highest 78100

No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 67 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 67% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 40 to 85. 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, 2024 and 2023 results; 19 pupils
Ofsted inspection20% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.2 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.06
DfE progress measure; 19 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well above
+0.13
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.09
2024/25; 162 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.18
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 19 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 St Benedict's Catholic Primary Academy a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. St Benedict's Catholic Primary Academy scores 67 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 92% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 40 to 85, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is St Benedict's Catholic Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Benedict's Catholic Primary Academy good at its last full inspection on 14 June 2023.

How good are St Benedict's Catholic Primary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 74% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 11% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does St Benedict's Catholic Primary Academy have?

187 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 89% full.

Is St Benedict's Catholic Primary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 31 places were empty in 2024/25 (15% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St Benedict's Catholic Primary Academy?

Pupils were in school 93.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 18% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Benedict's Catholic Primary Academy?

The average class had 26.8 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
Church Walk, Atherstone, CV9 1PS
Telephone
01827 712320
Website
www.stbenedictsonline.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Paula Parker
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Archdiocese of Birmingham
Multi-academy trust
St Raphael the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust (29 schools)
Local authority
Warwickshire
Ward
Atherstone South and Mancetter
Constituency
North Warwickshire and Bedworth
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 March 2015 (academy converter)
URN
141812 · LAESTAB 9373501 · UKPRN 10048892
Formerly
St Benedict's Catholic Primary School

Where these figures come from