School Chooser

St Lucia's CofE Primary School & Nursery

Primary · ages 2-11MixedChurch of England126 pupilsNurseryShrewsburyShropshire
School Chooser Score
76
Above
similar schools
Likely range 31 to 95, so it could be “well above”
Out of 100. Better than 73% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, February 2024
Reached the expected level at 1183%England 63%
Attendance95.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families7%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull126 pupils, 112 places
Pupils per teacher20.6School workforce census

St Lucia's CofE Primary School & Nursery is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Shrewsbury for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 126 pupils, 14 more than it has places for. About 7 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 76 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 73% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Upton Magna, Shrewsbury, SY4 4TZ01743 709652stluciasprimary.co.ukMiss Catherine Coleman headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 27 February 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

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

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

6 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 1183%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level17%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score108.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score108.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 62%62%20172018: 54%54%20182019: 79%79%20192023: 73%73%20232024: 89%89%20242025: 83%83%2025
Since 2017: +21%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017ShropshireEngland
Pupils tested6911141313
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths83%89%73%79%54%62%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths17%0%18%14%0%23%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score108.0108.0107.0109.0106.0107.0105.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score108.0107.0104.0108.0103.0104.0103.5104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score110.0106.0107.0109.0105.0105.0104.2105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard100%100%82%100%85%85%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard100%100%82%93%77%85%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)83%89%73%79%69%69%
Reading progressReading progress score+4.7+2.7-0.5+0.9
Maths progressMaths progress score+3.3+0.7-3.3-1.8

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.

Getting a place

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

Plenty of spare places74 pupils for 112 places, 2024/25
66% full

38 places were empty (34% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 9% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 9.5 miles away in 2026. Those cut-offs are for children living outside the catchment area; every child inside it got a place. Brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups are placed first. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child in the catchment area who applied got a place. Outside the catchment, the last place went to a child living 9.5 miles away.

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary162135229.5 miles (distance, outside the catchment area)LA

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 roll126Census January 2026
Places112112% full
Pupils from low-income families6%7% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support13%16 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%6 pupils with a plan
Average class size21.06 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)7%£9,300 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls69 / 57
White British pupils92%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 17.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 21.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (8), Moderate learning difficulty (6), language and communications needs (3), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (2), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), Physical disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll12693878693103
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals6%8%9%8%9%8%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%2%2%2%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support5%9%9%12%14%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%3%2%2%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school7.0%
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
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.1%4.3%6.0%5.4%2.3%3.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.1%3.5%5.2%4.5%2.0%3.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.0%0.8%0.9%0.9%0.3%0.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence7.0%14.8%17.7%17.7%1.3%4.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.02.33.53.211.7
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers5.5full-time equivalent, 7 people
Pupils per teacher20.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£43,937
Teachers who left in the year43%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher9.22024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£8,865England £7,738. Total £754k
Income per pupil£8,699England £7,697. Total £739k
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,365England £3,480
Money in reserve0%In the red: -£755, -£9 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£14kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£8,865spent 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 m1312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate40 per 1,000 people56% lower than the England average
Typical house price£275,000Shropshire

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
Belvidere Primary SchoolCouncil2.6 miles263No overall grade 202542Compare
St Giles CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England2.7 miles306Good 202326Compare
Crowmoor Primary SchoolAcademy2.8 miles173Inadequate 20230Compare
Wilfred Owen Primary SchoolAcademy2.9 miles216No overall grade 202458Compare
Mereside Church of England Primary AcademyAcademy2.9 miles364Good 202432Compare
Harlescott Junior SchoolAcademy2.9 miles343Good 202329Compare
Sundorne Infant School and NurseryAcademy3.1 miles332Good 202121Compare
The Martin Wilson SchoolAcademy3.4 miles164Requires improvement 2023Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Lucia's CofE Primary School & Nursery with the 48 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 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats73%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 76 is 8 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 3 · middle 68 · highest 93100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 76 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 76% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 31 to 95. 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%above
+0.09
2023 results; 11 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.12
DfE progress measure; 11 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.03
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.08
2024/25; 57 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.07
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 11 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 Lucia's CofE Primary School & Nursery a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. St Lucia's CofE Primary School & Nursery scores 76 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 73% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 31 to 95, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is St Lucia's CofE Primary School & Nursery's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Lucia's CofE Primary School & Nursery good at its last full inspection on 27 February 2024.

How good are St Lucia's CofE Primary School & Nursery's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 83% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 17% 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 Lucia's CofE Primary School & Nursery have?

126 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 112 places, so it is 113% full.

Is St Lucia's CofE Primary School & Nursery oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 9.5 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at St Lucia's CofE Primary School & Nursery?

Pupils were in school 95.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 7% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Lucia's CofE Primary School & Nursery?

The average class had 21.0 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
Upton Magna, Shrewsbury, SY4 4TZ
Telephone
01743 709652
Website
www.stluciasprimary.co.uk
Headteacher
Miss Catherine Coleman
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Lichfield
Local authority
Shropshire
Ward
Tern
Constituency
Shrewsbury
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
123508 · LAESTAB 8933113 · UKPRN 10076337

Where these figures come from