School Chooser

St Matthew's School, Westminster

Primary · ages 3-11MixedChurch of England99 pupilsNurseryLondonWestminster
School Chooser Score
22
Below
similar schools
Likely range 9 to 49, so it could be “well below”
Out of 100. Better than 35% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, July 2023
Reached the expected level at 1158%England 63%
Attendance92.5%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families32%A bit more than most schools
Places111 spare99 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher10.7School workforce census

St Matthew's School, Westminster is a Church of England school (voluntary aided) in London for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 99 pupils and room for 210. About 32 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. We give it 22 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 35% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

18 Old Pye Street, Westminster, London, SW1P 2DG020 7504 0500stmwschool.org.ukMs Sarah Green headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 12 July 2023, 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

12 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 1158%
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 score105.0
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: 64%64%20172018: 66%66%20182019: 70%70%20192023: 74%74%20232024: 44%44%20242025: 58%58%2025
Since 2017: -6%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017WestminsterEngland
Pupils tested122719272925
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths58%44%74%70%66%64%74%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%11%16%15%21%4%13%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0103.0106.0104.0104.0104.0107.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score101.0102.0103.0103.0103.0104.0107.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0104.0106.0108.0109.0109.0108.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard75%63%84%74%72%72%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard58%63%74%74%72%80%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)67%78%74%81%86%84%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.0-0.7-0.2+0.2
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.5-2.2-1.0-0.3
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged25%50%67%46%50%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged60%91%75%81%77%

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 11Boys vs girls
83%33%
Gap 50 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 Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places121 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
58% full

89 places were empty (42% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 15% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

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 who applied got a place.

EntryApplied at allHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary19all offeredLA

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 roll99Census January 2026
Places21047% full
Pupils from low-income families30%32% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English40%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support8%8 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan9%9 pupils with a plan
Average class size20.52 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)33%£49,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls51 / 48
White British pupils14%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (7), Autistic spectrum disorder (6), emotional and mental health (4).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll99125159173168180
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals30%32%30%27%27%29%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language40%34%41%45%47%46%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support7%13%8%12%7%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans9%4%4%3%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance92.5%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school21.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils3.22024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.5%8.8%7.3%7.5%6.2%4.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.3%5.7%5.5%5.8%4.1%3.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.3%3.2%1.8%1.8%2.0%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence21.4%26.4%23.9%22.9%19.2%9.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate3.22.51.21.82.8
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers9.0full-time equivalent, 9 people
Pupils per teacher10.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers89%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£55,492
Teachers who left in the year30%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.82024/25

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£13,390England £7,738. Total £1.7m
Income per pupil£12,952England £7,697. Total £1.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£5,202England £3,480
Money in reserve-21%In the red: -£333k, -£2,683 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£54kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£13,390spent 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 m2,77712 months to June 2026, mostly anti-social behaviour
Local crime rate653 per 1,000 people618% higher than the England average
Nearest bus stop150 mGt Smith St /Westminster Abbey, 29 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
Burdett-Coutts and Townshend Foundation CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England380 m180Good 202490Compare
St Vincent De Paul Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy650 mNo overall grade 2025Compare
Millbank Gardens Primary AcademyAcademy670 m260Not inspected99Compare
St Peter's Eaton Square CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England0.7 miles147No overall grade 202595Compare
Pimlico PrimaryFree school0.7 miles331No overall grade 202546Compare
Walnut Tree Walk Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles420Good 202486Compare
Vauxhall Primary SchoolFoundation0.8 miles188Good 202337Compare
Oasis Academy South Bank PrimaryAcademy0.9 miles179Not inspected25Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Matthew's School, Westminster 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.

Beats35%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 22 is 20 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 41 · highest 98100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than St Matthew's School, Westminster, 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
Burdett-Coutts and Townshend Foundation CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England380 m180Good 202490Compare
St Barnabas' CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England1.0 miles114Good 202331Compare
Christ Church CofE SchoolChurch of England3.0 miles145Good 202381Compare
Anglo Portuguese School of LondonFree school3.8 miles159Good 202380Compare
St James's Hatcham Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy4.3 miles151Good 202388Compare
St Joseph's RC Junior SchoolRoman Catholic5.4 miles169Not inspected40Compare
Simon Marks Jewish Primary SchoolJewish5.4 miles121Good 202460Compare
Mosaic Jewish Primary SchoolFree school5.8 miles151No overall grade 202553Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 22 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 22% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 9 to 49. 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
-0.07
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 12 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
+0.00
DfE progress measure; 12 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.17
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.13
2024/25; 117 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
-0.03
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 12 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 Matthew's School, Westminster a good school?

The figures are weak. St Matthew's School, Westminster scores 22 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 35% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 9 to 49, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is St Matthew's School, Westminster's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Matthew's School, Westminster good at its last full inspection on 12 July 2023.

How good are St Matthew's School, Westminster'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%. 0% 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 Matthew's School, Westminster have?

99 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 47% full.

Is St Matthew's School, Westminster oversubscribed?

Probably not. 89 places were empty in 2024/25 (42% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St Matthew's School, Westminster?

Pupils were in school 92.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 21% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Matthew's School, Westminster?

The average class had 20.5 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
18 Old Pye Street, Westminster, London, SW1P 2DG
Telephone
020 7504 0500
Website
www.stmwschool.org.uk
Headteacher
Ms Sarah Green
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of London
Local authority
Westminster
Ward
St James's
Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
101138 · LAESTAB 2133539 · UKPRN 10073998

Where these figures come from