School Chooser

St Pancras Catholic Primary School

Primary · ages 5-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic153 pupils Free breakfast clubIpswichSuffolk
School Chooser Score
48
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 25 to 71
Out of 100. Better than 36% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, September 2023
Reached the expected level at 1172%England 63%
Attendance94.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families20%A bit fewer than most schools
Places57 spare153 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher18.7School workforce census

St Pancras Catholic Primary School is a converter academy in Ipswich for boys and girls aged 5 to 11. It has 153 pupils and room for 210. About 20 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 48 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 36% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Stratford Road, Ipswich, IP1 6EF01473 742074stpancrasschool.co.ukMr Ross McGill headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 12 September 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

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

Reached the expected level at 1172%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level3%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score106.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score104.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 68%68%20172018: 71%71%20182019: 47%47%20192023: 53%53%20232024: 62%62%20242025: 72%72%2025
Since 2017: +4%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232019†2018†2017†SuffolkEngland
Pupils tested292930303131
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths72%62%53%47%71%68%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths3%7%0%3%3%6%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score106.0104.0102.0102.0106.0106.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score104.0101.0100.0102.0102.0105.0103.7104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score107.0103.0102.0101.0103.0105.0103.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard86%72%70%70%84%87%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard79%76%57%57%81%84%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)72%76%73%63%81%81%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.3-3.6+0.4+0.6
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.1-3.8-2.5-1.2
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged57%33%33%44%75%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged77%75%58%48%65%

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 St Pancras Catholic Primary School, Ipswich, the school this one replaced in April 2019. 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 3 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
57%77%
Gap 20 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
63%85%
Gap 22 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%3%
Gap 3 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 places166 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
79% full

44 places were empty (21% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 19% 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 Suffolk 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 roll153Census January 2026
Places21073% full
Pupils from low-income families20%20% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English20%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support16%24 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan7%10 pupils with a plan
Average class size24.65 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils20%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)19%£44,950 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls77 / 76
White British pupils54%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 24.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 26.3 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (9), language and communications needs (8), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (7), Moderate learning difficulty (5), emotional and mental health (2), Specific learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll153172182192204203
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals20%24%23%21%22%22%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language20%16%17%14%13%13%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support18%13%15%13%11%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%2%3%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school14.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils2.32024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.4%4.4%5.7%5.9%2.8%4.2%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.6%3.6%4.9%5.2%2.5%3.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%0.8%0.8%0.7%0.3%0.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence14.3%7.7%10.6%13.9%3.3%7.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate2.31.73.71.03.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

† These attendance figures are for St Pancras Catholic Primary School, Ipswich, the school this one replaced in April 2019. 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.

Teachers8.2full-time equivalent, 9 people
Pupils per teacher18.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£37,832
Teachers who left in the year18%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.92024/25

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£6,291England £7,128. Total £1.1m
Income per pupil£7,093England £7,587. Total £1.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,872England £3,405
Money in reserve18%A healthy amount put by: £218k, £1,270 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£138kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,291spent 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 m34112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate89 per 1,000 peopleabout the England average
Typical house price£240,000Ipswich
Nearest bus stop60 mSt Pancras Primary School, 16 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
The Beeches Community Primary SchoolAcademy270 m393Good 202316Compare
Castle Hill Junior SchoolAcademy660 m288Good 202420Compare
Castle Hill Infant SchoolAcademy660 m251Not inspectedCompare
Whitehouse Community Primary SchoolAcademy950 m551Not inspected27Compare
Dale Hall Community Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles412Good 201933Compare
Springfield Junior SchoolAcademy0.8 miles354No overall grade 202520Compare
Springfield Infant School and NurseryAcademy0.9 miles287Report card 202622Compare
Handford Hall Primary SchoolAcademy1.3 miles360Good 202362Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Pancras Catholic Primary School 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.

Beats36%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 48 is 14 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 10 · middle 62 · highest 95100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 48 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 48% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 25 to 71. 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
-0.02
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 29 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.0 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.11
DfE progress measure; 29 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well above
+0.14
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.01
2024/25; 168 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.04
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 29 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 Pancras Catholic Primary School a good school?

It is about average. St Pancras Catholic Primary School scores 48 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 36% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 25 to 71, 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 Pancras Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Pancras Catholic Primary School good at its last full inspection on 12 September 2023.

How good are St Pancras Catholic Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 72% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 3% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Pancras Catholic Primary School have?

153 pupils aged 5 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 73% full.

Is St Pancras Catholic Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 44 places were empty in 2024/25 (21% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St Pancras Catholic Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 14% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Pancras Catholic Primary School?

The average class had 24.6 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 20% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does St Pancras 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
Stratford Road, Ipswich, IP1 6EF
Telephone
01473 742074
Website
www.stpancrasschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Mr Ross McGill
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 5-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of East Anglia
Multi-academy trust
Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Multi Academy Trust (11 schools)
Local authority
Suffolk
Ward
Whitton
Constituency
Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 April 2019 (academy converter)
URN
146977 · LAESTAB 9353341 · UKPRN 10082968
Formerly
St Pancras Catholic Primary School, Ipswich

Where these figures come from