School Chooser

St Paul's CofE Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademyChurch of England396 pupilsHerefordHerefordshire, County of
School Chooser Score
57
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 38 to 74
Out of 100. Better than 8% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, May 2025
Reached the expected level at 1163%England 63%
Attendance95.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families6%Far fewer than most schools
Places24 spare396 pupils, 420 places
Pupils per teacher21.3School workforce census

St Paul's CofE Primary School is a converter academy in Hereford for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 396 pupils and room for 420. About 6 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 57 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 8% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

Hampton Dene Road, Tupsley, Hereford, HR1 1UX01432 273784stpaulsprimary.comMrs Elizabeth Vautier- Thomas headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 7 May 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
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 1163%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level7%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 63%63%20172018: 74%74%20182019: 66%66%20192023: 63%63%20232024: 50%50%20242025: 63%63%2025
Since 2017: +0%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017Herefordshire, County ofEngland
Pupils tested606265566660
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths63%50%63%66%74%63%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths7%6%12%16%17%10%9%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0104.0105.0105.0107.0107.0105.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0102.0103.0105.0106.0105.0104.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0104.0104.0107.0106.0107.0105.5105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard82%74%74%73%83%83%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard63%58%71%79%80%77%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)80%81%80%82%89%77%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.7-0.6-0.1+0.5
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.4-0.9+0.2-1.0
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged75%33%38%13%56%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged62%52%67%75%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. 1 of the 3 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
75%62%
Gap 13 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
72%55%
Gap 17 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%7%
Gap 7 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.

Nearly full417 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
99% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

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 Herefordshire, County of 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 roll396Census January 2026
Places42094% full
Pupils from low-income families6%6% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English13%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support13%53 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%11 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.210 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils10%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)7%£43,400 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls199 / 197
White British pupils82%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.3 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (25), Specific learning difficulty (11), language and communications needs (10), Autistic spectrum disorder (9), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Hearing impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll396414421425424422
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals6%7%8%9%9%7%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language13%12%11%10%9%9%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support15%16%13%12%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%2%2%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school6.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.52024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.3%4.6%5.2%5.0%2.3%2.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.8%4.0%4.6%4.5%1.8%2.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.5%0.5%0.7%0.6%0.5%0.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence6.3%8.8%13.2%9.1%3.7%3.0%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.50.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers18.6full-time equivalent, 20 people
Pupils per teacher21.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants15.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£47,492
Teachers who left in the year26%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.92024/25

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£6,601England £7,128. Total £2.7m
Income per pupil£5,836England £7,587. Total £2.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,696England £3,405
Money in reserve3%Not much put by: £79k, £191 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out-£317kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,601spent 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 m7612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate33 per 1,000 people64% lower than the England average
Typical house price£295,000Herefordshire
Nearest bus stop100 mDeaconsfield, 17 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
Hampton Dene Primary SchoolCouncil240 m278Good 202462Compare
Broadlands Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles164Good 20228Compare
St James' Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy1.2 miles219Outstanding 202396Compare
St Thomas Cantilupe CofE AcademyAcademy1.3 miles231Report card 202686Compare
St Francis Xavier's Primary SchoolRoman Catholic1.4 miles215Report card 202688Compare
St Martin's Primary SchoolAcademy1.6 miles304Not inspectedCompare
Lord Scudamore Primary AcademyAcademy1.7 miles507Good 202328Compare
Lugwardine Primary AcademyAcademy1.8 miles150Not inspected52Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Paul's CofE Primary School 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.

Beats8%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 57 is 26 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 35 · middle 83 · highest 100100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 57 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 57% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 38 to 74. 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
+0.01
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 60 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%above
+0.09
Ofsted grade, 1.4 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.06
DfE progress measure; 60 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.04
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.08
2024/25; 367 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.12
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 St Paul's CofE Primary School a good school?

It is about average. St Paul's CofE Primary School scores 57 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 8% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 38 to 74, 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 Paul's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Paul's CofE Primary School not judged at its last full inspection on 7 May 2025.

How good are St Paul's CofE Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 63% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 7% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Paul's CofE Primary School have?

396 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 420 places, so it is 94% full.

Is St Paul's CofE Primary School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at St Paul's CofE Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 6% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Paul's CofE Primary School?

The average class had 29.2 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 10% of classes 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
Hampton Dene Road, Tupsley, Hereford, HR1 1UX
Telephone
01432 273784
Website
www.stpaulsprimary.com
Headteacher
Mrs Elizabeth Vautier- Thomas
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Hereford
Multi-academy trust
Orchard Multi-Academy Trust (5 schools)
Local authority
Herefordshire, County of
Ward
Tupsley
Constituency
Hereford and South Herefordshire
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 April 2012 (academy converter)
URN
138037 · LAESTAB 8843333 · UKPRN 10037012
Formerly
St Paul's CofE Primary School

Where these figures come from