School Chooser

St Thomas' Catholic Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic212 pupilsStoke-on-TrentStaffordshire
School Chooser Score
99
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 96 to 100
Out of 100. Better than 100% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedOutstandingConfirmed by Ofsted, February 2023
Reached the expected level at 1194%England 63%
Attendance97.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families8%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull212 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher22.9School workforce census

St Thomas' Catholic Primary School is a converter academy in Stoke-on-Trent for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 212 pupils, 2 more than it has places for. About 8 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 99 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 100% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2023.

Parklands Road, Tean, Stoke-on-Trent, ST10 4DS01538 722378st-thomas-tean.staffs.sch.ukMrs Lindsey Gidman headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 9 February 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Outstanding 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

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

Reached the expected level at 1194%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level29%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score111.0
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: 87%87%20172018: 71%71%20182019: 80%80%20192023: 75%75%20232024: 76%76%20242025: 94%94%2025
Since 2017: +7%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017StaffordshireEngland
Pupils tested312932353531
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths94%76%75%80%71%87%66%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths29%14%3%23%6%13%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score111.0106.0107.0107.0106.0106.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score109.0107.0106.0107.0105.0107.0104.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score109.0107.0111.0110.0106.0105.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard94%83%84%86%74%87%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard97%86%91%91%77%94%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)97%90%94%94%94%90%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.1+0.4+0.0+1.8
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.0+0.6-0.4+3.2
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged71%

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
89%100%
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.

Full216 pupils for 208 places, 2024/25
104% full

The school is full, with 8 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. 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 Staffordshire 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 roll212Census January 2026
Places210101% full
Pupils from low-income families8%8% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support5%10 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%1 pupil with a plan
Average class size30.37 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils57%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)7%£23,250 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls113 / 99
White British pupils96%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 31.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (8), emotional and mental health (2), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll212209207207214215
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals8%8%7%6%5%4%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%2%1%1%1%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support6%7%6%5%4%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%2%1%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 97.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance97.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school2.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils1.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence2.6%2.3%3.1%3.5%1.6%2.2%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.2%1.8%2.5%3.1%1.4%2.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.4%0.5%0.7%0.4%0.1%0.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence2.7%2.3%1.1%5.4%1.1%1.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate1.02.91.50.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers9.2full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher22.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants4.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£53,324
Teachers who left in the year7%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.82024/25

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£5,541England £7,128. Total £1.2m
Income per pupil£6,053England £7,587. Total £1.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,880England £3,405
Money in reserve7%Not much put by: £83k, £398 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£107kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£5,541spent 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 m10512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate38 per 1,000 people58% lower than the England average
Typical house price£226,500Staffordshire Moorlands
Nearest bus stop120 mThe Cross Keys PH, 7 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
Great Wood Community Primary SchoolAcademy400 m101Report card 202648Compare
Hutchinson Memorial CofE First SchoolAcademy1.6 miles48Requires improvement 20243Compare
Cheadle Primary SchoolCouncil2.0 miles312Good 202211Compare
Bishop Rawle CofE Primary SchoolAcademy2.1 miles144Report card 202641Compare
St Giles' Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy2.1 miles211Good 202488Compare
All Saints' CofE First SchoolAcademy2.4 miles21Good 202278Compare
The William Amory Primary SchoolCouncil3.2 miles180Good 202441Compare
Forsbrook CofE Controlled Primary SchoolChurch of England3.2 miles211Outstanding 202394Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Thomas' Catholic 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.

Beats100%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 99 is 17 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 17 · middle 82 · highest 98100

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 99 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 99% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 96 to 100. 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%well above
+0.27
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 31 pupils
Ofsted inspection19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)well above
+0.40
Ofsted grade, 3.6 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.07
DfE progress measure; 31 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well above
+0.24
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well above
+0.16
2024/25; 186 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.16
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 31 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 Thomas' Catholic Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. St Thomas' Catholic Primary School scores 99 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 100% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 96 to 100, 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 Thomas' Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Thomas' Catholic Primary School outstanding at its last full inspection on 9 February 2023.

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

In summer 2025, 94% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 29% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Thomas' Catholic Primary School have?

212 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 101% full.

Is St Thomas' Catholic Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 8 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at St Thomas' Catholic Primary School?

Pupils were in school 97.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 3% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Thomas' Catholic Primary School?

The average class had 30.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 57% 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
Parklands Road, Tean, Stoke-on-Trent, ST10 4DS
Telephone
01538 722378
Website
www.st-thomas-tean.staffs.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Lindsey Gidman
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 Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust (64 schools)
Local authority
Staffordshire
Ward
Checkley
Constituency
Stoke-on-Trent South
Setting
Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2012 (academy converter)
URN
138726 · LAESTAB 8603473 · UKPRN 10038694
Formerly
St Thomas' Catholic Primary School

Where these figures come from