School Chooser

St Thomas More Catholic First School

Primary · ages 4-9MixedAcademyRoman Catholic189 pupilsNurseryRedditchWorcestershire
School Chooser Score
91
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 78 to 97
Out of 100. Better than 85% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, September 2024
Attendance96.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families18%Far fewer than most schools
Places36 spare189 pupils, 225 places
Pupils per teacher22.5School workforce census
Pupils on roll189Census January 2026

St Thomas More Catholic First School is a converter academy in Redditch for boys and girls aged 4 to 9. It has 189 pupils and room for 225. About 18 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 91 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 85% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Woodrow Centre, Studley Road, Redditch, B98 7RY01527 525821stm.magnificat.org.ukMrs Anna-Marie Rooney headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 24 September 2024, 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
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

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 places150 pupils for 225 places, 2024/25
67% full

75 places were empty (33% 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.

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.

EntryPlacesHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary45all offeredLA
2025 Primary45all offeredLA
2024 Primary45all offeredLA
2023 Primary45all offeredLA
2022 Primary45all offeredLA
2021 Primary45all offeredLA
2020 Primary45all 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 roll189Census January 2026
Places22584% full
Pupils from low-income families18%18% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English45%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support15%29 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%12 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.07 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils14%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)21%£51,150 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls101 / 88
White British pupils42%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 24.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (27), emotional and mental health (5), Moderate learning difficulty (3), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), Hearing impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll189163187184183189
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals18%20%18%18%13%17%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language45%52%50%52%49%44%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support23%18%19%20%17%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%2%1%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school5.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils6.12024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.7%4.8%6.4%7.4%3.5%4.5%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.9%3.6%4.8%5.5%2.9%3.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%1.2%1.6%1.8%0.6%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence5.8%9.0%21.7%23.3%7.6%9.8%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate6.14.82.72.71.1
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions10000

† These attendance figures are for St Thomas More Catholic First School, the school this one replaced in April 2020. 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.

Teachers8.4full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher22.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants11.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£46,056
Teachers who left in the year20%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.82024/25

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£6,901England £7,128. Total £1.1m
Income per pupil£8,160England £7,587. Total £1.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,944England £3,405
Money in reserve8%A healthy amount put by: £110k, £679 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£204kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,901spent 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 m45212 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate101 per 1,000 people11% higher than the England average
Typical house price£255,000Redditch
Nearest bus stop80 mOmbersley Close, 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
Woodrow First SchoolCouncil290 m265Good 202445Compare
Woodfield AcademyAcademy0.8 miles542No overall grade 202410Compare
Oak Hill First SchoolAcademy0.9 miles440Not inspectedCompare
Matchborough First School AcademyAcademy1.0 miles335Good 20248Compare
Crabbs Cross AcademyAcademy1.2 miles165No overall grade 20246Compare
St Bede's Catholic Middle SchoolAcademy1.2 miles646Good 202364Compare
Studley Infants' SchoolAcademy1.2 miles176Report card 20267Compare
St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy1.3 miles217Good 202362Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Thomas More Catholic First 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.

Beats85%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 91 is 24 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 5 · middle 67 · highest 99100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 91 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 91% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 78 to 97. 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 years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%above
+0.29
Ofsted grade, 2.0 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.19
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.23
2024/25; 138 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
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 More Catholic First School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. St Thomas More Catholic First School scores 91 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 85% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 78 to 97, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is St Thomas More Catholic First School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Thomas More Catholic First School not judged at its last full inspection on 24 September 2024.

How many pupils does St Thomas More Catholic First School have?

189 pupils aged 4 to 9 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 225 places, so it is 84% full.

Is St Thomas More Catholic First School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 75 places were empty in 2024/25 (33% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St Thomas More Catholic First School?

Pupils were in school 96.3% 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 Thomas More Catholic First School?

The average class had 27.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 14% 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
Woodrow Centre, Studley Road, Redditch, B98 7RY
Telephone
01527 525821
Website
www.stm.magnificat.org.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Anna-Marie Rooney
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-9, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Archdiocese of Birmingham
Multi-academy trust
St Raphael the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust (29 schools)
Local authority
Worcestershire
Ward
Matchborough & Woodrow
Constituency
Redditch
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 April 2020 (academy converter)
URN
147714 · LAESTAB 8855202 · UKPRN 10085849
Formerly
St Thomas More Catholic First School

Where these figures come from