School Chooser

St Thomas More Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic210 pupilsSheffield
School Chooser Score
44
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 23 to 68
Out of 100. Better than 47% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, January 2024
Reached the expected level at 1157%England 63%
Attendance95.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families20%A bit fewer than most schools
PlacesFull210 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher23.0School workforce census

St Thomas More Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy is a converter academy in Sheffield for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 210 pupils and every place is taken. About 20 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 44 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 47% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Creswick Lane, Grenoside, Sheffield, S35 8NN0114 246 8020st-thomasmoresheffield.co.ukMrs Donna Faley headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 31 January 2024 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good 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

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

Reached the expected level at 1157%
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 score102.0
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: 53%53%20172018: 66%66%20182019: 79%79%20192023: 70%70%20232024: 76%76%20242025: 57%57%2025
Since 2017: +4%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017SheffieldEngland
Pupils tested302930292930
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths57%76%70%79%66%53%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%7%7%10%7%0%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score102.0107.0104.0105.0106.0102.0104.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score104.0107.0105.0107.0105.0104.0103.7104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0104.0104.0109.0108.0108.0104.4105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard67%83%77%83%72%67%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard77%83%83%93%83%73%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)70%79%80%86%86%70%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.1-1.1-0.8-2.5
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.1-0.2-1.1-0.6
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged50%50%78%86%50%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged58%86%80%59%55%

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. 2 of the 4 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
50%58%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
69%43%
Gap 26 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
75%57%
Gap 18 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 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.

A few spare places199 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
95% full

About 11 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 5% 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 Sheffield 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 roll210Census January 2026
Places210100% full
Pupils from low-income families20%20% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English21%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support12%26 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%8 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.85 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)19%£60,450 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls112 / 98
White British pupils65%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.7 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (9), language and communications needs (9), emotional and mental health (8), Moderate learning difficulty (6), Severe learning difficulty (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll210199206208208208
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals20%21%22%19%18%19%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language21%20%19%16%14%14%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support16%14%14%13%6%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%2%1%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 school7.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils23.62024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.3%4.4%4.7%5.0%2.6%2.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.3%2.7%2.8%3.4%1.6%1.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.0%1.8%1.9%1.6%1.0%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence7.2%7.6%10.1%11.0%4.4%1.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate23.62.41.42.41.4
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers9.1full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher23.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,897
Teachers who left in the year10%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.52024/25

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£7,226England £7,128. Total £1.4m
Income per pupil£7,206England £7,587. Total £1.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,131England £3,405
Money in reserve7%Not much put by: £96k, £482 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out-£4,000it spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,226spent 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 m6812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate137 per 1,000 people51% higher than the England average
Nearest bus stop140 mCreswick Lane/School Driveway, 15 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
Mansel PrimaryAcademy450 m432Good 202317Compare
Fox Hill PrimaryAcademy970 m270No overall grade 20252Compare
Grenoside Community Primary SchoolAcademy0.6 miles330Good 202467Compare
Monteney Primary SchoolAcademy0.9 miles446Good 202315Compare
Ecclesfield Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles411Good 202416Compare
Meynell Nursery & Primary SchoolAcademy1.0 miles482Good 202348Compare
Parson Cross Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England1.1 miles203Good 202317Compare
Southey Green Nursery & Primary SchoolAcademy1.2 miles701Report card 202630Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Thomas More Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy with the 43 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 43 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats47%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 44 is 13 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 57 · highest 99100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 43 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than St Thomas More Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy, 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
St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy6.8 miles211Good 202367Compare
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, EdlingtonRoman Catholic12.6 miles198Report card 202669Compare
St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic15.3 miles243Good 202463Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 44 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 44% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 23 to 68. 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; 30 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.6 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.01
DfE progress measure; 30 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.12
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.07
2024/25; 180 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
-0.02
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 30 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 More Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy a good school?

It is about average. St Thomas More Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy scores 44 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 47% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 23 to 68, 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 Thomas More Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Thomas More Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy good at its last full inspection on 31 January 2024.

How good are St Thomas More Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 57% 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.

How many pupils does St Thomas More Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy have?

210 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 100% full.

Is St Thomas More Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 11 places were empty in 2024/25 (5% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St Thomas More Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy?

Pupils were in school 95.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 7% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Thomas More Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy?

The average class had 29.8 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
Creswick Lane, Grenoside, Sheffield, S35 8NN
Telephone
0114 246 8020
Website
st-thomasmoresheffield.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Donna Faley
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Hallam
Single-academy trust
St Thomas More Catholic Primary, a Voluntary Academy (1 schools)
Local authority
Sheffield
Ward
Southey
Constituency
Penistone and Stocksbridge
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 February 2016 (academy converter)
URN
142600 · LAESTAB 3733424 · UKPRN 10055407
Formerly
St Thomas More Catholic Primary School

Where these figures come from