School Chooser

St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic144 pupilsNurseryBerkhamstedHertfordshire
School Chooser Score
10
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 5 to 21
Out of 100. Better than 2% of the 50 schools most like it.
OfstedRequires improvementLast Ofsted inspection, November 2022
Reached the expected level at 1158%England 63%
Attendance96.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families8%Far fewer than most schools
Places96 spare144 pupils, 240 places
Pupils per teacher16.9School workforce census

St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is a converter academy in Berkhamsted for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 144 pupils and room for 240. About 8 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 10 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 2% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2022.

Greenway, Berkhamsted, HP4 3LF01442 385060stmore.herts.sch.ukMr Alex Sallis headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 29 November 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Requires improvement overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Requires improvement
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Requires improvement
Early years
Requires improvement
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1158%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level12%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score106.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 63%63%20172018: 76%76%20182019: 78%78%20192023: 57%57%20232024: 44%44%20242025: 58%58%2025
Since 2017: -5%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023†2019†2018†2017†HertfordshireEngland
Pupils tested262521272930
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths58%44%57%78%76%63%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths12%0%10%0%14%10%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score106.0106.0108.0107.0108.0107.0106.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0105.0106.0107.0105.0104.0105.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0107.0108.0110.0108.0108.0106.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard77%80%67%81%83%83%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard69%80%62%85%79%77%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)77%48%57%81%86%73%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.5+0.2+1.2+1.5
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.3-0.3-0.9-0.6
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged17%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged53%

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 Thomas More Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, the school this one replaced in June 2023. 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. Every gap at this school 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
55%60%
Gap 5 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 places167 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
80% full

43 places were empty (21% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.

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 Hertfordshire 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 roll144Census January 2026
Places24060% full
Pupils from low-income families8%8% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English10%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support13%19 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%4 pupils with a plan
Average class size21.86 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)10%£21,700 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls85 / 59
White British pupils63%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 17.5 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 (9), emotional and mental health (6), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), Specific learning difficulty (3), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024
Pupils on roll144178183
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals8%8%9%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language10%11%15%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%17%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school7.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.8%4.6%5.1%5.2%2.5%3.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.9%3.2%3.8%3.8%2.1%2.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%1.5%1.3%1.4%0.4%1.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence7.8%7.1%12.0%9.3%3.4%4.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.01.6
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00

† These attendance figures are for St Thomas More Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, the school this one replaced in June 2023. 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.

Teachers8.5full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher16.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers91%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£45,782
Teachers who left in the year12%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher6.22024/25

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£6,444England £7,128. Total £1.1m
Income per pupil£6,809England £7,587. Total £1.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,399England £3,405
Money in reserve2%Very little put by: £27k, £150 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£65kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,444spent 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 m5112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate52 per 1,000 people43% lower than the England average
Typical house price£450,000Dacorum
Nearest bus stop170 mOrchard Avenue, 8 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
Greenway Primary and Nursery SchoolCouncil120 m229Good 202377Compare
Westfield Primary SchoolCouncil890 m140Requires improvement 20242Compare
Victoria Church of England Infant and Nursery SchoolChurch of England0.7 miles141Report card 202674Compare
Bridgewater Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles459Good 202283Compare
St Mary's CofE Primary School, NorthchurchChurch of England0.9 miles226Good 202347Compare
Swing Gate Infant School and NurseryCouncil1.1 miles144Good 202218Compare
The Thomas Coram Church of England SchoolChurch of England1.1 miles336Good 202349Compare
Potten End CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England2.4 miles205Good 202243Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy with the 44 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 44 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats2%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 10 is 62 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 71 · highest 96100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 44 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, 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
Curzon Church of England Combined SchoolAcademy7.8 miles162Not inspected88Compare
Manor Farm Community Infant SchoolCouncil9.6 miles132No overall grade 202569Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 10 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 10% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 5 to 21. 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
+0.05
2025 and 2024 results; 26 pupils
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)well below
-0.59
Ofsted grade, 3.8 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.16
Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 26 pupils
Direction of travel over five years0%no data
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.10
2024/25; 153 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.08
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 26 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 Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy scores 10 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 2% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 5 to 21, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy requires improvement at its last full inspection on 29 November 2022.

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

In summer 2025, 58% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 12% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have?

144 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 240 places, so it is 60% full.

Is St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 43 places were empty in 2024/25 (21% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

Pupils were in school 96.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 8% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

The average class had 21.8 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
Greenway, Berkhamsted, HP4 3LF
Telephone
01442 385060
Website
www.stmore.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Alex Sallis
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Archdiocese of Westminster
Multi-academy trust
All Saints Catholic Academy Trust (14 schools)
Local authority
Hertfordshire
Ward
Berkhamsted West
Constituency
Harpenden and Berkhamsted
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 June 2023 (academy converter)
URN
149742 · LAESTAB 9193402 · UKPRN 10092387
Formerly
St Thomas More Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School

Where these figures come from