English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, Reading
English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Reading. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 29th-highest of the 85 schools in Reading with published results, and 3,694th of 14,452 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Reading (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School in detail
English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "We are very proud of our welcoming and inclusive school community and we would love to show you around if you are looking for a school place for your child. Despite our urban location, the school is set in lovely grounds on the western side of Reading, next to the Lousehill Copse Nature Reserve."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils at English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 86% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 76% in Reading and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 78% in reading and 78% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 50 families put English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 106 named it as one of their preferences, for 56 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School are St Michael's Primary School (0.1 miles, Good, 53% reading, 51% maths); Ranikhet Academy (0.3 miles, Good, 54% reading, 58% maths); Moorlands Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 83% reading, 81% maths); and Churchend Primary Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 80% reading, 73% maths).
English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
St Michael's Primary SchoolRanikhet AcademyMoorlands Primary SchoolChurchend Primary Academy
Who goes there
12.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 45.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (26%), Black (25%) and Asian (13%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Reading West Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Tern Close (opposite), 80 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School issued 5 suspensions, 1.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School are King's Academy Prospect (0.4 miles), Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School (0.9 miles) and The WREN School (1 mile).
King's Academy ProspectBlessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic SchoolThe WREN School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from November 2013, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2013 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
12.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 78% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 78% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 55% to 68% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.7
Avg class size
24.7
Infant (KS1)
28.3
KS2
14
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School
18/09/2026 Newsletter
22 Sep 2026
10.07.2026 Newsletter
11 Jul 2026
28.06.2026 Newsletter
29 Jun 2026
Big Sleep Out
26 Jun 2026
13.06.2026 Newsletter
13 Jun 2026
23.05.2026 Newsletter
25 May 2026
From English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School.
- NSSport (MJ) Care Club300m away · Not yet graded
- Junior Adventures Group @ Moorlands RG30660m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School is in Reading; for families living there:
- How to apply: apply for school transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 24
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 9
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 20 slight.
9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
10 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Reading is 21 (the median across 71 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Reading, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Reading got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
93%
Near capacity
392 pupils
420 places
28 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Reading
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Reading
Across Reading council
Places available
2,001
Applications
1,844
Got 1st preference
91.1%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Reading council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
65
SEN Support
24
EHC Plans
21.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
408
Total Pupils
219
Boys
189
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
23
Teachers
17.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,931
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,385
Per pupil
£2298k
Total funding
£94k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.0%
Overall absence
16.1%
Persistent absence
378
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School
Questions parents ask about English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 83% reached the expected standard in reading and 86% did so in maths.
What is English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Reading allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School?
English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School?
Classes at English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School average 26.7 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School?
English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School has around 408 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School?
6% of sessions were missed at English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 16.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Reading's coordinated admissions process, naming English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School: NSSport (MJ) Care Club (300m away, registered, not yet graded) and Junior Adventures Group @ Moorlands RG30 (660m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 24 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 20 slight. 9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 10 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Reading is 21 (the median across 71 schools, same distance and years).
Where is English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School?
English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School is at Dee Road, Tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire, RG30 4BE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)