Our Lady Catholic Primary School, Hitchin
Our Lady Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Hitchin, part of The Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 8th-highest of the 22 schools in Hitchin with published results, and 4,096th of 14,452 across England. It was 85% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Hertfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Our Lady Catholic Primary School in detail
Our Lady Catholic Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to Our Lady Catholic Primary School. Situated in the bustling market town of Hitchin, we are a thriving and popular single form entry primary school. We are an academy and form part of The Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust (DoWAT)."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care.
Coming up: an admissions event on Thursday 12 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Hertfordshire
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 90% of Year 6 pupils at Our Lady Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 77% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 84% in reading and 69% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Our Lady Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 15 families put Our Lady Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 35 named it as one of their preferences, for 15 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Our Lady Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Our Lady Catholic Primary School are Strathmore Infant and Nursery School (0.2 miles, Good); Ickleford Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 90% reading, 90% maths); Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 80% reading, 79% maths); and Oughton Primary and Nursery School (0.8 miles, Good, 55% reading, 72% maths).
Our Lady Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Strathmore Infant and Nursery SchoolIckleford Primary SchoolWilshere-Dacre Junior AcademyOughton Primary and Nursery School
The trust
Our Lady Catholic Primary School is one of 15 schools run by The Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
16.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 36.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (41%), Black (21%) and Asian (12%).
Staffing
Our Lady Catholic Primary School had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hitchin Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Our Lady School (near), 30 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Our Lady Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Our Lady Catholic Primary School issued 5 suspensions, 3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Our Lady Catholic Primary School are The Priory School (0.2 miles), Hitchin Boys' School (0.9 miles), Hitchin Girls' School (1.2 miles) and Fearnhill School (1.5 miles).
The Priory SchoolHitchin Boys' SchoolHitchin Girls' SchoolFearnhill School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its July 2022 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
16.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 84% to 90% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 69% to 77% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 81% to 63% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.7
Avg class size
25.0
Infant (KS1)
24.5
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Our Lady Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Our Lady Catholic Primary School.
- DW Soccer SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
- Club Excel Leisure @ The Priory School400m away · Not yet graded
- Jousters At Ickleford930m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Our Lady Catholic Primary School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Hertfordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Our Lady Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Our Lady Catholic Primary School is in Hertfordshire; for families living there:
- Hertfordshire's school travel policy: Read the home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
1 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 Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 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 Our Lady Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at Our Lady Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Our Lady Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Our Lady Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Our Lady Catholic Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Our Lady Catholic Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Hertfordshire 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
85%
Available places
178 pupils
210 places
32 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Hitchin
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Hitchin
Across Hertfordshire council
Places available
14,776
Applications
12,543
Got 1st preference
89.1%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Hertfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
21
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
16.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
173
Total Pupils
71
Boys
102
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
13.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,027
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,751
Per pupil
£1059k
Total funding
£44k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.2%
Overall absence
9.3%
Persistent absence
162
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
Our Lady Catholic Primary School
Questions parents ask about Our Lady Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at Our Lady Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at Our Lady Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 90% reached the expected standard in reading and 77% did so in maths.
What is Our Lady Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Our Lady Catholic Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2022. At its previous graded inspection in 2018 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Our Lady Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Our Lady Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Our Lady Catholic Primary School?
Our Lady Catholic Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 85% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Our Lady Catholic Primary School?
Classes at Our Lady Catholic Primary School average 24.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Our Lady Catholic Primary School?
Our Lady Catholic Primary School has around 173 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Our Lady Catholic Primary School?
5.2% of sessions were missed at Our Lady Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 9.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Our Lady Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Our Lady 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 Our Lady Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: DW Soccer School (registered, not yet graded). There are 2 more within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Our Lady Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 1 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 Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Our Lady Catholic Primary School?
Our Lady Catholic Primary School is at Old Hale Way, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1XT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)