St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith, PENRITH
St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Penrith, part of Mater Christi Multi-Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 17th-highest of the 18 schools in PENRITH with published results, and 14,101st of 14,452 across England. It was 77% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- 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 Westmorland and Furness (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith in detail
St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, gymnastics and choir.
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 44% of Year 6 pupils at St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith reached the expected standard in reading and 50% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Westmorland and Furness and 77% and 75% across England.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith
For September 2026 entry, 12 families put St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith as their first choice and 36 named it as one of their preferences, for 13 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 St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith are Brunswick School (0.2 miles, Good); Beaconside CofE Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 62% reading, 66% maths); North Lakes School (0.8 miles, Good, 72% reading, 56% maths); and Yanwath Primary School (2 miles, Good, 100% reading, 100% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith.
Brunswick SchoolBeaconside CofE Primary SchoolNorth Lakes SchoolYanwath Primary School
The trust
St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith is one of 16 schools run by Mater Christi Multi-Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
14.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 33.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (60%), Black (15%) and Asian (6%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Station Entrance, about 690 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Graham Street (opposite), 30 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 103 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Westmorland and Furness (11), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith issued 1 suspension, 0.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith are Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith (0.6 miles) and Ullswater Community College (0.7 miles).
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School PenrithUllswater Community College
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); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in September 2024. Before that, as St Catherine's Catholic Primary School (URN 112305), it was rated Good in November 2012.
At a Glance
14.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
2024/25 academic year
Class Sizes
26.0
Avg class size
20.0
Infant (KS1)
32.0
KS2
4
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith
20.05.26 Newsletter
20 May 2026
17.04.26 Newsletter
17 Apr 2026
18.03.26 Newsletter
18 Mar 2026
08.03.26
8 Mar 2026
4.2.26 Newsletter
4 Feb 2026
15.12.2025
15 Dec 2025
From St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith
Term dates
St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Westmorland and Furness's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith is in Westmorland and Furness; for families living there:
- Westmorland and Furness's school travel policy: Home to School Transport Policy 2027 to 2028 (Reception to Year 11)
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 13
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 13 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot.
6 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 Westmorland and Furness is 3 (the median across 161 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 St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith
Will you get a place at St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Westmorland and Furness, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith for 2025 and 2026 entry.
- How many families in Westmorland and Furness 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
77%
Available places
108 pupils
140 places
32 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - PENRITH
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for PENRITH
Across Westmorland and Furness council
Places available
2,590
Applications
1,692
Got 1st preference
96.1%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across Westmorland and Furness council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
18
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
22.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
104
Total Pupils
41
Boys
63
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
6
Teachers
17.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,744
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,818
Per pupil
£699k
Total funding
£26k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.6%
Overall absence
8.1%
Persistent absence
99
Enrolments
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith
Questions parents ask about St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith
What are SATs results like at St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith?
Of the pupils at St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 44% reached the expected standard in reading and 50% did so in maths.
What is St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith's Ofsted rating?
St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in September 2024. Before that, as St Catherine's Catholic Primary School (URN 112305), it was rated Good in November 2012.
What is the catchment area for St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith?
No fixed boundary. When St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith is oversubscribed, Westmorland and Furness allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith?
St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith was not full in 2025: it ran at 77% of its 140 places.
How big are the classes at St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith?
Classes at St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith average 26 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith?
St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith has around 104 pupils on roll. 14% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith?
4.6% of sessions were missed at St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith in 2024/25. 8.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith?
Apply through Westmorland and Furness's coordinated admissions process, naming St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith 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.
How many road collisions happen near St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 13 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot. 6 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 Westmorland and Furness is 3 (the median across 161 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith?
St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, Penrith is at Drovers Lane, PENRITH, Cumbria, CA11 9EL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)