St Edmund's Catholic Primary School, Abingdon
St Edmund's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Abingdon. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 16th-highest of the 21 schools in Abingdon with published results, and 11,173rd of 14,452 across England. It was 88% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2016)
- 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 Oxfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Edmund's Catholic Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils at St Edmund's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 62% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 75% in Oxfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (74% in reading, 57% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Edmund's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 12 families put St Edmund's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 40 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 Edmund's Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Edmund's Catholic Primary School are Thomas Reade Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 70% reading, 83% maths); Rush Common School (0.4 miles, Good, 86% reading, 88% maths); St Nicolas Church of England Primary School, Abingdon (0.5 miles, Good, 90% reading, 87% maths); and Dunmore Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 75% reading, 75% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than St Edmund's Catholic Primary School.
Thomas Reade Primary SchoolRush Common SchoolSt Nicolas Church of England Primary School, AbingdonDunmore Primary School
What parents say
44 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Edmund's Catholic Primary School (as of September 2025): 57% would recommend the school, 66% say their child is happy there and 29% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (73%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (29%).
Who goes there
In 2026, 48 pupils (26.4%) received SEN support and 17 (9.3%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a moderate learning difficulty.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Radley Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Swinburne Road (adjacent), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Edmund's Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 146 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Oxfordshire (52), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Edmund's Catholic Primary School issued 16 suspensions, 8.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Edmund's Catholic Primary School are Fitzharrys School (0.7 miles), John Mason School (0.7 miles), Larkmead School (1.2 miles) and Europa School UK (1.5 miles).
Fitzharrys SchoolJohn Mason SchoolLarkmead SchoolEuropa School UK
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from May 2016, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Edmund's creates a warm, respectful environment where all children feel welcome and included. Teachers are well-trained and knowledgeable, and the school excels at supporting children with additional needs through tailored provision. The school encourages pupils to develop confidence and think beyond the classroom through meaningful roles and community service.
Key Strengths
- Strong start with reading - phonics taught by well-trained staff with quick support for those falling behind
- Clear curriculum progression from early years to Year 6 with regular revisiting of knowledge
- Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs, including personalised provision in the Tigers class
- Pupils take meaningful responsibilities and contribute to school life and local community
- Calm, well-ordered classrooms with established routines that help pupils focus on learning
Areas for Improvement
- Assessment is not used consistently across all subjects to check pupils' understanding and identify gaps
- Limited opportunities in some subjects for pupils to explain their thinking in writing
- Teaching approaches to check and adapt learning are less consistent across some curriculum areas compared to others
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with leaders creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Library monitors, mental health ambassadors, sketch club, Mini-Vinnies charity group, lunchtime clubs, author visits, lunchtime choir
St Edmund's Catholic Primary School is a welcoming inclusive school where pupils achieve well across the curriculum. Leaders are ambitious for all pupils and have taken effective steps to improve teaching and learning.
At a Glance
18.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
44 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 73% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 57% to 62% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 48% to 65% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
21.5
Avg class size
19.7
Infant (KS1)
25.0
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Edmund's Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Edmund's Catholic Primary School.
- Junior Adventures Group @ St Edmunds OX14At the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Edmund's Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Oxfordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Edmund's Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Edmund's Catholic Primary School is in Oxfordshire; for families living there:
- Oxfordshire's school travel policy: Free home to school travel assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 9 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
2 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 Oxfordshire is 5 (the median across 369 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 Edmund's Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at St Edmund's Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Edmund's Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Edmund's Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Edmund's Catholic Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Oxfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Edmund's Catholic Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Oxfordshire 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
88%
Available places
185 pupils
210 places
25 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Abingdon
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Abingdon
Across Oxfordshire council
Places available
8,615
Applications
6,903
Got 1st preference
94.0%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Oxfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
48
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
35.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
182
Total Pupils
102
Boys
80
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
20.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,597
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,535
Per pupil
£1088k
Total funding
£42k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.0%
Overall absence
11.2%
Persistent absence
179
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
St Edmund's Catholic Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Edmund's Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Edmund's Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Edmund's Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 73% reached the expected standard in reading and 62% did so in maths.
What is St Edmund's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Edmund's Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2016, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Edmund's Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Edmund's Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Oxfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Edmund's Catholic Primary School?
St Edmund's Catholic Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 88% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Edmund's Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St Edmund's Catholic Primary School average 21.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Edmund's Catholic Primary School?
St Edmund's Catholic Primary School has around 182 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Edmund's Catholic Primary School?
6% of sessions were missed at St Edmund's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 11.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Edmund's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Oxfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Edmund's 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 St Edmund's Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Junior Adventures Group @ St Edmunds OX14 (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 St Edmund's Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 9 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 2 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 Oxfordshire is 5 (the median across 369 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Edmund's Catholic Primary School?
St Edmund's Catholic Primary School is at Radley Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 3PP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)