St Finian's Catholic Primary School, Thatcham
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 months agoReport card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
St Finian's excels at making every child feel safe, cared for and listened to. The school offers an impressive range of activities including clubs, trips, and leadership opportunities that develop well-rounded pupils. Staff have high expectations for all learners and provide thoughtful support to help every child, including those with additional needs, achieve and thrive.
Key Strengths
- Excellent provision for pupils with special educational needs - staff identify barriers quickly and implement well-matched support
- Outstanding personal development programme with trips to other places of worship, cultural events, and extensive clubs
- Above-average pupil attendance and typically calm, purposeful behaviour in classrooms
- Strong focus on reading with new phonics scheme showing positive impact
- Inclusive leadership opportunities for all pupils with careful tracking to ensure disadvantaged pupils can participate
Areas for Improvement
- Strengthen transcription skills to help pupils write clearly and accurately across the curriculum
- Continue to strengthen the use of assessment checks to adjust task design and support pupils at risk of falling behind
- Further development of writing teaching
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met with leaders establishing an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified and acted upon.
Extracurricular Activities
Clubs, trips to other places of worship, Mardi Gras cultural day, alternative Olympics for local schools, Wake up Wednesday club, pupil leadership roles such as bistro buddies and play leaders, wide sporting offer
St Finian's Catholic Primary School is a welcoming community where pupils arrive happily each morning and feel safe, with warm relationships between staff and students. The school has particular strengths in inclusion, personal development, and creating a positive atmosphere for learning.
At a Glance
2.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 68% to 87%. Maths has improved from 59% to 77%. Writing has improved from 64% to 74%.
Class Sizes
29.3
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
29.5
KS2
6
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
94%
Near capacity
204 pupils
218 capacity
14 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Thatcham
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Thatcham
Admissions Demand - West Berkshire
Places available
1,973
Applications
1,515
Got 1st preference
93.9%
Got preferred school
98.9%
Primary admissions across West Berkshire (2025/26)
Inspection History(8)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.24179%
Overall absence
2.22222%
Persistent absence
180
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
St Finian's Catholic Primary School
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