St Francis Xavier's Primary School, Hereford

Outstanding
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Mixed
Roman Catholic
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~804m)Possible (~1.1km)Unlikely (~1.5km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Elizabeth Christopherson
Pupils:215 / 210 capacity
LA:Herefordshire, County of
Phone:01432273941
Address:Venns Lane, Hereford, HR1 1DT
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Outstanding

Overall

URN:116884
UKPRN:10076845
Diocese:Archdiocese of Cardiff
Constituency:North Herefordshire
Urban/Rural:Urban: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St Francis Xavier's is a warm, inclusive school where children thrive academically and emotionally. Pupils achieve excellent results in core subjects while developing into respectful, caring individuals who understand the importance of helping their community. The school goes the extra mile to support every child, including those with additional needs, ensuring they feel valued and belong.

Key Strengths

  • Pupils achieve highly in reading, writing and mathematics, far exceeding national averages
  • Strong inclusive approach ensures pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils progress well and feel valued
  • Excellent behaviour and attendance, with very low persistent absence rates
  • Early years provision enables children to flourish with high-quality interactions and ambitious curriculum
  • Robust safeguarding culture where all staff prioritise pupil safety and wellbeing

Areas for Improvement

  • Pupils do not gain the same depth of knowledge in wider curriculum subjects as they do in core subjects
  • Teaching is more variable across the wider curriculum compared to reading, writing and mathematics
  • Some areas of personal, social, health and economic education need development, such as knowledge about staying physically healthy

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met. The school has established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and managed, and pupils feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Clubs catering to pupils' interests, visits to care homes, cathedral visits, trips to complement curriculum learning

St Francis Xavier's Primary School is a caring, inclusive primary school where pupils flourish in a supportive environment. The school excels in reading, writing and mathematics, with pupils achieving well above national averages.

At a Glance

7.4%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-6ppMaths+4ppWriting+1pp

Reading has declined from 97% to 91%. Maths has improved from 90% to 94%. Writing has remained stable at around 91%.

Class Sizes

30.6

Avg class size

30.0

Infant (KS1)

31.0

KS2

7

Total classes

3 classes with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Hereford Rail Station
889m · 14 min walk

Bus Stops

St Francis Xavier School (adj)
42m · 1 min walk
Victoria Park (adj)
111m · 2 min walk
Old School Lane (o/s 53)
245m · 4 min walk
thePoint4 (opp)
261m · 4 min walk
Penn Grove Road (opp)
323m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

102%

Over capacity

215 pupils

210 capacity

5 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Hereford

Low pressure
New homes approved:2,267
Projected new pupils:567

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Hereford

Admissions Demand - Herefordshire, County of

Low demand0.73x oversubscription

Places available

2,120

Applications

1,554

Got 1st preference

96.8%

Got preferred school

99.5%

Primary admissions across Herefordshire, County of (2025/26)

Inspection History(108)

Date not published by Ofsted
Outstanding
Date not published by Ofsted
Outstanding
Date not published by Ofsted
Outstanding

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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.

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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.

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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.

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School Funding

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

3.84198%

Overall absence

5.29101%

Persistent absence

189

Enrolments

Authorised3.46677%
Unauthorised0.37521%
Persistent (10%+)5.29101%
Severe (50%+)0%

Absence trend

3.90886%
18/19
2.0249%
20/21
5.34287%
21/22
5.89343%
22/23
4.42605%
23/24
3.84198%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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