St Ignatius Catholic Primary School, Sunbury on Thames

Ofsted's report card from its 9 December 2025 inspection grades St Ignatius Catholic Primary School on 7 areas: 7 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Overall, pupils achieve well."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Attendance is in line with national averages."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The school has planned an ambitious and interesting curriculum."

Early years - Expected standard. "Leaders ensure that the early years curriculum is designed carefully."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders set a highly inclusive vision for the school, which is realised in practice."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have developed a positive culture of research-informed professional learning."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The personal development programme is coherent and vibrant."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "• Those responsible for governance need to refine their governance arrangements by clarifying governance roles and responsibilities so that they can robustly hold leaders to account for all aspects of the school's work. • Leaders should ensure that pupils' achievement is consistently high across the curriculum, matching the strongest subjects, such as English and mathematics. • Leaders should continue to ensure that staff have the knowledge and expertise that they need to identify and address weaknesses in pupils' transcription so that pupils develop legible and fluent handwriting".

From the headteacher's welcome: "St Ignatius is a thriving, diverse Catholic Primary School in Sunbury-on-Thames. We are a two-form entry school within the Diocese of Westminster, providing a high-quality education for children from Reception to Year 6. We primarily serve the parishes of St Ignatius, Sunbury and St John Fisher, Shepperton, although we have many children from other local parishes."

Coming up: an open day on Wednesday 18 November 2026 and an open day on Monday 7 December 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2025, 90% of Year 6 pupils at St Ignatius Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 84% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 81% and 79% in Surrey and 77% and 75% across England.

Results rose from 77% in reading and 77% in maths in 2024.

For September 2026 entry, 51 families put St Ignatius Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 151 named it as one of their preferences, for 58 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to St Ignatius Catholic Primary School are Springfield Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 74% reading, 67% maths); Hawkedale Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 71% reading, 79% maths); Chennestone Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 78% reading, 83% maths); and Kenyngton Manor Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 76% reading, 71% maths).

St Ignatius Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.

St Ignatius Catholic Primary School is one of 6 schools run by Ascension Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.

97 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Ignatius Catholic Primary School (as of April 2026): 94% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 71% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (71%).

14.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 35.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (42%), Asian (18%) and Mixed (13%).

In 2026, 42 pupils (10.2%) received SEN support and 13 (3.2%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.

The nearest railway station is Sunbury Rail Station, about 370 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).

7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Ignatius Church (outside), 100 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Ignatius Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 6th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 179 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Surrey (76), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, St Ignatius Catholic Primary School issued 12 suspensions, 2.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to St Ignatius Catholic Primary School are St Paul's Catholic College (0.1 miles), Sunbury Manor School (0.2 miles), The Bishop Wand Church of England School (0.5 miles) and Heathside Walton-on-Thames (1.3 miles).