St Katharine's Church of England Primary School, Bournemouth
St Katharine's Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Bournemouth. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 27 schools in Bournemouth with published results, and 3,885th of 14,452 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2024)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Katharine's Church of England Primary School in detail
St Katharine's Church of England Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Our core values are given their Christian distinctiveness by being grounded in the Christian story - in the life and teachings of Jesus. They are at the centre of our school Christian ethos; curriculum and wider provision; policies and planning; day-to-day interactions and decisions."
From the headteacher's welcome: "We want everyone who is part of St Katharine's to know that they are unique and that they can flourish and make a difference in God's world, through living out the values of Grace, Integrity and Aspiration, now and in the future. Our vision is grounded in the Christian faith and reaches out to all our community."
Coming up: an open day on Tuesday 3 November 2026, an open day on Wednesday 18 November 2026 and an open day on Thursday 26 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils at St Katharine's Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 84% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 75% in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (84% in reading, 87% in maths).
Getting a place at St Katharine's Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 69 families put St Katharine's Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 145 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 10 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Katharine's Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Katharine's Church of England Primary School are The Priory Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 79% reading, 66% maths); Christchurch Junior School (1.1 miles, Good, 76% reading, 84% maths); Christchurch Infant School (1.1 miles); and Mudeford Community Infants' School (1.2 miles, Good).
St Katharine's Church of England Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 2 of them.
The Priory Church of England Primary SchoolChristchurch Junior SchoolChristchurch Infant SchoolMudeford Community Infants' School
Who goes there
5.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 6.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Christchurch Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Broadway Shops (se-bound), 240 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Katharine's Church of England 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 92 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (223).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Katharine's Church of England Primary School issued 8 suspensions, 1.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Katharine's Church of England Primary School are St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive School (0.6 miles), Twynham School (0.7 miles) and The Grange School (1.5 miles).
St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive SchoolTwynham SchoolThe Grange School
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
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
St Katharine's is a very special place to learn. The school's ethos of 'Forever Flourishing' sits at the centre of everything the school does. Pupils do 'flourish' here. Children are seen as unique. They are encouraged to 'find their thing'. Parents are overwhelmingly positive. One parent commented, 'The school ethos has instilled so many values that will enable my child to succeed, not only in education, but in the wider world.'
The school is highly ambitious and aspirational for all. Pupils are excited, curious and have a thirst for learning. From the moment children start in the Reception Year, they make full use of the irresistible indoor and outdoor environment and resources that engage and support their development.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school provides an exceptional quality of education. Inspirational leadership permeates through the whole school. This ensures that all succeed. Effective and targeted professional development allows staff to excel. The school's unrelenting focus on building on pupils' success results in high outcomes for all.
Pupils learn exceptionally well. The school's 'SEASIDE' curriculum is firmly embedded and is highly ambitious across all subjects. From the early years, this creative curriculum has been deliberately designed and sequenced to enable all pupils to progress well. Alongside this, careful thought has been taken to weave in academic knowledge and incorporate pupils' individual personal development journeys, where spirituality sits at the heart. As a result, pupils develop into knowledgeable, aspirational, confident and caring citizens.
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its June 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
5.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 84% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 84% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
31.0
Avg class size
29.8
Infant (KS1)
31.9
KS2
14
Total classes
8 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Katharine's Church of England Primary School
Term dates
St Katharine's Church of England Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Ferry Terminals
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Katharine's Church of England Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Katharine's Church of England Primary School is in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; for families living there:
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's school travel policy: Home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is 24 (the median across 117 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 Katharine's Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at St Katharine's Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Katharine's Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Katharine's Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Katharine's Church of England Primary School.
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St Katharine's Church of England Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Katharine's Church of England Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 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
93%
Near capacity
437 pupils
468 places
31 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bournemouth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bournemouth
Across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council
Places available
3,809
Applications
3,148
Got 1st preference
92.2%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
53
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
16.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
435
Total Pupils
212
Boys
223
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
27
Teachers
16.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,415
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,979
Per pupil
£2309k
Total funding
£32k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.9%
Overall absence
4.5%
Persistent absence
380
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 Katharine's Church of England Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Katharine's Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Katharine's Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Katharine's Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 84% reached the expected standard in reading and 84% did so in maths.
What is St Katharine's Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Katharine's Church of England Primary School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2013 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Katharine's Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Katharine's Church of England Primary School is oversubscribed, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Katharine's Church of England Primary School?
St Katharine's Church of England Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 468 places.
How big are the classes at St Katharine's Church of England Primary School?
Classes at St Katharine's Church of England Primary School average 31 pupils (2025/26). 8 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Katharine's Church of England Primary School?
St Katharine's Church of England Primary School has around 435 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Katharine's Church of England Primary School?
3.9% of sessions were missed at St Katharine's Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 4.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Katharine's Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's coordinated admissions process, naming St Katharine's Church of England 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.
How many road collisions happen near St Katharine's Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is 24 (the median across 117 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Katharine's Church of England Primary School?
St Katharine's Church of England Primary School is at Rolls Drive, Southbourne, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH6 4NA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)