St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy, Ilkeston
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Ilkeston, part of St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 2nd-highest of the 15 schools in Ilkeston with published results, and 4,096th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Derbyshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils at St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 85% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 73% in Derbyshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 84% in reading and 91% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 30 families put St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy as their first choice and 59 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy are Field House Infant School (0.3 miles, Good); Kensington Junior Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 66% reading, 74% maths); Hallam Fields Junior School (0.6 miles, Good, 67% reading, 61% maths); and Chaucer Infant School (0.6 miles).
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy's 2025 results were higher than all 2 of them.
Field House Infant SchoolKensington Junior AcademyHallam Fields Junior SchoolChaucer Infant School
The trust
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy is one of 25 schools run by St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
All 25 schools in St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust
Who goes there
7.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (80%), Mixed (7%) and Black (6%).
In 2026, 20 pupils (8.9%) received SEN support and 8 (3.6%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Ilkeston Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Moss Road (opposite), 270 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 287 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 Derbyshire (50), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy issued 4 suspensions, 1.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy are Kirk Hallam Community Academy (0.4 miles), Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy (0.5 miles) and Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy (0.7 miles).
Kirk Hallam Community AcademyOrmiston Ilkeston Enterprise AcademySaint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from May 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2013 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
22.7%
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 82% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 91% to 85% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 81% to 85% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
32.1
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
33.8
KS2
7
Total classes
4 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 Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy.
- Ilkeston Kids Club690m away · Not yet graded
- Soccerstars Holiday Camp @ Kirk Hallam Community Academy720m away · Not yet graded
- Premier Holiday Camp @ Kirk Hallam720m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Derbyshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy is in Derbyshire; for families living there:
- Derbyshire's school travel policy: Home to school transport policy 2026 to 2027 - 465KB
- How to apply: Apply for home to school transport assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 31
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 31 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 24 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
7 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 Derbyshire is 6 (the median across 454 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 Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy
Will you get a place at St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Derbyshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy for 2019 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Derbyshire 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
89%
Available places
217 pupils
245 places
28 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Ilkeston
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ilkeston
Across Derbyshire council
Places available
9,875
Applications
7,189
Got 1st preference
94.5%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All primary applications across Derbyshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
20
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
12.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
225
Total Pupils
108
Boys
117
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
22.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,556
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,283
Per pupil
£1274k
Total funding
£65k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.1%
Overall absence
5.5%
Persistent absence
200
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 Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy
Questions parents ask about St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy
What are SATs results like at St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy?
Of the pupils at St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 82% reached the expected standard in reading and 85% did so in maths.
What is St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy is oversubscribed, Derbyshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy?
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 245 places.
How big are the classes at St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy?
Classes at St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy average 32.1 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy?
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy has around 225 pupils on roll. 23% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy?
4.1% of sessions were missed at St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy in 2024/25. 5.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy?
Apply through Derbyshire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy 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 Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy: Ilkeston Kids Club (690m away, registered, not yet graded), Soccerstars Holiday Camp @ Kirk Hallam Community Academy (720m away, registered, not yet graded) and Premier Holiday Camp @ Kirk Hallam (720m away, 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 Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 31 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 24 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 7 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 Derbyshire is 6 (the median across 454 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy?
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy is at Church View, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 4LF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)