St. Walburga's Catholic Primary School, Bournemouth

From the headteacher's welcome: "As Headteacher of St Walburga's School, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you. Originally founded in the town centre in the 1870s, St Walburga's School is the longest established Catholic primary school in Bournemouth."

The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £11.50 per session.

Coming up: an open day on Thursday 5 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2025, 98% of Year 6 pupils at St. Walburga's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 98% 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 rose from 90% in reading and 98% in maths in 2024.

For September 2026 entry, 77 families put St. Walburga's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 195 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 20 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state primary schools to St. Walburga's Catholic Primary School are Queen's Park Academy (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 85% reading, 81% maths); Queen's Park Infant Academy (0.3 miles, Good); St Luke's Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, 67% reading, 78% maths); and Moordown St John's Church of England Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 93% reading, 93% maths).

St. Walburga's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.

129 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St. Walburga's Catholic Primary School (as of September 2025): 98% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 84% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (84%).

9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 32.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (56%), Asian (8%) and Black (8%).

In 2026, 42 pupils (10%) received SEN support and 10 (2.4%) 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 Bournemouth Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.

14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St. Walburgas School (e-bound), 40 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St. Walburga's Catholic 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 367 crimes within a mile of the school, most often shoplifting, violence and sexual offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (223), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, St. Walburga's Catholic Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 0.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to St. Walburga's Catholic Primary School are Bournemouth School (0.3 miles), Bournemouth School for Girls (0.5 miles), The Bishop of Winchester Academy (0.7 miles) and Glenmoor Academy (1.1 miles).