St Catherine's Church of England Primary School

  • Primary
  • Local authority maintained
  • Ages 3 to 11
Ofsted: Good

Park Road, Ware, SG12 0AWOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

St Catherine's Church of England Primary School is a primary school in Ware for ages 3 to 11. It is one of the 583 schools in Hertfordshire. It ranks 5th of 13 primary schools in Ware. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in July 2018.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 10 July 2018, report published 10 September 2018

Overall effectiveness
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years provision
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Met

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 July 2024

Pupils are proud of their busy, friendly school. They play, cooperate and learn happily together in this safe, nurturing environment. Pupils' relationships with friends and adults are strong. This starts in the early years. Pupils understand and follow the rules for behaviour and learning. They enjoy learning. Pupils focus on their work and achieve well. Pupils are looked after well. If they are worried about anything, there is always an adult there to help. Older pupils are great role models to their younger friends. Classrooms and playgrounds are warm and welcoming places. Pupils love receiving rosettes in assembly for demonstrating important values such as honesty, respect and kindness. They enjoy enrichment events such as Careers Week and taking part in African heritage activities. Pupils learn how to persevere and to treat others with respect. Pupils have many clubs to choose from, including cheerleading, choir, gymnastics and a range of other sports. Every child can attend a live music event. Pupils in the choir enjoy singing at special events and in the local community. During the inspection, older pupils were excitedly talking about preparations for performing their end of term concert. The school develops pupils' talents and interests well.

What the school should improve

  • In a small number of curriculum areas, the school has recently introduced new curriculum plans to improve the sequencing and progression of knowledge and skills and to deepen pupils' learning. Teachers are delivering these new plans effectively, but leaders have not had enough time to check the impact on pupils' outcomes. The school should ensure that the impact of these changes is fully evaluated to ensure that they are making the difference intended.
  • A small number of pupils miss too much time in school. This has an impact on the progress of these pupils, and they miss out on the opportunities for learning and personal development being provided by the school. The school should further strengthen its efforts to secure the regular attendance of all pupils.

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

27 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths56%

56%, 6 percentage points below the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths11%

11%, 3 percentage points above the England average of 8%.

Reading, average scaled score106

106, the same as the England average.

Maths, average scaled score104

104, 1 below the England average of 105.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling, average scaled score105

105, the same as the England average.

Pupil numbers and mix

415 pupils on roll, with places for 450

Eligible for free school meals11.6%

11.6%, 14.9 percentage points below the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language9.6%

9.6%, 12 percentage points below the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support15.7%

15.7%, 0.9 percentage points above the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan1.4%

1.4%, 4.6 percentage points below the England average of 6%.

Schools near St Catherine's Church of England Primary School

SchoolDistanceOfstedResults
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School0.4 milesOfsted judgements: Good to outstanding68% met the expected standard
Kingshill Infant School0.6 milesOfsted: GoodNot published
St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Junior School0.7 milesOfsted: Good65% met the expected standard
Christ Church CofE (VA) Primary School and Nursery0.7 milesOfsted: Good54% met the expected standard
Wheatcroft Primary School1 mileOfsted: Good51% met the expected standard

School details

School type
Voluntary controlled school
Sector
Local authority maintained
Age range
3 to 11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Nursery classes
Yes
Headteacher
Mrs Hazel Leslie
Address
Park Road, Ware, SG12 0AW
Local authority
Hertfordshire
URN
117410

School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.