Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #246 in Devon public Top 97% UK

St Nicholas Catholic Primary School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMrs Cathy Blatchford

corporate_farePLYMOUTH CAST

location_onExeter, EX1 3EG

language Visit Website phone 1392445403

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2024

groups

Students

313

school

Expected Standard

32%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

0.7x

summarize

St Nicholas Catholic Primary School is a Academy sponsor led primary school in Exeter, serving ages 3-11. Rated Good by Ofsted. Ranks in the top 97% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

St Nicholas Catholic Primary School is an academy sponsor led in Exeter, Devon, admitting pupils aged 3-11. It is part of PLYMOUTH CAST. The school has approximately 326 pupils on roll, of whom 17% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 32% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined. The school ranks #246 of 266 primaries in Devon and #13,818 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2024. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Requires improvement, behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement, personal development Good, and leadership and management Requires improvement.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.7× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 19.7:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.7 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

32%

LA 57%

Reading66% LA 75%

Writing45% LA 67%

Maths64% LA 71%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

101

GPS SS

101

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

46%

LA 55%England 61%

Reading59% LA 75% · Eng 74%

Writing62% LA 66% · Eng 72%

Maths59% LA 68% · Eng 73%

Read SS

101

Maths SS

100

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

58%

LA 55%England 60%

Reading67% LA 73% · Eng 73%

Writing65% LA 66% · Eng 71%

Maths65% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

-1.4

Read

LA 0.3

-3.4 to 0.6

-0.5

Write

LA -0.7

-2.4 to 1.4

-1.9

Maths

LA -0.9

-3.8 to -0.1

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

65%

LA 63%England 65%

Reading79% LA 75% · Eng 73%

Writing73% LA 75% · Eng 78%

Maths69% LA 76% · Eng 79%

Read SS

105

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

105

Progress (0 = national avg)

-0.6

Read

LA 0.3

-2.3 to 1.2

-2.2

Write

LA -1.0

-3.9 to -0.6

-3.9

Maths

LA -1.0

-5.5 to -2.4

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

60%

LA 63%

Reading81% LA 77%

Writing77% LA 76%

Maths72% LA 73%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

103

GPS SS

104

Progress (0 = national avg)

-0.3

Read

LA 0.2

-2.1 to 1.5

-1.3

Write

LA -0.8

-3 to 0.4

-1.8

Maths

LA -0.7

-3.4 to -0.2

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

24 September 2024

Inspection Report

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27 November 2018

Inspection Report

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25 February 2015

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2024-09-24

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Good

Leadership

Requires improvement

2018-11-27

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2015-02-25

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

3.4%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.1%(7 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 326 pupils. During this period, there were 11 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 3.4%, which is above the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	326	11	3.4%	0.8%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	330	7	2.1%	0.9%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	337	2	0.6%	0.8%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	313	7	2.2%	0.7%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	301	1	0.3%	0.8%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	320	6	1.9%	0.7%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	313	3	1.0%	0.6%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	298	2	0.7%	0.6%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	322	1	0.3%	0.5%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	320	3	0.9%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	306	5	1.6%	0.5%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	314	1	0.3%	0.4%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	303	0	0.0%	0.1%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	292	1	0.3%	0.4%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	314	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	314	3	1.0%	0.4%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	302	4	1.3%	0.6%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	323	5	1.5%	0.4%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	319	2	0.6%	0.5%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	315	4	1.3%	0.5%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	338	10	3.0%	0.5%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	339	2	0.6%	0.4%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	330	1	0.3%	0.5%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	339	3	0.9%	0.4%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	338	0	0.0%	0.4%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	331	7	2.1%	0.5%	1

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Speech, Language & Communication 46 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 11 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 9 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 3 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 3 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 2 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

Physical Disability 1 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

80.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

80.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

6.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree27%

agree42%

disagree20%

strongly disagree4%

don't know7%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree16%

agree36%

disagree29%

strongly disagree16%

don't know4%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree18%

agree33%

disagree22%

strongly disagree11%

don't know2%

not applicable13%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes31%

no69%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree21%

agree14%

disagree50%

strongly disagree14%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree16%

agree58%

disagree11%

strongly disagree9%

don't know7%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree29%

agree42%

disagree22%

strongly disagree4%

don't know2%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree27%

agree42%

disagree27%

strongly disagree2%

don't know2%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree20%

agree58%

disagree4%

strongly disagree7%

don't know11%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree18%

agree49%

disagree16%

strongly disagree7%

don't know11%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree16%

agree49%

disagree22%

strongly disagree4%

don't know9%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes58%

no42%

Top Primary Schools in Devon

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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The Grove School

Good

location_on Totnes, TQ9 5ED

emoji_events #1 in LA

Canada Hill Community Primary School

Good

location_on Newton Abbot, TQ12 6YS

emoji_events #2 in LA

Stowford School

Good

location_on Ivybridge, PL21 0BG

emoji_events #3 in LA

Bickleigh Down Church of England Primary School

Good

location_on Plymouth, PL6 7JW

emoji_events #4 in LA

Witheridge Church of England Primary Academy

Good

location_on Tiverton, EX16 8AH

emoji_events #5 in LA

Ashleigh CofE Primary School

Good

location_on Barnstaple, EX32 8LJ

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Devon arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Roman Catholic)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Devon

The Grove School

Canada Hill Community Primary School

Stowford School

Bickleigh Down Church of England Primary School

Witheridge Church of England Primary Academy

Ashleigh CofE Primary School