St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School, Brixham Review 2026: Small Catholic primary with renewed momentum

What can be said with confidence is that the current external benchmark is a whole-school Good judgement, with consistent grades across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years.

For parents comparing local options, this is a school where the most up-to-date public evidence is inspection-led rather than data-led. If you are shortlisting several local primaries, it is worth using the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tools to line up what is available across schools that do publish comparable results, then returning to what the inspection and school information tell you about day-to-day fit.

Curriculum intent is framed through values and a broad enrichment offer. The school describes lunchtime and after-school clubs as part of how learning is extended beyond lessons, rather than as simple childcare add-ons.

Specific examples help here. Science enrichment is described in unusually concrete terms for a primary: the science club meets weekly after school, and the school gives clear examples of activities such as chromatography, night-sky work including constellation viewers and phases of the moon, and practical experiments exploring sound. The implication is that science is treated as hands-on and curiosity-driven, not just worksheet-based.

In PE and sport, the school describes structured opportunities on top of regular curriculum PE, with after-school sports clubs and a rotating focus shaped by pupil choice, including activities such as tag rugby, gymnastics, cricket, and basketball.

As a primary to age 11, the key transition is to secondary school.

The school’s own website does not publish a destination pattern to named secondaries, and the does not include destination data for this phase. In practice, next-step options will be shaped by home address, admissions criteria, and family preference across the Torbay and wider Devon area. For families weighing likely routes, the most useful next step is to check Torbay’s admissions information and cross-reference your preferred secondary options, then sanity-check travel time and feasibility.

Demand indicators suggest competition for places. For the most recent admissions data available there were 12 applications for 7 offers, 1.71 applications per place, with the route labelled Oversubscribed. These numbers point to a school where first choice demand can exceed available places, even though cohort sizes are small. (Results values supplied in your input.)

For September 2026 entry, Torbay’s published timetable confirms the key coordinated admissions dates for Reception. Applications open 1 November 2025, close 15 January 2026, and offers are issued 16 April 2026.

Two practical implications follow:

1. Families need to work backwards from the January deadline, especially if they may need to supply additional evidence or forms.

2. Late applications are clearly flagged by the local authority as potentially disadvantaged.

The school’s own admissions page states that Plymouth CAST is the admissions authority and that admissions policies are published by academic year. Torbay also notes that some schools require a supplementary information form, and families must complete this alongside the main application where applicable. For Catholic schools, supplementary faith information is commonly part of how oversubscription criteria are applied, so it is sensible to check the current policy for exactly what is requested and by when.

The school foregrounds safeguarding structure and identifies named safeguarding roles, including the headteacher as Designated Safeguarding Lead and senior staff as deputies. For parents, the practical value here is clarity: you can see who holds responsibility and how the safeguarding team is organised.

The broader pastoral tone is strongly shaped by Catholic life and community practices, with consistent references to prayer, reflection, and shared rituals, which can support calm routines for younger children and a clear moral vocabulary for older pupils.

This is one of the school’s clearest differentiators, because it names activities rather than relying on generic claims.

Science Club (example, evidence, implication)

Example: Science is treated as exploratory and practical.

Evidence: The school describes weekly sessions featuring chromatography, astronomy-related projects, phases of the moon, and sound experiments.

Implication: Pupils who learn best by doing, or who need a hook to stay engaged, may find this kind of enrichment builds confidence and vocabulary that carries back into lessons.

Gardening and Eco work (example, evidence, implication)

Example: Outdoor learning includes improving the school site and biodiversity.

Evidence: Gardening club is described as running after school during parts of spring and summer, involving Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils, parent helpers, and links with the Eco-Committee, including projects such as enhancing a memory garden and revamping a bug hotel.

Implication: This suits children who respond well to responsibility and hands-on projects, and it can be a constructive route into science, care for the environment, and teamwork.

Sports and active clubs (example, evidence, implication)

Example: Sport extends beyond curriculum PE.

Evidence: The club list includes activities such as scooter hockey, zorbing, hover boarding, gymnastics, and football, alongside rotating after-school sports themes.

Implication: Children who need structured outlets for energy have multiple routes to find something that fits, not just a single team sport.

The school states a school day of 8.45am to 3.15pm, equating to 32.5 hours of schooling per week.

Wraparound care information is not set out in a single detailed timetable on the school site pages surfaced in research. However, staffing information indicates breakfast club operates two days per week and after-school club five days per week, delivered through a sports provider role listed on the staff page. Families who need consistent wraparound should confirm days, times, and booking expectations directly with the school.

• Small school dynamics. With mixed-age classes and a small roll, friendship groups are limited and social dynamics can feel more intense for some children. The upside is consistency and familiarity; the downside is fewer “fresh starts” within year groups.

• Oversubscription risk. The figures indicate more applications than offers in the most recent year shown, which can make outcomes hard to predict. If you are on the boundary of likely allocation, use precise distance and preference planning tools before relying on a place. (Results values supplied in your input.)

• Faith expectations. The Catholic character is evident in daily routines and school language. Families comfortable with prayer, liturgy, and a Gospel-values frame will find alignment; families seeking a more secular atmosphere should weigh fit carefully.

• Wraparound clarity. There are indicators that breakfast and after-school provision exists, but published detail is limited in the pages found. If wraparound is non-negotiable for your working pattern, verify the current schedule early.

A small Catholic primary with clear routines, strong faith identity, and a practical approach to enrichment that shows up in tangible clubs and outdoor projects. Best suited to families who want a state-funded primary where Gospel values and daily prayer are integrated into school life, and who value a smaller setting with mixed-age classes. Entry remains the main hurdle, particularly in years where demand outstrips places.