St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, Camberley Review 2026: High-Performing Catholic Primary with Strong Pastoral Culture

Strong outcomes sit alongside a clear pastoral focus at St Augustine’s, a two-form entry Catholic primary in Frimley serving families across the parishes of Camberley and Bagshot and Frimley. In 2024, 91% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, with high proportions also meeting the expected standard in each subject area. The school is also oversubscribed for Reception places, so timing and paperwork matter, particularly for families applying under faith criteria.

Day-to-day life is structured and purposeful, with a strong emphasis on kindness, responsibility and leadership opportunities. Breakfast Club and STARs Club provide wraparound options, and school tours are scheduled for September 2026 Reception admission.

The school’s identity is explicitly Catholic, and it is presented as a lived culture rather than a badge. The mission statement focuses on love for God, self and others, with prayer and worship integrated into routines and assemblies, and Key Stage 2 Masses taking place on selected feast days. For many families, this creates continuity between parish life and school life, and it also shapes expectations around behaviour, service and community responsibility.

Leadership opportunities are a visible feature. Peer mediators, school council roles, and structured pupil responsibilities are part of how the school encourages independence and empathy. The wider development offer extends beyond “clubs for fun” and is linked to practical skills, including projects framed around enterprise and responsibility.

A useful piece of context is the site itself. The present purpose-built building on Tomlinscote Way dates from a move in November 1996, and the school later added a purpose-built Arts Block opened in 2010. That practical, functional history aligns with the school’s present-day emphasis on clear routines and purposeful use of time.

For a primary school, the published outcomes are hard to ignore. In 2024, 91.33% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with an England average of 62%. Science was recorded at 100% meeting the expected standard, with 94% meeting the expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Reading (95%) and maths (98%) are also high.

Depth is a second strength. 38% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with an England average of 8%.

The scaled scores reinforce the same picture: reading 110, maths 109, and grammar, punctuation and spelling 110. For families comparing local options, these are the kinds of figures that usually reflect consistent teaching and well-established routines for practice and retrieval.

Rankings add further context. Ranked 566th in England and 1st in Camberley for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school sits well above the England average, within the top 10% of primaries in England.

For parents researching alternatives, FindMySchool’s Local Hub comparison tools can help you place these results alongside nearby schools, without relying on anecdote or word of mouth.

Curriculum design is described as broad and ambitious, with clear attention to sequencing and vocabulary. A practical example used in official reporting is science vocabulary such as “oesophagus”, which signals a focus on precise language rather than vague understanding. That vocabulary thread matters for primary pupils because it tends to support reading comprehension, writing clarity, and confident talk across subjects.

Reading provision is structured from the early years and Key Stage 1, with consistent teaching of letter sounds and fluency building. Where pupils need extra practice, support is described as regular and targeted rather than occasional. The school also links texts across subjects, using class books to reinforce themes such as equality in history and English, which is a practical model of joined-up curriculum planning.

Assessment use is broadly effective, but not uniform across all subjects. In a small number of areas, assessment is not consistently used to identify gaps over time and adapt teaching. For families with children who need frequent consolidation, it is worth asking how the school is tightening practice in those specific subjects, and what “remembering over time” looks like in planning and homework expectations.

As a Catholic primary, the school’s community links and admissions geography often shape secondary choices. Many families look closely at Catholic secondary options and local comprehensive routes, and for some pupils there may also be interest in selective pathways depending on aptitude and family preference.

Transition tends to work best when families treat Year 5 as the planning year: attend secondary open events, clarify travel time, and understand whether faith-based supplementary forms are required for the secondary stage. If you are building a shortlist, the Saved Schools feature is a practical way to track deadlines and compare options consistently.

Reception admissions are coordinated through Surrey’s normal admissions round, with an additional step for families applying under faith criteria. The school’s Published Admission Number for Reception entry in September 2026 is 60.

The key point is that Catholic priority operates through oversubscription criteria, but non-Catholic families can still apply. For Catholic applications, evidence of baptism or reception into the Catholic Church is required for relevant categories, and parish residence can also be relevant within the priority order. The policy explicitly references serving the Catholic community in the parishes of Camberley and Bagshot and Frimley.

Deadlines are non-negotiable. For September 2026 entry, the on-time closing date for Surrey primary applications is 15 January 2026, and Surrey states applications open from 3 November 2025. Offer notifications for Surrey paper applicants are issued on 16 April 2026.

Demand is real. For the primary entry route in the provided demand data, there were 133 applications for 59 offers, a ratio of 2.25 applications per place, with first preferences also exceeding offers. That does not mean every year will look identical, but it does indicate that families should treat this as a competitive option and plan backups early.

Tours are scheduled specifically for September 2026 Reception admission, and booking is required via the school’s tour request process.

A clear, staged approach to wellbeing support is published, including whole-school practices (assemblies, PSHE, Zones of Regulation) and additional support routes such as an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA). The practical benefit for families is clarity: pupils who need short-term help can often receive it within everyday school systems, while more complex needs can be escalated through a graduated approach.

Support for pupils with special educational needs is described as timely, with needs identified and addressed quickly and impact checked over time. That emphasis on follow-through matters because it reduces the risk of pupils receiving “support on paper” without measurable effect.

The latest Ofsted inspection in November 2023 rated the school Good overall, with Outstanding judgements for Behaviour and attitudes and for Personal development.

This is not a school where enrichment is treated as optional add-on. Leadership roles are part of the wider experience, and pupils are encouraged to take responsibility through council roles and peer mediation. That is a useful indicator for parents who want a primary that builds independence and decision-making, not just academic confidence.

The clubs picture is broad, with both school-led and external-provider options appearing in published club listings. Examples include French Club and Polish Club, alongside sport options such as football, dodgeball and multisport, plus coding and judo opportunities. Choir and chess are also referenced in official reporting, suggesting that the programme is not sport-only and includes quieter, skill-based options as well.

Wraparound is clearly part of the offer. Breakfast Club is provided from 7.30am, and STARs Club runs after school into the early evening on published timings. For families with commuting needs, that can be the deciding factor between otherwise similar local schools.

The school day starts with registration at 8.50am and finishes at 3.20pm, with gates open from 8.30am.

For travel and drop-off, the school publishes parking and site-flow arrangements for parents and visitors, which suggests that congestion at peak times is taken seriously and managed through clear routines.

• Competition for Reception places. The available demand data shows more than two applications per place in the most recent intake data provided, so families should treat admission as competitive and keep realistic backup options.

• Faith paperwork matters. Applying under Catholic criteria is not only about selecting the school on the local authority form, it can also require the school’s supplementary form and supporting evidence by the deadline. Missing documentation can affect prioritisation.

• Assessment is stronger in some subjects than others. Official reporting highlights a small number of subjects where assessment is not consistently used to close gaps over time. It is worth asking how leaders are tightening this and how parents will see progress reported.

• Wraparound works best with planning. Breakfast Club and STARs Club are available, but families should confirm availability, booking process and expectations early, particularly if childcare is non-negotiable for work patterns.

St Augustine’s is a high-performing Catholic primary with a clear emphasis on behaviour, personal development and leadership, supported by strong academic outcomes. Best suited to families who want a faith-informed education with structured routines, ambitious curriculum expectations, and practical wraparound options. The main constraint is admissions competitiveness, so the strongest applications are typically the most organised ones.