St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Harrow Review 2026: High-attaining Catholic primary with a strong community focus

A two-form entry Catholic primary serving Kenton families, St Bernadette’s combines a clear faith ethos with academic outcomes that stand out in England comparisons. It opened in 1953 and now educates pupils from Nursery through Year 6, with a Published Admission Number of 60 for Reception entry. The school is part of the All Saints’ Trust and has invested heavily in pupil leadership and wellbeing, including named roles such as wellbeing ambassadors and sports leaders. For parents weighing shortlists, the headline is consistency: strong Key Stage 2 performance, a structured approach to reading and phonics, and admissions that are competitive and faith-prioritised.

The school’s Catholic identity shapes daily life, from the language of values and moral teaching through to how community service and personal responsibility are framed. That does not mean the intake is narrow. The school itself describes a mixed-faith community alongside Catholic families, which is reflected in how it positions inclusion and belonging.

There is also a deliberate emphasis on pupil voice. Wellbeing ambassadors and sports leaders are not token roles; they sit alongside a wider pattern of children being expected to take responsibility for each other and for routines in shared spaces. In practice, that tends to show up as calm corridors, purposeful classrooms, and older pupils supporting younger ones at breaktimes.

Leadership is stable, with Mr David O’Farrell as headteacher (also holding a trust leadership role as Deputy CEO). The school sits within a wider trust structure, but retains a clear local identity anchored in parish life around Kenton.

The school’s Catholic identity shapes daily life, from the language of values and moral teaching through to how community service and personal responsibility are framed. That does not mean the intake is narrow. The school itself describes a mixed-faith community alongside Catholic families, which is reflected in how it positions inclusion and belonging.

There is also a deliberate emphasis on pupil voice. Wellbeing ambassadors and sports leaders are not token roles; they sit alongside a wider pattern of children being expected to take responsibility for each other and for routines in shared spaces. In practice, that tends to show up as calm corridors, purposeful classrooms, and purposeful movement around the site.

Leadership is stable, with Mr David O’Farrell as headteacher (also holding a trust leadership role as Deputy CEO). The school sits within a wider trust structure, but retains a clear local identity anchored in parish life around Kenton.

Key Stage 2 outcomes are a major strength. In 2024, 91% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 35% reached greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with the England average of 8%. Reading is especially strong, with an average scaled score of 109, while mathematics sits at 107. Grammar, punctuation and spelling also comes in at 107.

These results place the school comfortably above England average. On FindMySchool’s proprietary ranking (based on official attainment data), St Bernadette’s is ranked 2,236th in England for primary outcomes and 26th within Harrow. Put plainly, that sits above England average, placing it within the top 25% of schools in England.

The pattern behind the numbers matters for parents. High combined attainment alongside strong reading indicators usually signals a school where curriculum sequencing, vocabulary development, and knowledge retention are taken seriously across year groups, rather than relying on last-minute Year 6 boosts.

The curriculum is planned as a coherent journey from early years through to Year 6, with learning organised around structured questions and links across subjects. One concrete example used to bring history to life is a small in-school “museum” approach, enabling pupils to handle, see, or interpret objects and images that help them make sense of the past.

Reading is treated as a whole-school priority. Pupils encounter carefully chosen texts that are used to prompt discussion and age-appropriate debate, including themes such as emotions, conflict management, and caring for the environment. Phonics begins promptly at the start of Reception and is delivered with a consistent approach by trained staff. When children fall behind in reading, the school uses targeted support designed to help them catch up quickly.

A distinctive strand is how personal development content is woven into academic learning. Financial literacy is used in older year groups to link values, decision-making, and real-world concepts. That sort of cross-curricular work can suit pupils who enjoy connecting ideas across lessons, and it often helps parents see how learning links to life beyond school.

Nursery and Reception are part of this continuum, although the early years picture is slightly different to the rest of the school, which is worth understanding (see Things to Consider).

As a primary school, the main transition point is Year 6 into secondary education. Families in this part of Harrow often consider a mix of local community secondaries, faith schools, and schools in neighbouring boroughs, depending on travel patterns and admissions priorities. Catholic secondary options in the wider local area include Salvatorian College and The Sacred Heart Language College, both referenced in Harrow’s secondary admissions guidance, and some families also look across borough boundaries where travel is workable.

The practical takeaway is timeline management. Secondary transfer applications for September 2026 entry in Harrow follow a 31 October 2025 deadline, with offers released on 02 March 2026. For faith secondary schools, families should also expect a supplementary form route alongside the local authority application, and in some cases an additional priest reference requirement.

For parents planning ahead, it is useful to treat Year 5 summer and Year 6 autumn as the key decision window. This is when open events usually cluster and when children benefit from a steady routine that keeps attendance and learning momentum high. FindMySchool’s tools can help here, particularly the Map Search for travel-time sense checks and shortlist planning across borough lines.

Reception entry is competitive. For the Reception intake route, the school has 60 offers available and received 164 applications, a ratio of 2.73 applications per place, which aligns with its oversubscribed status. This is not a “try your luck” school; families benefit from understanding criteria early and preparing documentation well ahead of the deadline.

Admissions are faith-prioritised. The published oversubscription framework places Catholic looked-after children first, followed by categories that include Catholic children of staff, Catholic children living in All Saints’ Parish (Kenton), and Catholic children in neighbouring parishes. Evidence matters: practising Catholic applicants are expected to provide a Certificate of Catholic Practice, alongside the school’s supplementary information form, and relevant certificates where applicable. Where categories are oversubscribed, the tie-break sequence includes exceptional circumstances evidence, siblings, and distance measurements, with a random allocation mechanism if applicants are exactly equidistant.

Applications are coordinated through the local authority route for the borough you live in, but the supplementary form and faith documentation are submitted directly to the school. For September 2026 entry, the key dates published by the school are: applications open 01 September 2025, close 15 January 2026, outcomes released 16 April 2026, acceptance deadline 30 April 2026, and appeals paperwork due by 15 May 2026.

Nursery entry

Nursery admissions are separate from Reception. The Nursery application form sets out morning sessions (08:30 to 11:30) and afternoon sessions (12:00 to 15:00), and it is explicit that Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. For nursery fee details, families should use the school’s published charging policy and the government-funded early years entitlement guidance for eligible children.

Pastoral care is practical and visible rather than abstract. Pupils are expected to take responsibility for conduct and to support each other, and the school builds this through structured roles and routines. Wellbeing ambassadors and sports leaders contribute to playtime inclusion, and the wider programme encourages pupils to understand health, fitness, and habits as part of school life.

The latest Ofsted inspection (26 to 27 November 2024) graded Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, and Leadership and Management as Outstanding, with Early Years provision graded Good. Safeguarding is confirmed as effective.

Support for pupils with additional needs is framed around early identification and adaptation so pupils can access the full curriculum, which is often what parents most want to hear when they are balancing high expectations with inclusion.

Extracurricular life has a strong sport and movement theme, and it is more specific than the generic “clubs after school” offer. Football provision for Years 5 and 6 includes coaching links with Wealdstone FC and Barnet FC coaches. Families can also access structured activity providers on-site, including Boxercise, Irish dancing through The Irish Dance Academy (TIDA), and Zumba sessions.

The wider development strand links back to classroom priorities. Book culture is supported through activities such as a book club, and enrichment includes trips, including overseas travel in some years. Fitness is treated as a programme rather than just a timetable slot, with Fit4Life content and routines such as the daily mile forming part of the wider wellbeing approach.

For parents, the implication is that the school’s enrichment is aligned to its ethos: pupils are encouraged to be active, to take responsibility, and to participate, rather than treating clubs as optional extras for a small subset.

The school day runs from 08:40 to 15:20, with gates opening at 08:30. Breakfast club operates from 07:45 and after-school club runs until 18:00. The school publishes charges of £4 per child for breakfast club and £10 per child for after-school club. Wraparound provision is offered on-site for Reception through Year 6.

For travel, Clifton Road sits close to residential Kenton routes and green space by Queensbury Recreation Ground. Many families use local bus routes and nearby Underground connections, with Jubilee line access at Queensbury and Bakerloo line access via Kenton for those commuting beyond the immediate area.

• Competitive, faith-prioritised entry. With 164 applications for 60 Reception places, admissions are pressured. Families need to understand the Catholic criteria, parish priority, and documentation requirements early.

• Nursery is not a guaranteed route into Reception. The Nursery and Reception admissions processes are separate, and attendance in Nursery does not secure a school place later.

• Early years differs slightly from the rest of the school. The most recent inspection graded Early Years as Good while the main judgements were Outstanding, which may matter for families focused primarily on Nursery and Reception experience.

• Paperwork discipline matters. The local authority application is only one part of the process. The supplementary form and faith evidence are central to being correctly ranked in oversubscription categories.

St Bernadette’s offers a rare combination: high attainment, strong reading and maths indicators, and a Catholic ethos that is integrated into daily expectations around behaviour and responsibility. It suits families who value a faith-shaped community, clear routines, and ambitious academic outcomes, and who are ready to engage properly with the admissions process and deadlines. The main constraint is not educational quality, it is securing a place.