St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, Slough Review 2026: Catholic primary with strong KS2 outcomes and an unusually rich leadership culture

A primary where pupils are trusted with real responsibility, and where faith, service, and everyday routine are tightly connected. Leadership roles such as Prime Minister, prefect, and mission leader sit alongside a structured day that includes a daily candle-lit reflection time.

Academically, the 2024 Key Stage 2 picture is clear. 81% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, ahead of the England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 24% achieved greater depth across reading, writing and mathematics, compared with 8% across England. This places the school comfortably within the top 25% of primary schools in England for outcomes.

Admissions are competitive. In the most recent Reception entry data available here, there were 88 applications for 57 offers, which is about 1.54 applications per place. For families who value a Catholic ethos that is lived rather than labelled, this is a school worth shortlisting early.

The strongest through-line is mission with structure. Pupils are expected to take part, not just comply. The Mission Team is a good example, it is a pupil group that meets weekly with Mrs Quinn to plan actions and service projects, and it is presented as a genuine leadership pathway rather than an occasional council meeting.

The Catholic Schools Inspectorate report dated 19 to 20 June 2025 describes a mission-led culture with exemplary behaviour and a strong focus on Catholic social teaching, especially around supporting those in greatest need locally and globally. It also highlights a pupil voice that links faith to action, which is what many families mean when they say they want values to be more than posters.

Daily rhythm matters here. The school day includes a 3:15pm class reflection, with a candle lit as pupils think through what went well and what they would improve. That small, repeated practice often signals a calm end to the day and a consistent language for self-regulation.

Nursery provision is part of the community, but it comes with an important practical caveat. Nursery entry does not guarantee a Reception place. That is explicit in the admissions information, and it is a point parents sometimes miss when they assume internal progression is automatic.

The Key Stage 2 data for 2024 is strong across the core measures.

• Reading, writing and mathematics combined, 81% met the expected standard, compared with 62% across England.

• At the higher standard, 24% achieved greater depth across reading, writing and mathematics, compared with 8% across England.

• Average scaled scores were 107 for reading, 107 for mathematics, and 109 for grammar, punctuation and spelling.

• Science is also a strength, with 86% meeting the expected standard.

For parents who like a clear sense of relative performance, the school ranks 2,430th in England and 15th in Slough for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). That level of ranking typically corresponds to being above England average and comfortably within the top quarter of schools nationally for results.

A useful way to interpret the numbers is by balance. Results are not being held up by one outlier measure, reading, mathematics, GPS, science, and the combined indicator all point in the same direction. For families comparing local options, the FindMySchool local hub and comparison tool can help you view these figures side-by-side with nearby primaries using the same measures.

The most recent Ofsted report (4 and 5 March 2025) points to a curriculum that has been improved significantly and is described as ambitious, broad, and balanced. In practical terms, that usually means tighter sequencing of knowledge and clearer consistency between classes, which matters in a larger primary where multiple classes per year group can otherwise drift in approach.

Religious education has its own clear strengths and next steps. The Catholic Schools Inspectorate report (June 2025) grades religious education at 2, with a specific improvement focus on challenge for more able pupils and clarity of learning intentions, while noting strong use of scripture and good adaptations for pupils with additional needs. For families who want faith education taken seriously as a subject, this is useful detail: it suggests a department that has direction, not complacency.

Nursery and early years sit within the same wider culture rather than feeling like a separate mini-setting. The Catholic Schools Inspectorate report describes Reception learning linking themes such as friendship to concepts like dignity and sharing, which gives a sense of how values and early learning are integrated without forcing abstraction too early.

As a primary school, the most important transition is into Year 7. What is published focuses less on named destinations and more on the process, especially for pupils with additional needs. The SEND information reports that the SENDCo liaises directly with the SENDCo of the receiving secondary school, with EHCP annual reviews inviting the secondary SENDCo where timings allow. That sort of coordination often reduces the friction of transition for families who have had to fight for consistency elsewhere.

For Catholic secondary progression, families often look first at the local Catholic secondary within the same trust family, St Joseph’s Catholic High School is part of the St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust, so there is a natural faith and governance alignment, even though admissions are separate and not automatic.

This is a state school, so there are no tuition fees, but entry is governed by formal admissions rules and deadlines.

For Reception entry for September 2026 (children born 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2022), Slough’s coordinated primary admissions timeline lists:

• Online applications open on 1 September 2025

• Deadline of 15 January 2026

• Offer day on 16 April 2026

Because the school is Catholic, the trust admissions policy for Slough primaries also requires a Supplementary Admission Form to be returned directly to the school by the same date as the local authority deadline for the normal admissions round. The published admission number for Reception is 60.

Oversubscription criteria prioritise, in order, looked-after and previously looked-after children, then Catholic children (with parish and sibling considerations), then other Christian denominations supported by a minister, then children of other faiths supported by a religious leader, then any other children. Where applications fall within the same category, distance is used as a tie-break, measured by the local authority system.

Nursery admissions work differently. The school states that nursery applications can be submitted and accepted from the March before a child is due to start Nursery, and it is explicit that a Nursery place does not guarantee a Reception place.

Given the competitiveness shown in the most recent applications and offers data, it is sensible to use the FindMySchool Map Search early, especially if you are weighing multiple Catholic options and want to understand how distance-based tie-breaks could interact with the faith criteria in a high-demand year.

Pastoral culture is one of the clearest differentiators between superficially similar primaries. Here, there is consistent evidence of care paired with expectations.

The March 2025 Ofsted report describes warm relationships, calm focus in lessons and around the school, and pupils treating one another with respect and kindness. It also highlights pupils supporting others at playtimes by leading group games successfully, which points to peer-led culture rather than adult-only behaviour management.

The Catholic Schools Inspectorate report adds more specific pastoral mechanisms. It references a peace room used to support pupils in bereavement (including the practice of lighting a candle), and it characterises pastoral care as very strong, with special attention and support to those experiencing difficulties.

Attendance and punctuality are treated as part of wellbeing and learning rather than a compliance exercise, with structured rewards such as a 100% club and class-based incentives. That often matters in a larger school because norms need to be taught consistently and repeated often.

Extracurricular life is not just a list here, it is built around specific, named opportunities that show up repeatedly in published material.

Two school-specific examples that stand out:

• Mission Team: a weekly pupil leadership group involved in prayer, charity work, and representing the school in diocesan events, with a clear set of responsibilities rather than a loose remit.

• Little Tanks: an after-school drama club designed explicitly to build confidence and culminate in a small-scale show at the end of term.

Sports and activities rotate, but there is evidence of both school-led and specialist-led provision. The school’s extra-curricular clubs page shows examples like KS2 Basketball and Karate for all years in Stafford Hall, with sign-up managed through ParentPay.

Past letters and club communications also reference themed enrichment such as Magical Maths, cookery, and cricket sessions run through Dynamos Cricket Club. For children who are not naturally drawn to the standard sports menu, clubs like Magical Maths or drama can be the difference between tolerating after-school time and genuinely looking forward to it.

Creative performance is also positioned as inclusive. The March 2025 Ofsted report states that annual year-group productions, including examples such as operas or A Christmas Carol, include every pupil, with an emphasis on developing oracy and performance.

The school operates a structured week that is designed to maximise teaching time while still supporting working families.

Key published routine details include:

• Breakfast Club runs from 8:00am for Reception to Year 6, described as a free service, with activities supported by staff.

• Registration begins at 8:30am.

• Monday to Thursday finish is 3:30pm.

• Friday finish for pupils is 1:30pm, with an option for some pupils to remain until 3:30pm where parents require it.

Break and lunch are consistent across the school, with a 15-minute morning break from 11:00am, and lunch from 12:15pm to 1:15pm, with access to an outdoor adventure playground and a field.

For travel, the setting is on the Slough side of Farnham Royal, close to the Buckinghamshire border. Slough and Burnham stations, both on the Elizabeth line, are the typical rail anchors for families commuting by train, with local bus links along Farnham Road supporting short-hop journeys.

Wraparound care beyond breakfast provision is partly published through after-school clubs and the Friday afternoon option; if you need a consistent paid after-school place every day, confirm the current pattern directly with the school, as the published information focuses more on clubs and timetabled structures than on a single universal after-school care model.

• Catholic admissions priorities. The school is clear that Catholic character shapes admissions priorities, and a Supplementary Admission Form is required alongside the local authority application in the normal admissions round. Families who are not practising Catholics can still apply, but should read the criteria carefully and be realistic in a high-demand year.

• Nursery is not a guaranteed route into Reception. Nursery places do not automatically convert into Reception places, even when a child is thriving. Plan for Reception as a separate application process.

• Oversubscription is real. With 88 applications for 57 offers in the most recent data point here, demand exceeds supply. Early planning matters, especially if you are balancing multiple schools and trying to keep childcare and commute stable.

• Faith life is active and structured. Practices such as Child Led Worship, a Mission Team, and the language of Catholic social teaching are prominent. Families seeking a lightly faith-flavoured school may find the Catholic identity more embedded than expected.

A high-performing Catholic primary with a clear sense of identity and a culture that takes pupil leadership seriously. Results at Key Stage 2 are comfortably above England averages, and the published evidence points to calm, respectful behaviour and a school day built around routines that promote reflection and responsibility.

Best suited to families who want a Catholic ethos expressed through service, worship, and daily structure, and who are ready to engage early with admissions requirements. The main barrier is securing a place in an oversubscribed year.