Our Lady’s Catholic Academy Review 2026, Catholic primary with a strong early years offer in Fenton

Because this is a primary, the most meaningful published benchmark is the Key Stage 2 set.

Key Stage 2, how outcomes compare

In 2024, 77.33% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 11.67% reached greater depth in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with an England average of 8%.

The component measures add useful context:

• Reading scaled score: 104

• Mathematics scaled score: 102

• Grammar, punctuation and spelling scaled score: 104

• Expected standard reached by subject: 77% in reading, 74% in maths, 77% in grammar, punctuation and spelling, and 77% in science

Those figures describe a school where a broad majority reach the expected level, and where higher standard outcomes are present but not dominant.

How the FindMySchool ranking frames the picture

FindMySchool’s primary ranking (based on official data) places the academy 10,502nd in England and 75th in Stoke-on-Trent. This sits in the “below England average” distribution band, which can happen when results fluctuate across cohorts, or when some sub-measures pull down the overall profile even if the headline expected-standard figure is above the England average.

Parents comparing options locally should use FindMySchool’s Local Hub and Comparison Tool to line up these outcomes against nearby schools, rather than relying on a single headline percentage.

What the inspection evidence adds

The latest published inspection evidence emphasises reading as a whole-school priority, with phonics mapped through early years and Key Stage 1, and staff supporting pupils who fall behind. It also flags a specific improvement point: in a small number of foundation subjects, including geography, curriculum plans had too much content which reduced depth and left gaps.

This is the kind of detail that matters to parents because it is practical. A school can be strong on the basics and still be tightening up foundation-subject sequencing. If your child is a keen geographer or thrives on topic depth, it is worth asking what has changed since 2021 in how the foundation subjects are planned and revisited.

Teaching here is easiest to understand as “priority-led”. Reading and early mathematics are clearly positioned as the non-negotiables, starting in the early years and continuing as pupils move through Key Stage 1. The inspection evidence describes a step-by-step approach to explanation and questioning that probes understanding, plus additional support for pupils who need to catch up in phonics.

For parents, the implication is a school likely to suit children who benefit from structured explanations and repeated practice, especially in early reading. It is also a school where you should expect clear routines around how reading is taught, how pupils are grouped for phonics, and what happens when a child is not keeping up.

SEND support is described in the inspection evidence as well matched, with teaching assistants stepping in quickly when pupils need help, and teachers adjusting work to meet pupils’ needs. That is reassuring for families whose children need extra scaffolding, although it is still worth asking about practicalities: which interventions are used for reading, how progress is tracked, and how the school balances support with encouraging independence.

The curriculum’s local element, described as the Stoke curriculum, is another useful indicator. When a school treats local history and culture as worth knowing, it often raises engagement for pupils who might otherwise see learning as remote. It is also a helpful bridge for writing, vocabulary, and oracy, because local context gives pupils something real to talk about.

As a primary, most pupils will move into Stoke-on-Trent secondary provision at Year 7, with destinations shaped mainly by home address and the local coordinated admissions system, rather than by the primary “sending” pattern. The academy itself explicitly references working closely with St Thomas More Catholic Academy to support transition across phases, which will be relevant for families aiming for a Catholic secondary route.

Families who are committed to Catholic education should ask two practical questions early:

1. Which secondary schools are most common next steps for current Year 6 pupils, including Catholic options.

2. What transition support looks like in the summer term of Year 6, including visits, shared staff, or bridging projects with the receiving schools.

For families not specifically seeking a Catholic secondary, the best approach is to treat this primary choice as independent of the secondary question, then use the Local Authority admissions information to plan Year 7 separately.

Our Lady’s is a state-funded academy, so there are no tuition fees. Admissions, however, still require planning, and demand can exceed supply.

Reception entry, 2026 start

Stoke-on-Trent’s primary admissions round for Reception (September 2026 entry) opened in early November 2025 and closed on 15 January 2026, with offers issued on 16 April 2026.

The school’s own admissions page points parents to the local authority process and notes that online applications can close, after which families should contact the school for guidance on applying.

Nursery entry

The local authority timetable lists the nursery application round opening on 1 December 2025 and closing on 27 February 2026, with offers made on 15 May 2026.

Because nursery provision exists on site, this is a meaningful advantage for families who want continuity through to Reception. Even so, families should assume nothing is automatic unless the school explicitly states it, and should ask how nursery-to-Reception transition works in practice.

How competitive is it

For the most recent data point provided, the Reception entry route shows 35 applications for 22 offers, a ratio of about 1.59 applications per place, and the route is recorded as oversubscribed.

This is not a “queue round the block” ratio, but it is enough to make deadlines and criteria matter. If you are moving house, it also makes it sensible to ask how places were allocated in the last round and what the main tie-breaks tend to be.

Parents considering the academy should use FindMySchool’s Map Search tool to understand how location and criteria could affect their chances, then validate the detail against Stoke-on-Trent’s coordinated admissions guidance.

Pastoral in a primary often lives in the small operational details, who notices that a child is hungry, who checks in when attendance dips, and what happens when a pupil is worried about something.

Two pieces of evidence stand out. First, the Ofsted report states that safeguarding arrangements are effective and that pupils say they feel safe, alongside staff training and clear processes for raising concerns. Second, the school’s breakfast provision is unusually well specified. Magic Breakfast includes a staffed breakfast club in the school hall, with clear timings and a low per-session cost, plus classroom bagels available each morning.

Taken together, that suggests a school that takes wellbeing seriously in a practical, preventative way. Hunger, tiredness, and anxiety are barriers to learning, and this provision directly tackles one of the biggest early-morning obstacles.

The pupil leadership structure also hints at a culture where wellbeing is talkable. Having an explicit Mental Health and Wellbeing strand in pupil leadership roles, alongside Reading Ambassadors and School Council, signals that wellbeing is framed as part of school life, not just something that happens in a crisis.

A primary’s co-curricular strength should not be judged by how long the list is, but by whether activities are consistent, accessible, and linked to the school’s priorities.

Sport and physical confidence

Sport is organised with support from a specialist partner, Time 4 Sport, used to deliver PE, and the school reports after-school sport clubs for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 alongside additional training for competitions.

The PE reporting is also unusually detailed for a primary. The school publishes Year 6 swimming outcomes and states that, in 2024 to 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils could swim 25 metres and 86% could perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

The implication is a school that treats physical literacy as a core part of the offer, and that tracks outcomes rather than just “doing PE”.

Clubs, roles, and responsibility

A visible feature is the range of named pupil roles by year group. Reading Ambassadors and School Council are common in primaries, but the addition of an RE Catholic Life Team, ICT roles, Science and Food, and Mental Health and Wellbeing makes the structure feel broader and more intentional.

This matters for children who thrive on responsibility. It also provides softer opportunities for quieter pupils to contribute outside the “loudest hand up” dynamic.

Enrichment and the post-pandemic rebuild

The inspection evidence notes that pupils missed trips, clubs, and visitors during the pandemic period, and that leaders tried to provide alternatives, including a Farm in a Box experience. That is now several years in the past, but it is still a useful signal: leadership was actively trying to protect enrichment rather than suspending it indefinitely.

School day timings are clearly published. Doors open between 8:45am and 8:55am, with end-of-day times varying slightly by phase, 3:05pm for Nursery and Reception, 3:10pm for Years 1 and 2, and 3:15pm for Years 3 to 6.

Breakfast support is a prominent feature. The breakfast club runs from 8:00am, with staged finish times by year group, and costs £2 per session, with free places potentially available for families needing additional support.

The most recent inspection evidence also states that the school has both a breakfast club and an after-school club operating on site. If you need wraparound care, ask for the after-school club hours, booking process, and whether places are limited, as those operational details are not fully set out in the publicly available inspection extract.

• Results profile needs careful reading. The 2024 expected-standard figure is above the England average, but the wider ranking profile sits in a below-average distribution band. Families should look at multiple measures and ask how outcomes vary by cohort year.

• Curriculum depth in some foundation subjects. The latest published inspection evidence flagged that, in a small number of foundation subjects including geography, curriculum plans were too content-heavy which reduced depth and led to gaps. Ask what has changed since 2021 and how knowledge is revisited.

• Oversubscription is real, even if not extreme. With 35 applications for 22 offers in the most recent published entry-route data, timing and criteria matter. Late applications can be disadvantaged.

• Catholic identity is central. Faith language and Catholic life are prominent. This will suit many families strongly, but it is not a neutral setting, so it is worth checking alignment with your family’s expectations and comfort level.

Our Lady’s Catholic Academy is a faith-led primary with nursery provision that takes practical readiness to learn seriously, with clear day structures, strong emphasis on early reading, and tangible wellbeing support through breakfast provision. Its best fit is for families who value Catholic life as part of everyday schooling and want a structured approach to the basics, alongside opportunities for pupils to take on responsibility through visible leadership roles. Admission is not guaranteed, so families should treat deadlines and criteria as essential, and use local admissions guidance to plan realistically.