Our Lady Catholic Primary School, Welwyn Garden City Review 2026: High-performing Catholic primary with strong KS2 outcomes

At morning drop-off, this is a school that runs on clear routines and purposeful calm. It is a Catholic primary with a Nursery class, serving families in the Woodhall area of Welwyn Garden City, with a published admission number of 30 for Reception.

The most recent inspection outcome is Good overall, with Behaviour and attitudes and Personal development both judged Outstanding. Academic outcomes, at least on published Key Stage 2 measures, sit above England averages on the headline combined standard, which helps explain why demand has been consistently high for Reception places.

Catholic identity is not a light overlay here, it is the organising principle for daily life, relationships, and the language the school uses about its purpose. The mission statement centres on learning to love and love to learn with Jesus, and the wider aims emphasise Catholic tradition, high expectations, and partnership with families and parish life.

Leadership has been stable in recent years. Mr Richard Curry was appointed in September 2018, and the governing body frames this period as one in which mutual respect and confidence are deliberately developed alongside academic ambition. In practice, that shows up in the way pupils are given structured responsibility. All pupils are part of a School Council model with class discussions, elected representatives, and feedback loops via questionnaires that inform development planning.

The school also uses a pupil leadership structure that will feel familiar to many families from larger primaries, but is unusually explicit in how it is presented. There are Head Boy and Head Girl roles, deputy roles, and named house teams with captains for Aylesford, Fatima, Lourdes, and Walsingham. Eco Warriors are listed alongside these leadership roles, signalling that environmental action is treated as a pupil-facing responsibility rather than a staff-only initiative.

For families assessing whether a faith school feels welcoming, the clearest signal is how admissions language and ethos language align. The admissions policy is explicit that Catholic doctrine and practice permeate school activity, while also making clear that applications are open to non-Catholic families within the published arrangements. That combination often suits families who value a defined moral framework and community rituals, while still wanting a school that reflects the wider local mix.

A note on heritage: Catholic education in this part of Welwyn Garden City is long-established. A 70th anniversary commemoration in 2023 links the school’s origins to 1953, with reference to the first intake.

This is a primary where published attainment data reads as confidently above average on the most parent-salient measures.

In 2024, 79% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 34.33% achieved greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with the England average of 8%. These are the two figures that usually shape a family’s first judgement about academic stretch, and here both point to a strong high-attaining cohort.

Reading and maths scaled scores also sit above typical benchmarks, at 106 for reading and 107 for maths, with grammar, punctuation and spelling at 111.

Science is the one area where the published expected standard is lower, at 77% compared with an England average of 82%. That does not negate the overall picture, but it is worth noting because it suggests outcomes are not uniformly elevated across every measure.

Rankings provide another lens. Ranked 2,062nd in England and 3rd in Welwyn Garden City for primary outcomes, this places the school above England average and comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England (FindMySchool ranking based on official data).

Parents comparing options locally can use the FindMySchool Local Hub pages and the Comparison Tool to view these outcomes side-by-side with nearby primaries, using the same underlying measures across schools.

A recurring theme across official and school-facing materials is curriculum clarity. The school publishes a whole-school curriculum overview, a curriculum guide for the current year, and subject curriculum maps, including computing, French, music, and religious education. The point of this approach is not paperwork, it is coherence. When a curriculum is sequenced clearly, teachers can revisit prior learning, connect topics, and reduce the chance that pupils experience primary education as a set of disconnected projects.

At Key Stage 2, subject content is planned with an eye on both knowledge and communication. For example, Year 6 reading texts include The Arrival (Shaun Tan), Can We Save the Tiger? (Martin Jenkins), and a version of Macbeth, which points to a blend of visual literacy, non-fiction comprehension, and exposure to classic narratives. In writing, the focus is on sentence variety, punctuation accuracy, and deliberate editing, the kind of repeated craft practice that tends to correlate with strong combined outcomes at the end of Year 6.

Computing planning is unusually contemporary for a primary, with Year 6 content explicitly covering data handling and artificial intelligence, including ethical implications. The practical implication is that pupils are being taught to think critically about digital tools, not just to use them.

The multiplication tables check is also explained in plain terms for families, including timings and the structure of the assessment. That transparency helps parents support practice at home without turning Year 4 into a constant test-prep exercise.

For a primary school, “next steps” matters in two ways, transition quality, and the fit between a family’s values and the likely secondary route.

This school’s Year 6 programme clearly expects pupils to read widely, write fluently, and engage with debate and contemporary issues, including topics in relationships education and the environment. That combination usually prepares pupils well for a range of secondary settings, including academically demanding comprehensives and faith schools.

The school’s public materials do not list a destination breakdown by named secondary schools, and families in Hertfordshire often weigh a mixture of local allocation rules, faith criteria, and travel practicalities. One helpful anchor point for families with older primary pupils is the timing of secondary offers, which the school flags in its diary communications.

If you are trying to decide whether this is a realistic option as a stepping stone to a specific secondary, the best practical move is to use FindMySchoolMap Search to check travel routes and to compare the likely secondary allocation rules for your address, alongside the primary’s own admissions rules.

Admissions are a central part of the story here because demand exceeds supply.

For Reception, the published admission number is 30, and in the most recent recorded cycle there were 94 applications for 30 offers. That is about 3.13 applications per place, which is consistent with an oversubscribed school where families need to take the criteria seriously rather than assume proximity alone will carry them through.

Applications are co-ordinated through Hertfordshire County Council, and the school also requires its own supplementary information form. For September 2026 entry, the council application route is stated as opening from 1 November 2025, with a closing date of 15 January 2026. Offers are stated as being made on 16 April 2026.

As a Catholic voluntary aided school, oversubscription criteria are faith-informed. The determined admissions policy for Reception 2026 entry sets out priority groups that begin with looked after children who are Catholic, then baptised Catholic children resident in specified Welwyn Garden City parishes, before moving through other Catholic children, other looked after children, children of catechumens and Eastern Christian churches, other Christian denominations, other faiths, and finally other children.

One detail many parents look for is whether a Certificate of Catholic Practice is required. The admissions page states it is no longer required as part of the admission process.

Nursery admissions are handled differently. The Nursery is described as open year-round while places are available, and the school sets out birth date eligibility for September 2026 Nursery entry.

Pastoral support is framed as both relationship-driven and systematised.

Safeguarding arrangements are described as effective, with thorough record-keeping, strong staff communication, and prompt action when concerns arise. Beyond safeguarding, pupils’ personal development is treated as a whole-school strength, with structured opportunities to debate issues and take on responsibilities.

A distinctive practical support layer is the School Family Worker role. The school names Sarah Cafferty in this position, describing a remit that includes advice for families, support around attendance, behaviour, wellbeing, and liaison with external services when needed. For some families, that kind of visible, named support is a decisive factor, especially when a child is navigating anxieties, attendance patterns, or big changes at home.

The most convincing indicators of extracurricular quality are the specific programmes a school can name, and the ways pupils are given responsibility.

Outdoor play is a clear strand. The school reports achieving the OPAL Gold Award as part of its Outdoor Play and Learning journey, describing play opportunities that include den-building, sandpit play, and performance on a stage. The practical implication is not just “more play”, it is more structured, resourced play that can particularly benefit pupils who regulate better through movement and social games.

Faith-linked social action is also formalised. Mini Vinnies (linked to the Society of St Vincent de Paul) are described as flourishing, with pupils in Years 4 to 6 meeting regularly and being initiated through a ceremony with a prayer, pledge, and badge. For parents who want Catholic social teaching to feel lived rather than taught, this matters because it gives pupils a concrete route into service and charity.

Sports and enrichment appear throughout school communications. Diary items referenced in headteacher updates include football matches, cricket lessons for all classes (Years 1 to 6), and swimming lessons beginning for a specific year group, which suggests sport is not limited to an after-school optional for a small subset.

In the upper years, curriculum information also references a sports coach teaching alongside class staff in physical education, and the detail given on football skills, invasion games, and indoor athletics implies planned progression rather than occasional activity.

Creative and technical work is also visible. Whole-school art and design technology exhibitions are explicitly calendared, and Year 6 curriculum information describes a project-based approach in art and design technology, including mechanical systems and automata toys, plus work exploring how artists convey messages across time.

This is a state school with no tuition fees.

The school day starts with gates opening at 8.40am, doors opening at 8.40am and closing at 8.50am, and the end of the school day is stated as 3.15pm.

Wraparound care is provided via Premier Education. The breakfast session runs from 7.40am until the start of the school day, and the after-school session runs until 5.30pm on weekdays.

For travel, Welwyn Garden City’s main rail station is the obvious commuting anchor for families travelling into town. Families who drive tend to prioritise how drop-off and pick-up flows work on their particular street, so it is worth stress-testing your route at realistic times, not just at weekends.

• Faith criteria shape admissions. The determined admissions policy prioritises Catholic children, including parish-linked priority groups, before wider Christian, other faith, and other applicants. Families should read the criteria carefully and make sure supporting documents and supplementary forms are completed accurately.

• Competition for Reception places is real. With 94 applications for 30 offers in the most recent recorded cycle, entry pressure is part of the landscape. Families should plan on the basis that not every local applicant will secure a place.

• Curriculum leadership development is an improvement area. The most recent inspection identifies subject leader precision and training as a factor affecting the detail of some curriculum plans. This is not a red flag in itself, but it is a useful question to raise when speaking with the school about how consistency is maintained across subjects.

• Nursery timings are clear, but fee details are not published in a way that should be quoted. The school sets out 15-hour and 30-hour patterns, and families should check the school’s official information for current early years pricing and eligibility, including government-funded hours where applicable.

This is a well-organised Catholic primary that combines clear ethos, strong pupil responsibility structures, and Key Stage 2 outcomes that sit above England averages on the measures parents tend to care about most. The main challenge is admission rather than day-to-day school experience.

It suits families who want a faith-led education, value calm routines and pupil leadership, and are prepared to engage carefully with admissions criteria and timelines. For families seeking a smaller primary with Nursery provision and wraparound care on-site, it is also a practical option, provided you treat entry as competitive rather than automatic.