Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary Review 2026: High-attaining Worcester first school with a clear Catholic identity

A small, faith-led primary in St John’s that pairs a warm, organised culture with results that sit comfortably above England averages. In the latest Key Stage 2 outcomes, 84% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with 62% across England, and 35% reached the higher standard, compared with 8% across England.

The school is academically ambitious without feeling narrowly exam-driven. Reading and early phonics are treated as foundations, while pupil leadership is taken seriously through roles such as Pupil Parliament Members, Prayer Leaders, Eco Council Members, Digital Leaders, and Science Ambassadors.

For Catholic families, the admissions criteria are structured around baptised Catholic children, parish links, and siblings, with distance as a tie-break when needed. Non-Catholic families can apply too, but should be realistic about priority categories in years where demand outstrips places.

The strongest thread running through school life is belonging. Pupils are expected to contribute, not just comply. That shows up in the number of structured roles available, from House Captains and Reader Leaders to Sports Leaders and Prayer Leaders. These are not cosmetic titles, they provide practical responsibility and a language for children to talk about how they want their school to run.

The Catholic identity is explicit and practical. The school’s charitable and service culture has a clear outlet through Mini Vinnies (linked to the St Vincent de Paul Society), where pupils are guided to put faith into action through community support. The Catholic Schools Inspectorate’s July 2025 report graded Catholic life and mission at grade 1, and collective worship at grade 1, signalling a strong standard in the areas that define the school’s faith experience.

Alongside faith formation, there is a deliberate focus on learning behaviours and habits. The school’s “Purple Powers” framework sits underneath its stated aim that pupils leave Year 6 ready for secondary school. It is used as a shared vocabulary for recognising behaviours that help children learn well and participate positively in school life.

Leadership is currently interim, with Interim Executive Principal Mr Anthony Wilkes and Interim Head of School Mr P Wheelan named by the school. A school can sometimes wobble during leadership transitions; the evidence here suggests continuity of routines and expectations, plus a visible emphasis on safeguarding roles and responsibilities.

The headline picture is strong, especially for a school of this size.

In the latest published Key Stage 2 outcomes, 84% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with 62% across England. At the higher standard, 35% reached greater depth, compared with 8% across England. Reading, mathematics, and grammar, punctuation and spelling each show high attainment, with 87% meeting the expected standard in reading, 91% in mathematics, and 83% in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Science is recorded at 100% meeting the expected standard.

Scaled scores reinforce the same story. Reading is 108, mathematics 110, and grammar, punctuation and spelling 110.

In FindMySchool’s rankings based on official data, the school is ranked 849th in England and 3rd in Worcester for primary outcomes. That places it well above England average, in the top 10% of schools in England. (FindMySchool ranking based on official data.)

The best way to interpret this for parents is consistency. High attainment in reading and mathematics is rarely an accident. It usually reflects clear sequencing, purposeful practice, and timely intervention when pupils fall behind. Those themes align with what external reviews describe about the school’s approach to reading and the way staff identify misconceptions early.

Parents comparing nearby schools can use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to set these outcomes alongside other Worcester primaries in one place, rather than trying to reconcile different dashboards and presentation styles.

Teaching is designed around secure foundations, with reading positioned as the gateway subject. The reading curriculum is built so pupils read frequently and develop fluency before they are expected to tackle deeper comprehension and interpretation. Phonics is treated as a whole-staff responsibility rather than a specialist corner of early years.

Mathematics is another core pillar. Strong outcomes suggest pupils are secure with number, calculation, and reasoning by the end of Year 6, with early intervention for those who need it. The more impressive part is not that high-attaining pupils do well, it is that “expected standard” is achieved at a rate that implies most pupils are being brought to a confident baseline.

Curriculum intent is framed in the language of readiness for secondary school, and the “Purple Powers” underpin the habits needed to sustain learning over time. The key implication for families is that the school is aiming for durable learning behaviours, not just end-of-key-stage performance.

There is also a clear development area to be aware of. In a small number of subjects, sequencing and subject-specific skill development has been identified as less consistent than in the strongest areas. For parents, that usually means some subjects may feel more knowledge-heavy than mastery-focused at certain points, while leaders work to tighten progression across the curriculum.

As a Worcester first school, the transition question matters. Pupils typically move on at the end of Year 6 into the local secondary phase routes available in Worcestershire, with families’ choices shaped by location, admissions criteria, and preferred ethos.

For Catholic families who want a faith-based secondary pathway in Worcester, Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College is the main local Catholic secondary option. It is sensible to think about this early, not because a primary school guarantees a secondary place, but because admissions processes, travel time, and pastoral fit differ significantly across the city.

Transition preparation at primary level is best understood as two strands. The first is academic readiness, particularly reading stamina, writing structure, and mathematical fluency. The second is independence, organisation, and social confidence, which is where leadership roles and responsibility structures can be quietly useful. Pupils who have practised representing others, planning small pieces of collective worship, or taking responsibility for eco initiatives often find it easier to adapt to secondary expectations.

Admissions are coordinated through Worcestershire’s normal primary admissions round for Reception entry, with the local authority’s published timetable showing applications opening on 01 September 2025, closing on 15 January 2026, and offers released on 16 April 2026 for September 2026 entry.

Demand is real even with a small intake. In the most recent admissions dataset provided, there were 26 applications for 14 offers, which equates to about 1.86 applications per place, and the school is recorded as oversubscribed.

As a Catholic school, faith-based priority criteria matter. In the published admissions arrangements, priority is given to baptised Catholic children, with parish connection and siblings affecting priority order, and distance used as a tie-break where there is oversubscription within a category. A Supplementary Information Form is also part of the process for families applying under Catholic criteria.

Two practical tips help families avoid common mistakes:

• Treat the local authority application and any supplementary faith form as a single joined process, with aligned deadlines, not two optional steps.

• If you are relying on distance as a tie-break, use the FindMySchool Map Search to check your likely home-to-school distance precisely, then compare it with recent patterns. Even small differences can matter in small schools.

The pastoral picture is grounded in inclusion. Pupils are supported to settle, including those who join at different points in the year and those who are new to the country. That is a specific challenge in a small primary, because a single new arrival can shift class dynamics more than it would in a larger school. The evidence suggests the school treats integration as a core routine rather than an occasional problem to fix.

Behaviour expectations appear clear and consistent. The Catholic Schools Inspectorate report describes exemplary behaviour and high levels of respect for others, and the school’s pupil leadership structures create pro-social roles that reinforce those expectations.

Safeguarding is an area where parents want certainty, not reassurance. The ungraded Ofsted inspection in November 2023 confirmed the school remains Good, and stated that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Extracurricular life is shaped by a mix of staff-led and externally provided clubs, which is often the most workable model in a smaller school. What matters is that the menu is specific rather than generic, and there are several named options that give a clearer sense of what pupils actually do.

Examples include Board Games Club and Young Voices, alongside external providers such as AJB Sports, Jam Coding, and Moyles Irish Dancing School. These are concrete choices with different skill sets, performance, movement, coding, teamwork, and confidence in front of others.

Pupil leadership also functions like an extracurricular strand because it creates structured opportunities beyond lessons. Roles including Eco Council Members, Digital Leaders, Science Ambassadors, and Reader Leaders point to a school that expects children to contribute to the life of the school, not simply attend it.

Mini Vinnies is worth calling out separately because it blends extracurricular activity with service and spiritual development. It provides a practical outlet for charity and community connection that is age-appropriate and ongoing, rather than a single annual fundraiser.

The school is open for 32.5 hours per week. Gates open at 8:40am, morning registration runs 8:45am to 9:00am, and the school day ends at 3:15pm. Term dates for the 2025 to 2026 academic year are published, with the autumn term starting 03 September 2025 and the summer term ending 16 July 2026.

Wraparound care is referenced via the school’s linked before and after-school provision, but full hours and booking details are not consistently accessible through public pages. Families should check current arrangements directly with the school office before relying on wraparound as a daily solution.

For travel, Worcester Foregate Street and Worcester Shrub Hill are the central city railway stations. Bus travel information in Worcestershire is directed through the county council’s guidance and journey planning resources, which is useful for checking current routes and disruptions.

• Admissions priority structure. Catholic criteria, supplementary forms, and parish links can materially affect your priority category. If you are not applying under Catholic criteria, your place may depend on years where there is sufficient capacity beyond Catholic priority categories.

• Small-school dynamics. With a capacity of 210 pupils, peer groups are smaller. Many families value this; others prefer the breadth and anonymity of larger primaries, especially if a child needs a wider friendship pool.

• Curriculum consistency across subjects. Sequencing is strong in core areas like reading and mathematics, but a small number of subjects have been flagged as needing tighter progression and clearer development of subject-specific skills.

• Leadership is interim. Interim roles can be stabilising, but families may want to ask about longer-term leadership plans and how curriculum development work is being sustained through the transition.

This is a high-attaining Catholic first school with strong foundations in reading and mathematics, plus a serious commitment to pupil responsibility and community contribution. It suits families who want a faith-inflected education with clear routines, high expectations, and plenty of structured opportunities for children to lead and serve. The limiting factor is not the quality of the experience, it is getting a place in years where the admissions categories fill quickly.