St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Primary
PUPILS
234
AGES
4 - 11
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Academy converter
SCHOOL GUIDE RATING
unlock
UNLOCK

Can I Get My Child Into This School?

Enter a postcode to see where you live on the map
heatmap example
Sample Map Only
Very Likely
Likely
Less Likely

This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS
01629 537499

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Good
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(14/02/2023)
Full Report - All Reports
83%
NATIONAL AVG. 60%
% pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics



Unlock The Rest Of The Data Now
We've Helped 20 Million Parents
  • See All Official School Data
  • View Catchment Area Maps
  • Access 2024 League Tables
  • Read Real Parent Reviews
  • Unlock 2024 Star Ratings
  • Easily Choose Your #1 School
£19.95
Per month

Progress Compared With All Other Schools

UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 8% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 11% of schools in England) Average (About 59% of schools in England) Above Average (About 11% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England)
Church View
Allendale
Ilkeston
DE7 4LF
01159320550

School Description

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Some members of staff, and many parents, attended this school as pupils. They appreciate the way you have built on the school’s careful balance between academic expectations and broader personal development, since you were appointed in 2015. You told me that there is ‘a lot of genuine affection for the school’. This was very clear from my conversations with parents and carers I met at the school gate. Many stopped to tell me how happy their children are at school. A recurring theme emerged about the personal care and support that children and, occasionally, parents receive from you or from members of staff. The pupils were confident to talk and keen to tell me about their school. They are strong advocates for your approach, showing care for each other and the wider community. Their conduct during this inspection was excellent. Almost without exception, pupils feel happy and safe throughout the school day. Since the last inspection, leaders and staff have worked together to address the areas identified for improvement. Mathematics teaching has been developed and refined to ensure the correct mix of problem solving, practice and the learning of new skills. There have been changes in approach to the teaching of reading and, since April 2017, increased challenges in the writing tasks the teachers set for the most able pupils. For example, the new ‘extended writing’ books contain many examples of well-developed and skilful writing by the older pupils. Leaders are confident in the quality of teaching because it is regularly checked by using classroom visits, looking at pupils’ work and tracking information about each pupil’s progress. Learning and progress are now strong in Reception and key stage 1. In 2017, pupils’ success in the Year 1 phonics check was above the national average. The proportion of Year 2 pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and mathematics, at the end of key stage 1, was above the national average. Improvements have not yet led to the same degree of success at the end of key stage 2, where the rate of progress has been in line with national averages but has not increased. Safeguarding is effective. Leaders have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. You have detailed knowledge of the pupils in your school and the difficulties that some of them face. As the school’s designated safeguarding officer, you have ensured that staff are trained and they know what to do if they are concerned that a child is at risk of being harmed. Staff knowledge and confidence are strengths. Recruitment procedures are secure. The school’s safeguarding policy is up to date and takes account of the most recent legislation. You ensure that safeguarding records are securely stored. You have a detailed knowledge of the school’s work with other agencies to ensure that each individual child is protected. The school site is secure. Pupils who spoke to me all said that they feel safe and that they would tell an adult if they needed help. They said that there was sometimes some name-calling if two friends fall out, but that teachers always help them to sort it out. I gained the same impression when I spoke to parents at the start of the day. However, in the surveys, a small number of parents did not feel completely confident about this. You are now aware of their concerns and plan to find out what is causing them. Inspection findings Leaders had already identified that too few pupils were reaching the highest standards by the end of Year 6 in mathematics. The approach to mathematics teaching has been refined so that there is now a mixture of problem-solving challenges alongside practice and learning new skills. I saw this in lessons that I visited and in the pupils’ books. The most able mathematicians are provided with demanding questions which provoke them to think deeply. Current pupils appear to be making better progress, and this is backed up by your detailed tracking of progress information. Leaders are confident that there will be an improvement in the 2018 results based on this evidence. There was a difference in progress between boys and girls in 2017. Current information shows that girls’ progress is still less than that of boys but that the gap is closing. Progress in reading has also been stubborn to show improvement at the end of key stage 2. Leaders noticed this in their analysis of 2016 results and consequently raised the profile of reading in key stage 2 and changed the approach to the teaching of reading throughout the key stage. Although numbers are small, there was a quick improvement for pupils with lower prior attainment and for disadvantaged pupils by 2017. Current progress information suggests that improvement will start to show in overall key stage 2 results in summer 2018. In both reading and mathematics, governors have been appropriately challenging of school leaders. They have wanted to ensure that the information they receive is accurate. You are equally clear that you want your teachers to give you information based on evidence, so that extra help is provided at the right time to the right pupils. Although you gather a wide range of information about pupils’ progress and about the quality of teaching and learning, you and other leaders are not using this information systematically to evaluate which interventions are working well and which are not. For example, the strategy for the use of additional funding from the pupil premium lacks detail about the impact of the spending. The school improvement plan for this year identifies priorities correctly but does not evaluate how effective the actions you have taken have been so far. There are other examples where regular evaluation would enable you and other leaders to identify trends and patterns and to respond quickly. Since 2016, there has been an improvement in the attendance of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, bringing them in line with the good attendance of pupils overall. I was able to speak with some parents of children who have special educational needs and to read relevant comments in Parent View, Ofsted’s survey for parents. The vast majority of parents are extremely appreciative of the adjustments made to support their children’s progress and wider experience of school life. Much of this is personal support from you or from individual teachers. There are bespoke programmes which pupils are able to access, depending on their needs, such as to support reading, mathematics or social development. However, governors have not ensured that the annual information report for SEN and/or disabilities is published on the school website. Other statutory information is also missing, such as the names of the phonics and reading schemes. As a result, parents and prospective parents do not have access to all of the information that they should. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: teaching challenges and supports pupils so that more of them reach the highest standards by the end of Year 6 they evaluate the impact of improvement strategies so that there is timely information about what is working well and less well they ensure that the school is legally compliant in the information it provides to parents and others, particularly in relation to SEN and/or disabilities.

St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy Parent Reviews



unlock % Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>62, "agree"=>28, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>4, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 47 responses up to 14-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>74, "agree"=>15, "disagree"=>11, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 47 responses up to 14-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>57, "agree"=>28, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>4} UNLOCK Figures based on 47 responses up to 14-02-2023
My Child Has Not Been Bullied Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"my_child_has_not_been_bullied"=>62, "strongly_agree"=>9, "agree"=>11, "disagree"=>4, "strongly_disagree"=>6, "dont_know"=>9} UNLOCK Figures based on 47 responses up to 14-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>26, "agree"=>51, "disagree"=>17, "strongly_disagree"=>4, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 47 responses up to 14-02-2023
I Have Not Raised Any Concerns Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"i_have_not_raised_any_concerns"=>23, "strongly_agree"=>38, "agree"=>21, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>6, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 47 responses up to 14-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>22, "agree"=>33, "disagree"=>44, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 10 responses up to 14-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>55, "agree"=>34, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>4} UNLOCK Figures based on 47 responses up to 14-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>60, "agree"=>30, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 47 responses up to 14-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>32, "agree"=>53, "disagree"=>13, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 47 responses up to 14-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>51, "agree"=>36, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>11} UNLOCK Figures based on 47 responses up to 14-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>36, "agree"=>47, "disagree"=>9, "strongly_disagree"=>4, "dont_know"=>4} UNLOCK Figures based on 47 responses up to 14-02-2023
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>49, "agree"=>23, "disagree"=>11, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>15} UNLOCK Figures based on 47 responses up to 14-02-2023
Yes No {"yes"=>91, "no"=>9} UNLOCK Figures based on 47 responses up to 14-02-2023

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

Your rating:
Review guidelines
  • Do explain who you are and your relationship to the school e.g. ‘I am a parent…’
  • Do back up your opinion with examples or clear reasons but, remember, it’s your opinion not fact.
  • Don’t use bad or aggressive language.
  • Don't go in to detail about specific staff or pupils. Individual complaints should be directed to the school.
  • Do go to the relevant authority is you have concerns about a serious issue such as bullying, drug abuse or bad management.
Read the full review guidelines and where to find help if you have serious concerns about a school.
We respect your privacy and never share your email address with the reviewed school or any third parties. Please see our T&Cs and Privacy Policy for details of how we treat registered emails with TLC.


News, Photos and Open Days from St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy

We are waiting for this school to upload information. Represent this school?
Register your details to add open days, photos and news.

Do you represent
St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy?

Register to add photos, news and download your Certificate of Excellence 2023/24

*Official school administrator email addresses

(eg [email protected]). Details will be verified.

Questions? Email [email protected]

We're here to help your school to add information for parents.

Thank you for registering your details

A member of the School Guide team will verify your details within 2 working days and provide further detailed instructions for setting up your School Noticeboard.

For any questions please email [email protected]