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St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School

Primary · Grays · RM17 5RW

Data updated

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Good

Earlier grade, confirmed by a later ungraded inspection

Ofsted's most recent (ungraded) visit confirmed the school remains Good. Ungraded inspections do not award a new grade.

Inspected 14 June 2023

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

530 pupils · 85% of 624 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
3–11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Free school meals
18.1% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
31.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
16.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
3% of pupils (2024/2025)
Nursery
Yes
Website
http://www.stthomasofcanterbury.thurrock.sch.uk
URN
146299

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 41 families named it first for 45 Reception places, 0.91 first choices per place. An ungraded Ofsted inspection on 14 June 2023 confirmed its earlier grade, Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 4.6% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

0.91 first-choice applications per place

45 places offered · 41 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

85 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths
66%
England 62%
Reaching the higher standard
9%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)
107
England 106
Average scaled score (maths)
105
England 105

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 2024/2025

This school66%
Median of its 12 closest peers74%
Thurrock average70.4%
England62%

On meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, this school is behind the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedResult
Harriers Banbury AcademyBanbury · 82 miles awayGood60%
Hardwick and Cambourne Community Primary SchoolCambridge · 52 miles awayExpected standard56%
Olton Primary SchoolSolihull · 112 miles awayGood68%
Aragon Primary SchoolMorden · 25 miles awayNo current grade85%
Putteridge Primary SchoolLuton · 42 miles awayGood76%
Caroline Haslett Primary SchoolMILTON KEYNES · 60 miles awayOutstanding (2019)87%
Telferscot Primary SchoolLondon · 20 miles awayOutstanding70%
Penwortham Primary SchoolLondon · 21 miles awayOutstanding72%
Worthington Primary SchoolSale · 173 miles awayGood68%
Hampton Junior SchoolHampton · 31 miles awayOutstanding77%
St Matthew's Primary SchoolCambridge · 50 miles awayGood76%
Deanesfield Primary SchoolRuislip · 31 miles awayOutstanding87%

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

Black African 47% (Thurrock 14%, England 5%) · Any other White background 14% (Thurrock 15%, England 7%) · White British 13% (Thurrock 45%, England 60%) · Any other Mixed background 4% (Thurrock 4%, England 3%) · Black Caribbean 3% (Thurrock 1%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Black African 3% (Thurrock 1%, England 1%) · Not recorded 3% (Thurrock 1%, England 1%) · Any other Black background 2% (Thurrock 2%, England 1%) · Asian Indian 2% (Thurrock 3%, England 4%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 2% (Thurrock 2%, England 2%) · Any other Asian background 2% (Thurrock 2%, England 2%) · Asian Bangladeshi 2% (Thurrock 4%, England 2%) · Any other ethnic group 1% (Thurrock 2%, England 3%) · Asian Pakistani 1% (Thurrock 3%, England 5%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Thurrock 1%, England 2%) · other groups together 1%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
4.6%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
11.6%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

2.27 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, primary schools: 2.47 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Thurrock: 1.66 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
22.8
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

69% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 11% moved to another state school · 20% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, primary academies: 0.3% vacant, 0.32% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

73.3% of teachers took sickness absence, 5.4 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £53,772; 15.4% on the leadership pay range · England, primary schools: £50,856, 17.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£6,276
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 78% (77%) · premises 5% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 13% (8%) · supplies and services 5% (9%) · educational supplies 2% (4%) · bought-in professional services 1% (2%) · catering 6% (5%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £0; in-year balance +£126,000

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
8/10less deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
8/10less deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher30%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications20.4%18.1%
In managerial or professional work35.5%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways20.1%18.1%
Residents in very good health50%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier75%62.3%
Social housing15.8%17.1%
Privately rented9.2%20.5%
Detached houses12%22.9%
Flats17.2%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms39.5%21.1%
Households with no car or van20.5%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01015960 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£382,500403 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£305,000–£468,500the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (65)£515,000
Semi-detached (152)£435,000
Terraced (127)£343,000
Flat (59)£183,000

Homes around this school are dearer than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
1an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
7an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
20an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
4an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools