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Saint Bernadette Voluntary Catholic Primary Academy

Primary · St Albans · AL2 1NL

Data updated

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Not yet graded

No graded inspection outcome is available for this school under either the current or the previous framework. This is common for recently opened or converted schools.

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At a glance

206 pupils · 98% of 210 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
4–11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Free school meals
11.8% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
10.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
9% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
3.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
Nursery
Yes
Website
http://www.stbernadette.herts.sch.uk
URN
150621

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 28 families named it first for 30 Reception places, 0.93 first choices per place. We hold 12 Reception admissions rounds for it, 2015 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 4.7% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

0.93 first-choice applications per place

30 places offered · 28 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

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

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. The council did not publish a cutoff distance for 2026 entry.

Admissions cutoff distance: Reception

The council did not publish a cutoff distance for 2026 entry.

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

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

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths
83%
England 62%
Reaching the higher standard
13%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)
106
England 106
Average scaled score (maths)
106
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 school83%
Median of its 12 closest peers65%
Hertfordshire average63.8%
England62%

On meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, this school is ahead of 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
St Margaret's CofE Primary SchoolBirmingham · 90 miles awayNeeds attention48%
Our Lady of Lourdes RC SchoolBrighton · 64 miles awayGood48%
Sarum St Paul's CofE (VA) Primary SchoolSalisbury · 79 miles awayGood64%
Willington Primary SchoolDerby · 95 miles awayGood81%
Alston Lane Catholic Primary School, LongridgePreston · 174 miles awayGood66%
Weston Turville Church of England SchoolAylesbury · 20 miles awayGood61%
Claines CofE Primary SchoolWorcester · 89 miles awayOutstanding86%
Grayshott Church of England Controlled Primary SchoolHindhead · 46 miles awayExpected standard71%
Watlington Primary SchoolWatlington · 31 miles awayGood63%
Bishops Hull Primary SchoolTaunton · 132 miles awayGood76%
Galmpton Church of England Primary SchoolBrixham · 169 miles awayOutstanding91%
Skipton, Water Street Community Primary SchoolSkipton · 171 miles awayGood61%

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

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 67% (Hertfordshire 58%, England 60%) · Any other White background 8% (Hertfordshire 11%, England 7%) · Any other Mixed background 3% (Hertfordshire 4%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 3% (Hertfordshire 2%, England 2%) · White Irish 3% (Hertfordshire 1%, England 0%) · Black African 2% (Hertfordshire 4%, England 5%) · Mixed White and Asian 2% (Hertfordshire 3%, England 2%) · Any other Asian background 2% (Hertfordshire 3%, England 2%) · White Traveller of Irish heritage 2% (Hertfordshire 0%, England 0%) · Asian Indian 2% (Hertfordshire 4%, England 4%) · Any other Black background 2% (Hertfordshire 1%, England 1%) · Black Caribbean 2% (Hertfordshire 1%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Black African 2% (Hertfordshire 1%, England 1%) · 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)
4.7%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
10.4%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

0.00 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, primary schools: 2.47 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Hertfordshire: 2.92 suspensions and 0.02 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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
19
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

92% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 8% moved to another state school

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)

35.7% of teachers took sickness absence, 2.4 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 £51,527; 26.7% 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£6,654
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 76% (77%) · premises 7% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 8% (8%) · supplies and services 9% (9%) · educational supplies 4% (4%) · bought-in professional services 0% (2%) · catering 5% (5%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £107,000; in-year balance +£61,000

Spending and reserves, last three years Premium

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

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
7/10less deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
7/10less deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher34.2%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications17.3%18.1%
In managerial or professional work35.9%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways16.4%18.1%
Residents in very good health51.7%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier66.1%62.3%
Social housing19.4%17.1%
Privately rented14.3%20.5%
Detached houses7.5%22.9%
Flats28.4%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms17.5%21.1%
Households with no car or van15.6%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01023708 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£450,000264 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£334,000–£565,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (19)£612,500
Semi-detached (52)£570,000
Terraced (101)£456,000
Flat (92)£284,000

Homes around this school are dearer than three quarters of 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
0a rural school averages 0.3
Collisions at school-run times
1a rural school averages 0.7
All reported collisions
8a rural school averages 3.4
Of those, serious or fatal
2a rural school averages 0.9

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