St Catherine's CofE Primary School
Musket Road, Newton Abbot, TQ12 6SB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Martin Harding
- Diocese
- Diocese of Exeter
- Federation
- The United Schools Federation (USF)
- Constituency
- Central Devon
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 130
- URN
- 113463
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01626832665
About this school
St Catherine's CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Newton Abbot. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 130 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 19 | 13 | 19 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 21% | 54% | 47% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 84% | 69% | 58% |
| Expected standard in maths | 21% | 85% | 68% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 74% | 69% | 47% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 104.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 97.0 | 103.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -4.00 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Catherine's CofE Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Devon average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 21% | 55% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 54% | 54.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 47% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 135 |
| 2023/24 | 130 |
| 2024/25 | 122 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Catherine's CofE Primary School compares
St Catherine's CofE Primary School ranked 213th of 269 primary schools in Devon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 18% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 47% | 4.9% | 35.3% | 130 | — |
| Blackpool Church of England Primary School | 54% | 4.5% | 6% | 244 | 1.4 miles |
| Chudleigh Knighton Church of England Primary School | 82% | 6.3% | 19.3% | 84 | 1.5 miles |
| Bovey Tracey Academy | 68% | 4.1% | 22.3% | 245 | 2.0 miles |
| Kingsteignton School | 59% | 4.1% | 13.3% | 232 | 2.5 miles |
| Ilsington Church of England Primary School | 75% | 4% | 5% | 95 | 2.7 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 35.25%
- English as an additional language
- 4.1%
- Overall absence
- 4.88%
- Persistent absence
- 13.04%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Blackpool Church of England Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Newton Abbot
-
Chudleigh Knighton Church of England Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Newton Abbot
-
Bovey Tracey Academy2.0 miles
Primary · Newton Abbot
-
Kingsteignton School2.5 miles
Primary · Newton Abbot
-
Ilsington Church of England Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Newton Abbot
Other schools in Newton Abbot
St Catherine's CofE Primary School ranks 23rd of the 27 ranked primary schools in Newton Abbot.
- Abbotskerswell Primary School Primary
- All Saints Marsh CofE Academy Primary
- Ashburton Primary School Primary
- Bearnes Voluntary Primary School Primary
- Blackpool Church of England Primary School Primary
- Bovey Tracey Academy Primary
- Bradley Barton Primary School and Nursery Unit Primary
- Canada Hill Community Primary School Primary
- Chagford Church of England Primary School Primary
- Chudleigh Church of England Community Primary School Primary
- Chudleigh Knighton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Decoy Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Catherine's CofE Primary School teach?
- St Catherine's CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Newton Abbot.
- Who is the headteacher of St Catherine's CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Catherine's CofE Primary School is Mr Martin Harding, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Catherine's CofE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Catherine's CofE Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is St Catherine's CofE Primary School?
- St Catherine's CofE Primary School has 130 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Catherine's CofE Primary School full?
- St Catherine's CofE Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 130 on roll (62%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Catherine's CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Catherine's CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Exeter.
- Who runs St Catherine's CofE Primary School?
- St Catherine's CofE Primary School is part of the The United Schools Federation (USF) federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Catherine's CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 21% in 2022/23 and 47% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Catherine's CofE Primary School rank locally?
- St Catherine's CofE Primary School ranked 213th of 269 primary schools in Devon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 18% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Catherine's CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- St Catherine's CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Catherine's CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Catherine's CofE Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.