St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School
Pemros Road, St Budeaux, Plymouth, PL5 1NE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- PLYMOUTH CAST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Joanne Hensman
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of Plymouth
- Sponsor
- Plymouth CAST
- Constituency
- Plymouth Moor View
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 136
- URN
- 140676
- Local authority
- Plymouth
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01752365459
About this school
St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Plymouth. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 136 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 6 July 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 28 | 22 | 27 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 25% | 23% | 56% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 0% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 54% | 41% | 67% |
| Expected standard in maths | 29% | 55% | 67% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 29% | 41% | 56% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 101.0 | 100.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 97.0 | 100.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -3.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -6.00 | - | - |
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 Paul's Roman Catholic 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 | Plymouth average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 25% | 54.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 23% | 58.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 56% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 153 |
| 2023/24 | 158 |
| 2024/25 | 144 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School compares
St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School ranked 49th of 66 primary schools in Plymouth for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 31% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 56% | 6.8% | 39.6% | 136 | — |
| Victoria Road Primary | 44% | 6.5% | 55.4% | 172 | 0.1 miles |
| Riverside Community Primary School | 76% | 6% | 53.6% | 370 | 0.4 miles |
| Marine Academy Primary | 88% | 3.7% | 26.8% | 506 | 0.5 miles |
| Plaistow Hill Primary and Nursery School | — | 5.8% | 28.4% | 165 | 0.6 miles |
| Weston Mill Community Primary Academy | 46% | 8.8% | 49.7% | 184 | 0.7 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)
- 39.58%
- English as an additional language
- 11.1%
- Overall absence
- 6.84%
- Persistent absence
- 19.85%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Victoria Road Primary0.1 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Riverside Community Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Marine Academy Primary0.5 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Plaistow Hill Primary and Nursery School0.6 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Weston Mill Community Primary Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Plymouth
Other schools in Plymouth
St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School ranks 55th of the 72 ranked primary schools in Plymouth.
- Austin Farm Academy Primary
- Beechwood Primary Academy Primary
- Bickleigh Down Church of England Primary School Primary
- Boringdon Primary School Primary
- Chaddlewood Primary School Primary
- College Road Primary School Primary
- Compton CofE Primary School Primary
- Drake Primary Academy Primary
- Eggbuckland Vale Primary School Primary
- Elburton Primary School Primary
- Ernesettle Community School Primary
- Ford Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School teach?
- St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Plymouth.
- Who is the headteacher of St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School is Mrs Joanne Hensman, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Paul's Roman Catholic 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 Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School?
- St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School has 136 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School full?
- St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 136 on roll (65%), 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 Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Plymouth.
- Does St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School?
- St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School is part of PLYMOUTH CAST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 25% in 2022/23 and 56% 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 Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School rank locally?
- St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School ranked 49th of 66 primary schools in Plymouth for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 31% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% 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 Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School's absence rate?
- St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Paul's Roman Catholic 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 1 July 2026.