St Philomena's Primary School
Chelsfield Road, Orpington, BR5 4DR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- ST OSCAR ROMERO CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Miss Veronica Maher
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Southwark
- Constituency
- Orpington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 208
- Pupils on roll
- 202
- URN
- 141482
- Local authority
- Bromley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01689826550
About this school
St Philomena's Primary School is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Orpington. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 202 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 15 June 2023, 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 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 66% | 79% | 86% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 14% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 76% | 90% | 96% |
| Expected standard in maths | 72% | 86% | 93% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% | 93% | 93% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 108.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 108.0 | 110.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.50 | - | - |
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 Philomena's 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 | Bromley average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 66% | 66.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 79% | 65.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 86% | 66.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 204 |
| 2023/24 | 208 |
| 2024/25 | 202 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Philomena's Primary School compares
St Philomena's Primary School ranked 7th of 68 primary schools in Bromley for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 94% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 86% | 3.4% | 14.4% | 202 | — |
| Harris Primary Academy Orpington | 63% | 5.6% | 43.5% | 269 | 0.2 miles |
| St. Mary Cray Primary Academy | 41% | 4.3% | 39.9% | 233 | 0.3 miles |
| Orion Blenheim | 71% | 4.8% | 42.4% | 196 | 0.7 miles |
| Manor Oak Primary School | 69% | 5.5% | 40.8% | 191 | 0.7 miles |
| Poverest Primary School | 66% | 6.1% | 24.6% | 433 | 0.9 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)
- 14.36%
- English as an additional language
- 21.8%
- Overall absence
- 3.42%
- Persistent absence
- 5%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Harris Primary Academy Orpington0.2 miles
Primary · Orpington
-
St. Mary Cray Primary Academy0.3 miles
Primary · Orpington
-
Orion Blenheim0.7 miles
Primary · Orpington
-
Manor Oak Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Orpington
-
Poverest Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Orpington
Other schools in Orpington
St Philomena's Primary School ranks 4th of the 23 ranked primary schools in Orpington.
- Chelsfield Primary School Primary
- Crofton Infant School Primary
- Crofton Junior School Primary
- Darrick Wood Infant & Nursery School Primary
- Darrick Wood Junior School Primary
- Downe Primary School Primary
- Farnborough Primary School Primary
- Gray's Farm Primary Academy Primary
- Green Street Green Primary School Primary
- Harris Primary Academy Orpington Primary
- Holy Innocents Catholic Primary School Primary
- Leesons Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Philomena's Primary School teach?
- St Philomena's Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Orpington.
- Who is the headteacher of St Philomena's Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Philomena's Primary School is Miss Veronica Maher, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Philomena's Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Philomena's 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 Philomena's Primary School?
- St Philomena's Primary School has 202 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is St Philomena's Primary School full?
- St Philomena's Primary School has capacity for 208 pupils and 202 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Philomena's Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Philomena's Primary School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Archdiocese of Southwark.
- Does St Philomena's Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Philomena's Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs St Philomena's Primary School?
- St Philomena's Primary School is part of ST OSCAR ROMERO CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Philomena's Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 66% in 2022/23 and 86% 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 Philomena's Primary School rank locally?
- St Philomena's Primary School ranked 7th of 68 primary schools in Bromley for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 94% 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 Philomena's Primary School's absence rate?
- St Philomena's Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Philomena's Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Philomena's 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.