St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
Victoria Park, Shipley, BD18 4RL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BLESSED CHRISTOPHER WHARTON CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Elizabeth Fearnley
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (rc)
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Blessed Christopher Wharton Catholic Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Shipley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 236
- Pupils on roll
- 225
- URN
- 142947
- Local authority
- Bradford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01274531102
About this school
St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Shipley. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 225 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 13 November 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 30 | 31 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 77% | 74% | 80% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 17% | 16% | 23% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 81% | 90% |
| Expected standard in maths | 90% | 81% | 90% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 77% | 77% | 87% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 107.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 105.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.60 | - | - |
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 Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Bradford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 77% | 56.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 74% | 58.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 80% | 59.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 237 |
| 2023/24 | 235 |
| 2024/25 | 227 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy compares
St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy ranked 12th of 159 primary schools in Bradford for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 87% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 80% | 3.1% | 12.4% | 225 | — |
| Wycliffe CofE Primary School | 49% | 4.7% | 21% | 318 | 0.3 miles |
| Saltaire Primary School | 68% | 5% | 16.1% | 418 | 0.4 miles |
| Shipley CofE Primary School | 43% | 5.5% | 25.4% | 213 | 0.5 miles |
| Baildon Glen Primary School | 29% | 6.6% | 50.3% | 128 | 0.8 miles |
| High Crags Primary Leadership Academy | 51% | 7.5% | 46.3% | 311 | 0.8 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)
- 12.44%
- English as an additional language
- 8.8%
- Overall absence
- 3.07%
- Persistent absence
- 2.76%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Wycliffe CofE Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Shipley
-
Saltaire Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Shipley
-
Shipley CofE Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Shipley
-
Baildon Glen Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Shipley
-
High Crags Primary Leadership Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Shipley
Other schools in Shipley
St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy ranks 3rd of the 12 ranked primary schools in Shipley.
- Baildon Church of England Primary School Primary
- Baildon Glen Primary School Primary
- Christ Church Church of England Academy Primary
- High Crags Primary Leadership Academy Primary
- Hoyle Court Primary School Primary
- Low Ash Primary School Primary
- Saltaire Primary School Primary
- Sandal Primary School Primary
- Shipley CofE Primary School Primary
- St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Primary
- Wycliffe CofE Primary School Primary
- Hirst Wood Nursery School Nursery
Common questions
- What year groups does St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy teach?
- St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Shipley.
- Who is the headteacher of St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?
- The headteacher of St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is Mrs Elizabeth Fearnley, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy, 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 Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?
- St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy has 225 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy full?
- St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy has capacity for 236 pupils and 225 on roll (95%), 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 Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Leeds (rc).
- Does St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy?
- St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy is part of BLESSED CHRISTOPHER WHARTON 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 Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 77% in 2022/23 and 80% 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 Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy rank locally?
- St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy ranked 12th of 159 primary schools in Bradford for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 87% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% 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 Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy's absence rate?
- St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy's overall absence rate is 3.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Walburga's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy'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 2 July 2026.