St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School
Horseshoe Lane West, Merrow, Guildford, GU1 2SX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- XAVIER CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Kate Carter
- Diocese
- Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Xavier Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Guildford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 436
- URN
- 147431
- Local authority
- Surrey
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01483888388
About this school
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Guildford. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 436 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 7 February 2024, 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 | 62 | 61 | 63 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 68% | 67% | 78% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 8% | 11% |
| Expected standard in reading | 85% | 90% | 92% |
| Expected standard in maths | 85% | 72% | 84% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 87% | 82% | 86% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 108.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 104.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.40 | - | - |
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 Thomas of Canterbury 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 | Surrey average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 68% | 61.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 67% | 62.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 78% | 62.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 430 |
| 2023/24 | 425 |
| 2024/25 | 429 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School compares
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School ranked 38th of 205 primary schools in Surrey for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 84% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 93% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 78% | 3.5% | 5.1% | 436 | — |
| Boxgrove Primary School | 66% | 3.9% | 7.7% | 646 | 0.2 miles |
| Merrow Junior School | 62% | 4.6% | 17.6% | 209 | 0.6 miles |
| Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School | — | 4.7% | 13.1% | 90 | 0.7 miles |
| Holy Trinity, Guildford, CofE Aided Junior School | 73% | 3.5% | 4.6% | 368 | 0.9 miles |
| Pewley Down Infant School | — | 4.1% | 7.3% | 180 | 1.2 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)
- 5.13%
- English as an additional language
- 26.6%
- Overall absence
- 3.5%
- Persistent absence
- 2.93%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Boxgrove Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Guildford
-
Merrow Junior School0.6 miles
Primary · Guildford
-
Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School0.7 miles
Primary · Guildford
-
Holy Trinity, Guildford, CofE Aided Junior School0.9 miles
Primary · Guildford
-
Pewley Down Infant School1.2 miles
Primary · Guildford
Other schools in Guildford
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School ranks 7th of the 16 ranked primary schools in Guildford.
- Boxgrove Primary School Primary
- Bramley CofE Infant School and Nursery Primary
- Burpham Primary School Primary
- Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School Primary
- Clandon CofE Aided Primary School Primary
- Cranleigh Church of England Primary School Primary
- Guildford Grove Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity, Guildford, CofE Aided Junior School Primary
- Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School Primary
- Merrow Junior School Primary
- Normandy Village School Primary
- Northmead Junior School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School teach?
- St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Guildford.
- Who is the headteacher of St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School is Mrs Kate Carter, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Thomas of Canterbury 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 Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School?
- St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School has 436 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School full?
- St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 436 on roll (104%), so it is at or above 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 Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton.
- Does St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School?
- St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School is part of XAVIER CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 68% in 2022/23 and 78% 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 Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School rank locally?
- St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School ranked 38th of 205 primary schools in Surrey for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 84% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 93% 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 Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School's absence rate?
- St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Thomas of Canterbury 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 10 July 2026.