St Columba CE Primary School
Tewkesbury Avenue, Fareham, PO15 6LL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DIOCESE OF CHICHESTER ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Katie Viola
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Fareham and Waterlooville
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 100
- URN
- 147701
- Local authority
- Hampshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01329843226
About this school
St Columba CE Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Fareham. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 100 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
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 | 13 | 18 | 10 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 31% | 28% | 80% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 6% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 62% | 56% | 90% |
| Expected standard in maths | 46% | 44% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 46% | 44% | 70% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 99.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 100.0 | 96.0 | 100.0 |
| Reading progress | -3.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -4.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -4.60 | - | - |
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 Columba CE 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 | Hampshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 31% | 58.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 28% | 58.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 80% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 106 |
| 2023/24 | 95 |
| 2024/25 | 89 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Columba CE Primary School compares
St Columba CE Primary School ranked 34th of 303 primary schools in Hampshire 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 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 80% | 4.8% | 49.4% | 100 | — |
| Orchard Lea Infant School | — | 5.2% | 28% | 118 | 0.5 miles |
| Orchard Lea Junior School | 69% | 3.9% | 26% | 217 | 0.5 miles |
| Ranvilles Junior School | 79% | 4% | 21.1% | 243 | 0.9 miles |
| Ranvilles Infant School | — | 4.3% | 11.3% | 174 | 0.9 miles |
| St Jude's Catholic Primary School | 68% | 3.9% | 19.5% | 221 | 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)
- 49.44%
- English as an additional language
- 10.1%
- Overall absence
- 4.8%
- Persistent absence
- 10.11%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Orchard Lea Infant School0.5 miles
Primary · Fareham
-
Orchard Lea Junior School0.5 miles
Primary · Fareham
-
Ranvilles Junior School0.9 miles
Primary · Fareham
-
Ranvilles Infant School0.9 miles
Primary · Fareham
-
St Jude's Catholic Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Fareham
Other schools in Fareham
St Columba CE Primary School ranks 2nd of the 20 ranked primary schools in Fareham.
- Castle Primary School Primary
- Cornerstone CofE (VA) Primary School Primary
- Crofton Anne Dale Infant and Pre-School Primary
- Crofton Anne Dale Junior School Primary
- Crofton Hammond Infant School Primary
- Crofton Hammond Junior School Primary
- Harrison Primary School Primary
- Newtown Soberton Infant School Primary
- Northern Infant School Primary
- Northern Junior School Primary
- Orchard Lea Infant School Primary
- Orchard Lea Junior School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Columba CE Primary School teach?
- St Columba CE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Fareham.
- Who is the headteacher of St Columba CE Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Columba CE Primary School is Katie Viola, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Columba CE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Columba CE 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 Columba CE Primary School?
- St Columba CE Primary School has 100 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Columba CE Primary School full?
- St Columba CE Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 100 on roll (48%), 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 Columba CE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Columba CE Primary School is designated Church of England.
- Does St Columba CE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Columba CE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs St Columba CE Primary School?
- St Columba CE Primary School is part of DIOCESE OF CHICHESTER ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Columba CE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 31% 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 Columba CE Primary School rank locally?
- St Columba CE Primary School ranked 34th of 303 primary schools in Hampshire 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 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 Columba CE Primary School's absence rate?
- St Columba CE Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Columba CE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Columba CE 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.