St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy
Temple Road, Dewsbury, WF13 3QE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BLESSED PETER SNOW CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Ms Elizabeth McDonagh
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (rc)
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Dewsbury and Batley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 443
- Pupils on roll
- 363
- URN
- 148485
- Local authority
- Kirklees
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01924488282
About this school
St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Dewsbury. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 363 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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Early years
- Requires improvement
- 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 | 57 | 59 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 60% | 39% | 32% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 3% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 70% | 56% | 62% |
| Expected standard in maths | 70% | 54% | 62% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 81% | 54% | 63% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 102.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 102.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.60 | - | - |
| 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 Paulinus Catholic Primary 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 | Kirklees average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 60% | 56.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 39% | 57.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 32% | 58.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 384 |
| 2023/24 | 386 |
| 2024/25 | 383 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy compares
St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy ranked 98th of 101 primary schools in Kirklees for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 7% 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 | 32% | 4.9% | 27.7% | 363 | — |
| Boothroyd Primary Academy | 41% | 6.1% | 46.1% | 557 | 0.0 miles |
| St John’s CE Primary School | — | — | — | 240 | 0.5 miles |
| Savile Town Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School | — | 9.1% | 27% | 98 | 0.7 miles |
| Westmoor Primary School | 63% | 8% | 39.7% | 394 | 0.7 miles |
| Headfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School | 65% | 6.7% | 29.8% | 544 | 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.
Inspection history
- 24 October 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report9 December 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 27.67%
- English as an additional language
- 45.4%
- Overall absence
- 4.86%
- Persistent absence
- 11.62%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Boothroyd Primary Academy0.0 miles
Primary · Dewsbury
-
St John’s CE Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Dewsbury
-
Savile Town Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School0.7 miles
Primary · Dewsbury
-
Westmoor Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Dewsbury
-
Headfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School0.7 miles
Primary · Dewsbury
Other schools in Dewsbury
St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy ranks 11th of the 12 ranked primary schools in Dewsbury.
- Boothroyd Primary Academy Primary
- Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School Primary
- Carlton Junior and Infant School Primary
- Diamond Wood Community Academy Primary
- Earlsheaton Infant School Primary
- Eastborough Academy Primary
- Headfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School Primary
- Orchard Primary Academy Primary
- Overthorpe CofE Academy Primary
- Pentland Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Ravensthorpe Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School Primary
- Savile Town Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy teach?
- St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Dewsbury.
- Who is the headteacher of St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy is Ms Elizabeth McDonagh, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Paulinus Catholic Primary 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 Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy?
- St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy has 363 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy full?
- St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy has capacity for 443 pupils and 363 on roll (82%), 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 Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Leeds (rc).
- Does St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy?
- St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy is part of BLESSED PETER SNOW 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 Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 60% in 2022/23 and 32% 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 Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy rank locally?
- St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy ranked 98th of 101 primary schools in Kirklees for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 7% 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 Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy's absence rate?
- St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Paulinus Catholic Primary 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 10 July 2026.