St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School

Merton · CR4 1YG

General information Primary School · 3-11 years Who goes here 408 pupils, 32.9% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 14.5% on SEN support Behaviour 4.9% absence rate Staff 18.2% turnover Financials £7,130 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School

General Information

Address: 53 Commonside East, Mitcham, CR4 1YG – View on map
Phone: 02086480869
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Marie Tucker
Age range: 3-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 43 families put it first for 46 places – 9 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. 1 of the 46 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 9 · 2024 9 · 2025 10 · 2026 9
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Roman Catholic
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

408 pupils out of 480 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 125
% eligible for free school meals: 32.9%
Pupil mix: 8 in 10 (similar to the Merton average)
English as an additional language: 68% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 18.2% a year (Merton 16.1%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 16% moved to another school, 84% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Merton: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 1 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 5 (0.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 0 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Merton, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 4.9%
Persistently absent pupils: 11.6%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 14.5%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.2%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 27 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 11 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 10 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 7 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 10 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 2 pupils
Physical disability: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2023 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 74% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 3% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 4 percentage points above the Merton average (70%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 65% against an expected 63%)
3-year average (expected standard): 65%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 89% · Writing 75% · Maths 85% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 89%
Average test scores: reading 107, maths 107
Based on: 61 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolMerton averageEngland↗ Improving Up 12 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 4 percentage points above the Merton average (70%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 18th of 42 junior and primary schools in the area

=18Garfield Primary School74%
=18Singlegate Primary School74%
=18St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School74%
#21Beecholme Primary School72%
=22Malmesbury Primary School70%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Park Academy94%
=2Benedict Academy93%
=2Merton Park Primary School93%
#4Aragon Primary School85%
=5Hollymount School84%
=5Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School84%
#7Wimbledon Chase Primary School80%
#8St Mark's Primary School79%
=9Bishop Gilpin CofE Primary School78%
=9Harris Primary Academy Merton78%
#11St Teresa's Catholic Primary School77%
=12Pelham Primary School76%
=12St Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School76%
=14Dundonald Primary School75%
=14Holy Trinity CofE Primary School75%
=14St Mary's Catholic Primary School75%
=14Wimbledon Park Primary School75%
=18Garfield Primary School74%
=18Singlegate Primary School74%
=18St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School74%
#21Beecholme Primary School72%
=22Malmesbury Primary School70%
=22Poplar Primary School70%
=22The Priory CofE School70%
#25All Saints' CofE Primary School69%
=26Hillcross Primary School68%
=26Lonesome Primary School68%
=28Merton Abbey Primary School67%
=28William Morris Primary School67%
#30Morden Primary School65%
=31Liberty Primary64%
=31The Sherwood School64%
=31West Wimbledon Primary School64%
=34Hatfeild Primary School63%
=34Joseph Hood Primary School63%
=34St Matthew's CofE Primary School63%
#37Gorringe Park Primary School59%
#38Abbotsbury Primary School58%
#39Haslemere Primary School56%
#40Links Primary School53%
#41Cranmer Primary School43%
#42Bond Primary School38%

View full Ofsted inspection report

30th of 35 primary schools in Merton for Ofsted rating

#28St Peter and Paul Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#29St Teresa's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#30St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#31The Priory CofE SchoolGood
#32The Sherwood SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Bishop Gilpin CofE Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Harris Primary Academy MertonOutstanding
#3Holy Trinity CofE Primary SchoolOutstanding
#4Park AcademyOutstanding
#5Singlegate Primary SchoolOutstanding
#6Wimbledon Park Primary SchoolOutstanding
#7Abbotsbury Primary SchoolGood
#8All Saints' CofE Primary SchoolGood
#9Aragon Primary SchoolGood
#10Beecholme Primary SchoolGood
#11Cranmer Primary SchoolGood
#12Dundonald Primary SchoolGood
#13Garfield Primary SchoolGood
#14Gorringe Park Primary SchoolGood
#15Haslemere Primary SchoolGood
#16Hillcross Primary SchoolGood
#17Hollymount SchoolGood
#18Joseph Hood Primary SchoolGood
#19Liberty PrimaryGood
#20Lonesome Primary SchoolGood
#21Merton Abbey Primary SchoolGood
#22Morden Primary SchoolGood
#23Poplar Primary SchoolGood
#24Sacred Heart Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#25St John Fisher RC Primary SchoolGood
#26St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#27St Matthew's CofE Primary SchoolGood
#28St Peter and Paul Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#29St Teresa's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#30St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#31The Priory CofE SchoolGood
#32The Sherwood SchoolGood
#33West Wimbledon Primary SchoolGood
#34William Morris Primary SchoolGood
#35Wimbledon Chase Primary SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,130 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

36th of 43 primary schools in Merton for spending per pupil

#34Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School£7,170
#35Dundonald Primary School£7,151
#36St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School£7,130
#37St Teresa's Catholic Primary School£7,126
#38Gorringe Park Primary School£6,891

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1West Wimbledon Primary School£13,060
#2The Priory CofE School£11,145
#3Cranmer Primary School£10,709
#4Merton Abbey Primary School£10,584
#5Hatfeild Primary School£9,716
#6Haslemere Primary School£9,676
#7Pelham Primary School£9,462
#8Lonesome Primary School£9,434
#9Bond Primary School£9,140
#10Links Primary School£9,121
#11Beecholme Primary School£9,055
#12Garfield Primary School£9,030
#13The Sherwood School£8,897
#14William Morris Primary School£8,853
#15St Mark's Primary School£8,807
#16Morden Primary School£8,805
#17Malmesbury Primary School£8,799
#18All Saints' CofE Primary School£8,569
#19Joseph Hood Primary School£8,419
#20Merton Park Primary School£8,319
#21Liberty Primary£8,298
#22Harris Primary Academy Merton£8,272
#23Abbotsbury Primary School£8,264
#24St Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School£8,197
#25Poplar Primary School£8,041
#26Wimbledon Chase Primary School£7,809
#27Bishop Gilpin CofE Primary School£7,743
#28St Mary's Catholic Primary School£7,689
#29St Matthew's CofE Primary School£7,628
#30Holy Trinity CofE Primary School£7,626
#31Hollymount School£7,534
#32Wimbledon Park Primary School£7,449
#33Hillcross Primary School£7,395
#34Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School£7,170
#35Dundonald Primary School£7,151
#36St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School£7,130
#37St Teresa's Catholic Primary School£7,126
#38Gorringe Park Primary School£6,891
#39Singlegate Primary School£6,816
#40Park Academy£6,575
#41Aragon Primary School£6,432
#42Benedict Academy£6,199
#43St John Fisher RC Primary School£4,156

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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