St Cuthbert Mayne Catholic Primary School

About St Cuthbert Mayne Catholic Primary School

St Cuthbert Mayne Catholic Primary School in Waverley is a state primary for mixed pupils aged 4 to 11, and it is running very close to full. With 208 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, the school is effectively full, and the demand is clear: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 79 applications for just 29 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.72. Of those 79 applicants, 29 put it as their first preference, and 24 first-preference offers were made. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 10.1 per cent, which is below the national average for primary schools and suggests a relatively advantaged intake. The school is Roman Catholic in character, and while the data does not specify how faith criteria affect admissions, the high demand indicates strong local appeal. Headteacher Amy O'Donovan leads a school that has held a Good rating from Ofsted since its most recent inspection in 2023, a downgrade from the Outstanding it received in 2009.

Academically, St Cuthbert Mayne performs well above the local authority average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 76 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Surrey primary average of 66 per cent. The school’s ranking score of 76 places it in the top 25 per cent nationally, and within Waverley it ranks 9th out of 22 primary schools. Average scaled scores were 110 in both reading and maths, comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. However, the proportion reaching the higher standard in all three subjects is just 10 per cent, which is modest. In individual subjects, 52 per cent of pupils achieved a higher standard in reading, and 45 per cent in maths, but only 10 per cent did so in writing. The school’s Ofsted breakdown from January 2023 shows Good across all categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision.

The school offers a broad set of facilities including a sports hall, playing fields, a library, music rooms, a gymnasium, an ICT suite, art studios, a chapel, and a Forest School area. Sports on offer include gymnastics, football, netball, athletics, dance, rounders and cross country, while clubs range from coding and drama to gardening and eco club. The school’s SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. With no nursery or sixth form, it is a straightforward primary serving families in the Waverley area. Given its strong academic results, Catholic character and high oversubscription, this school will particularly suit Catholic families who prioritise a values-based education and are prepared to navigate a competitive admissions process.

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