St Mark's CofE Primary School

About St Mark's CofE Primary School

Parents at St Mark's CofE Primary School are overwhelmingly positive, with 94% of respondents to the Parent View survey saying they would recommend the school. That survey, covering the period from September 2024 to September 2025, drew 52 responses and showed strong satisfaction across the board: 98% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy, and 96% felt their child is safe. The school is clearly popular locally too — for the 2025/26 intake, it received 72 applications for just 30 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.4 to one. Of those, 24 first-preference offers were made from 28 first-preference applications, meaning a first-choice application gave you an 86% chance of a place. The headteacher is Martha Braithwaite, and the school is a Church of England primary for children aged 2 to 11, with a nursery on site. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in March 2025, judged that the school had improved significantly since its previous graded inspection, and it holds an overall Good rating.

Academically, St Mark's performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 76% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the Islington average of 68%. That places the school 14th out of 39 primaries in the borough, putting it in the top 25% nationally. Reading scores were particularly strong, with an average scaled score of 106 and 84% reaching the expected standard; 24% achieved the higher standard. In maths, the average score was 103, with 80% at expected and 20% at the higher level. Writing saw 88% at expected and 20% at the higher level. The school's Ofsted report from its previous graded inspection in 2015 rated leadership and management, early years provision and overall effectiveness all as Good, and the 2025 ungraded inspection confirmed continued improvement. Progress scores for reading, writing and maths are not available in the data.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, sports hall, dining hall, ICT suite and chapel. Sports on offer include cricket, football, netball, tennis, gymnastics and dance, while clubs extend to drama, gardening, science club, choir and chess. For children with additional needs, the school lists provisions for social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties or disabilities — though the Parent View data shows no responses to the SEND-specific question, so it's hard to gauge parent satisfaction in that area. With 57.3% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a diverse and disadvantaged intake. It's a good fit for families who want a well-regarded, oversubscribed Church of England primary with strong academic results, a broad range of activities and a clear focus on pupil happiness and safety.

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