St Mark's Primary School

About St Mark's Primary School

St Mark's Primary School sits within the Merton local authority, a London borough with 44 primary schools of which 10 currently hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. The school itself ranks 12th out of those 44 schools on the key stage 2 expected standard measure, placing it in the top quarter of primaries locally. Its closest Outstanding-rated neighbour is Benedict Academy, 1.1 kilometres away, which tops the local rankings alongside Park Academy and St Mary's Catholic Primary School. Headteacher Ania Kennedy leads a mixed, non-religious state primary for children aged 3 to 11, with nursery provision on site. The school has 223 pupils against a capacity of 286, and a notably high proportion of children eligible for free school meals at 41.3 per cent. In its most recent graded inspection in December 2024, Ofsted judged every assessed category as Outstanding, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. This marks a clear improvement from the school's previous inspection in 2015, when it was rated Good overall.

Academically, St Mark's delivers results that comfortably exceed the Merton local authority average. At key stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 76 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the LA average of 68 per cent. Reading performance is particularly strong, with 97 per cent of pupils meeting the expected standard and 59 per cent reaching the higher standard. In maths, 90 per cent achieved the expected level and 59 per cent the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 110. Writing shows a similar pattern, with 76 per cent at the expected level. Nationally, the school ranks in the top 17 per cent of all primaries on this combined measure, and within London it sits in the top third. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 98 per cent of respondents would recommend the school, and 97 per cent strongly agreed or agreed that their child is happy there. The school's Ofsted report from December 2024 is available online for those wanting the full inspection detail.

The school is heavily oversubscribed, with 105 applications for 29 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.62. Of those, 27 were first-preference applications, and 26 received offers. Facilities include a dining hall, sports hall, playing fields, ICT suite, outdoor playground, music rooms and a chapel. Sports on offer range from rounders and cricket to dance, gymnastics and swimming, while clubs include book club, art club, drama, eco club, choir and coding. The school has identified five SEND provisions, covering specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent responses to the SEND question on Ofsted's Parent View were strong, with 92 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing that the school gives SEND children the support they need. This is a school that combines strong academic outcomes with a clear focus on inclusion, and its high oversubscription reflects its reputation among Merton families.

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