St Mary and St Giles Church of England School

About St Mary and St Giles Church of England School

St Mary and St Giles Church of England School sits in a tricky spot compared with the Milton Keynes average for primary schools. Its headline metric — the percentage of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — comes in at 45%, well below the local authority average of 62%. That places the school 50th out of 54 primaries in the borough, putting it in the bottom half of the local league table. On the face of it, that gap is significant and worth noting for any parent weighing up options. But the picture isn't uniformly weak. In writing, 74% of pupils met the expected standard, and 69% did so in reading — both closer to the LA norm. Maths is where the dip is sharpest, with 61% reaching the expected level. The school also has a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 37.6%, which often correlates with lower headline scores, so context matters when reading these figures.

The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024 rated it Good across every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, early years provision, and leadership and management. That's a notable turnaround from its previous inspection in 2019, when it was judged Inadequate overall. The improvement is clear. In terms of attainment at a higher level, the numbers are modest: 8% of pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with 14% in maths alone and 21% in reading. Progress scores aren't available in the data, so it's hard to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom 15% for its combined expected standard score, but again, the high FSM rate and the recent Ofsted upgrade suggest a school that has stabilised and is moving in the right direction.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 30 applications for 21 places and 19 first-preference offers, so it's a popular choice locally despite the middling results. Facilities are solid for a primary: a library, playing fields, a sports hall, music rooms, a forest school area, and even a chapel. There's a nursery on site for children from age two, and the school offers a wide range of SEND support, covering dyslexia, speech and language needs, autism, and physical disabilities among others. Sports include cricket, football, netball and tennis, and clubs run the gamut from film club to eco club. For families who value a Church of England ethos, a strong SEND offer, and a school that has demonstrably improved its Ofsted rating, St Mary and St Giles is worth a closer look — just be aware that its academic outcomes are currently below the local average.

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