St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School

About St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School

St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School in Great Yarmouth was rated Good overall by Ofsted in its most recent inspection in 2022, a clear improvement from its Requires Improvement rating in 2019. The school now holds Good across every assessed category, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The most telling exam metric comes from Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 academic year: 43% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That figure sits below the Norfolk local authority average of 52%, placing the school 24th out of 27 primary schools in Great Yarmouth and in the bottom half nationally. However, the picture is more nuanced when you look at individual subjects. Reading and maths average scores of 105 and 104 respectively are both above the national benchmark of 100, and 75% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading alone.

The school’s progress scores are not available in the data, so it is difficult to say how much value the school adds from its pupils’ starting points. But the breakdown does show that while 68% of pupils met the expected standard in maths and 75% in reading, only 54% did so in writing. The proportion reaching the higher standard in all three subjects combined was just 4%, though 21% achieved higher in maths and 29% in reading. With 21.8% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with above-average disadvantage. The Ofsted report noted that the school had improved significantly since its previous inspection, and inspectors judged that leaders had taken effective action to address weaknesses. The early years provision was also rated Good, which matters for families considering the nursery provision on site.

The school has a capacity of 236 and currently has 223 pupils on roll, so it is nearly full. For the 2025/26 admissions round, it was oversubscribed: 33 families applied for 20 places, and all 20 first-preference applicants were offered a place. That gives an oversubscription ratio of 1.65, meaning competition is moderate but not fierce. Facilities include a sports hall, music rooms, an ICT suite, art studios, a sensory room, a chapel and a forest school. Sports on offer include swimming, tennis, gymnastics, cricket, rounders, athletics and cross country, and clubs include gardening, eco club, film club and drama. The school’s SEND provisions cover moderate learning difficulty, speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder, hearing impairment, and social, emotional and mental health needs. This is a school that suits Catholic families in Great Yarmouth who value a faith-based primary with nursery provision, a broad range of activities, and a Good Ofsted rating, but who should be aware that its combined KS2 outcomes are below the local average.

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