St Mary's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy

About St Mary's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy

St Mary's Catholic Primary School in North Yorkshire is a state-funded voluntary academy with a Roman Catholic character, currently educating 213 pupils against a capacity of 236. That leaves a small amount of headroom, but the school is clearly in demand: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 63 applications for just 28 places, with 29 of those applications as first preferences and all 28 offers going to first-preference families. That works out at 2.25 applications per place, a strong signal of local popularity. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 13.9%, which is slightly below the national average for primary schools and suggests a broadly mixed but not disadvantaged intake. The school also offers nursery provision for children from age three, so families can start their child's education here from the earliest primary stage.

Academically, St Mary's holds an Outstanding rating from Ofsted, awarded in its most recent graded inspection in 2014, and the school has maintained that top grade across both its previous and current inspections. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 60% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which matches the North Yorkshire local authority average of 60%. However, the school's performance in individual subjects shows some variation: 80% met the expected standard in maths, compared with 70% in reading and 73% in writing. At the higher standard, 27% achieved in maths, 23% in reading and 10% in writing, with just 3% reaching the higher benchmark across all three subjects. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom half for its combined expected standard, sitting at the 56th percentile, and within North Yorkshire it places 114th out of 292 primary schools.

The school's facilities include a chapel, music rooms, art studios, a sensory room, a sports hall and a gymnasium, and it offers clubs such as eco club, drama, gardening, choir, science club and art club. Sports on offer include athletics, swimming, dance and cross country. For children with additional needs, the school lists provisions for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, social, emotional and mental health support, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from 67 families between September 2024 and September 2025 show that 85% would recommend the school, though there are some areas of concern: 31% of respondents disagreed that the school gives SEND children the support they need, and 15% strongly disagreed that bullying is dealt with quickly and effectively. This is a school that suits families who value a Catholic ethos, strong local demand and a broad range of activities, but it's worth investigating SEND support and behaviour management before applying.

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