St Mary's Catholic Primary School

About St Mary's Catholic Primary School

St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Cumberland is a Roman Catholic state primary for children aged 3 to 11, and it is currently running above its official capacity. With 190 pupils on roll against a capacity of 180, the school is clearly a popular choice locally. That popularity is backed up by the admissions data for the 2025/26 intake: the school received 42 applications for just 23 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.83. All 23 first-preference applicants were offered a place, which suggests that while competition exists, being a first-choice school is a realistic prospect. The school serves a community with a higher-than-average level of disadvantage — 25.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared with the national primary average of around 23%. This context makes the school's strong outcomes all the more notable. It is a mixed-gender school with a nursery provision attached, and it sits within the Cumberland local authority, where it ranks 8th out of 111 primary schools.

Academically, St Mary's delivers results that place it comfortably in the top quarter of primary schools nationally. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 78% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — well above the Cumberland local authority average of 54%. The school's ranking score of 78 puts it 8th in the local authority, in the top 25% nationally, and 242nd out of 2,065 primaries in the North West region. Individual subject scores were strong: 89% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, 81% in maths, and 78% in writing. At the higher standard, 37% achieved in reading, 19% in both maths and writing, and 15% across all three subjects. Reading and maths average scaled scores were 108 and 105 respectively. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2025, the school was judged Good overall, with Outstanding ratings for early years provision, personal development, and behaviour and attitudes. Leadership and management and quality of education were both rated Good.

The school offers a wide range of facilities including a sensory room, ICT suite, sports hall, library, chapel, art studios, music rooms, and outdoor playground. Sports on offer include football, cricket, gymnastics, cross country, and netball, while clubs extend to gardening, drama, eco club, and film club. For families with children who have special educational needs, St Mary's has provisions in place for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 100% of respondents to the Parent View survey would recommend the school, with 93% strongly agreeing that their child is happy, and 95% strongly agreeing that their child feels safe. This is a school that suits families looking for a faith-based primary with strong academic outcomes, a supportive SEND framework, and a clear sense of community — though oversubscription means early application is wise.

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