St Mary's Catholic Primary School
About St Mary's Catholic Primary School
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is a state primary for mixed pupils aged 5 to 11, located in Dover within the Kent local authority. Among the 37 primary schools in Dover, it ranks 16th, placing it comfortably in the top half of local schools. Its closest high-performing peers in the wider Kent area include Stelling Minnis Church of England Primary School, Leigh Academy Dartford, and Temple Ewell Church of England Primary School, all of which score higher on the same ranking metric. The school is Roman Catholic in character and led by headteacher Karen Riddell. With 181 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, it is not at full capacity, though it was oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 52 applications for 25 places and making 24 first-preference offers. Nearly 30% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, a figure that gives some indication of the school's intake profile.
Key Details
The full report on this school
The inspection in plain English, admissions context, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.
- Ofsted inspection in plain EnglishStrengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
- Parent View survey resultsWhat parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
- Where Ofsted and parents disagreeGaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
- Admissions & catchmentAdmission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
- Nearby schools comparedBackup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
- Attendance & behaviour dataPersistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
16 Nov 2022Source: Ofsted, 12 Jan 2023. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
Facilities
8Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
7Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
School day
Teaching hours
08:45 – 15:25
Breakfast club
07:45-08:30
Source: stmarysdeal.co.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.
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