St Mary's Catholic Primary School

About St Mary's Catholic Primary School

St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Greenwich is a standout performer when compared with the local authority average for primary schools. While the Greenwich LA average for pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at KS2 sits at 71%, St Mary's achieves 87% — a full 16 percentage points higher. That gap widens further at the higher standard, where 28% of its pupils hit that top tier, against a local average that is considerably lower. The school's overall ranking score of 87 places it first out of 57 primary schools in Greenwich, and in the top 5% nationally. It is also the highest-scoring Catholic primary in the borough, just ahead of Our Lady of Grace and St Thomas A Becket. This is a school that clearly outperforms its peers on academic measures, and its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2022 judged every category — from quality of education to personal development — as Outstanding.

The KS2 results paint a picture of consistent strength across the core subjects. In maths, 92% of pupils reached the expected standard, with an average score of 108 and 52% achieving the higher standard. Reading was similarly strong: 88% at expected, an average score of 108, and 43% at the higher level. Writing saw 92% at expected and 42% at the higher standard. These figures are well above national benchmarks and reflect a school where the vast majority of children are meeting or exceeding expectations by the time they leave. The school's Ofsted report, based on a graded inspection in November 2022, gave top marks across the board — Outstanding for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. That is a clean sweep, and a notable improvement from the previous inspection in October 2011, where early years provision was rated Requires Improvement. The current headteacher, Jonathan Sims, leads a school that is clearly on a strong upward trajectory.

St Mary's is oversubscribed by a considerable margin. For the 2025/26 intake, there were 187 applications for 59 places, with 79 first-preference applications — an oversubscription ratio of 3.17. That means competition is fierce, and families will need to meet the school's Roman Catholic admissions criteria. The school has a nursery provision for children from age 3, and the main school runs from Reception to Year 6. Facilities include playing fields, a forest school, a library, a sports hall, music rooms and a chapel. There is a broad range of clubs — drama, choir, chess, coding, art and science — and sports on offer include tennis, rounders, dance, athletics, gymnastics and swimming. The school also lists SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional needs, speech and language needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 11.6% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a diverse intake. This is a high-performing, faith-based primary that suits families who prioritise strong academic outcomes and are comfortable with the Catholic ethos.

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