St Marys Catholic Primary School

About St Marys Catholic Primary School

St Marys Catholic Primary School in Wealden posts a combined Key Stage 2 result that sits slightly above the local authority average for primary schools, but the gap is modest. The school achieved 63% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, compared with an East Sussex average of 59%. That four-point advantage places it in the middle of the pack locally — ranked 53rd out of 144 primary schools in the authority, and 20th within Wealden itself. Where the school really stands out is in writing, where 88% of pupils hit the expected mark, well above the national norm. Reading also performed strongly at 78% expected, while maths came in at 69%. The higher-standard figures are more modest: just 3% of pupils reached the higher bar across all three subjects, and only 6% did so in writing. The school’s most recent graded Ofsted inspection, in 2012, rated it Good overall, with leadership and management also judged Good. A subsequent ungraded inspection in 2022 confirmed the school remains Good, a clear improvement on its previous Requires Improvement rating from 2010.

At Key Stage 2, average scores tell a similar story of solid, if unspectacular, performance. Pupils scored an average of 105 in reading and 103 in maths, both comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. Progress measures are not available in the data, so it is difficult to say how much value the school adds relative to starting points, but the raw outcomes suggest children leave with secure foundations. The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 30 places in the 2025/26 intake, it received 93 applications, a ratio of 3.1 to one. All 25 first-preference applicants were offered a place, which indicates strong local demand and a catchment that works efficiently for families who prioritise it. The school serves 217 pupils, just one short of its capacity of 218, and 9.2% of children are eligible for free school meals, slightly below the national average for primary schools.

St Marys is a Roman Catholic state primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 4 to 11, with no nursery or sixth form. Facilities include an ICT suite, sports hall, playing fields, music rooms, a sensory room and a chapel, which reflects its faith character. The school offers a broad range of clubs — chess, gardening, drama, film club and book club — and sports including swimming, football, cross country, rounders and cricket. Its SEND provision covers specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder, social and emotional mental health needs, and other difficulties. This combination of strong core results, a clear religious ethos, and dedicated SEND support makes it a good fit for Catholic families in the Wealden area who want a well-subscribed, community-focused primary with decent academic outcomes and a range of enrichment activities.

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