St Mary's Church of England Primary School

About St Mary's Church of England Primary School

St Mary's Church of England Primary School in Waverley sits slightly below the local authority average for its key stage 2 headline measure. In the 2023/24 academic year, 63% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Surrey primary average of 66%. That three-point gap places the school 122nd out of 298 primary schools in the county, and 17th out of 22 in Waverley itself. The picture is more mixed when you look at individual subjects: 83% of pupils hit the expected level in reading and 75% in maths, but writing lagged at 70%. At the higher standard, only 3% of pupils achieved the top benchmark across all three subjects, though 25% did so in reading alone. The school's average scaled scores were 106 in reading and 103 in maths, both above the national baseline of 100. So while the combined figure trails the LA norm, the reading outcomes in particular suggest solid foundations for most children.

The school's most recent graded Ofsted inspection, in 2019, rated it Good overall, with Good for leadership and management and Good for early years provision. A subsequent ungraded inspection in October 2024 confirmed that standards were being maintained. This marks a clear improvement from the school's previous graded inspection in 2016, when it was judged to Require Improvement across the board. The parent view, collected between September 2024 and September 2025, is overwhelmingly positive: 97% of the 75 respondents would recommend the school. Strongly agree responses were particularly high for children feeling safe (80%) and being happy (79%), and 53% strongly agreed that children do well at the school. However, the SEND question is a notable outlier — 50% of parents disagreed that the school gives SEND children the support they need, and only 33% strongly agreed. This is worth probing if your child has additional needs.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 64 applications for 30 places and 31 first-preference applications for 28 offers, giving a ratio of 2.13 applicants per place. It is a Church of England primary for mixed pupils aged 5 to 11, with a capacity of 210 and currently 202 on roll. Free school meal eligibility stands at 9.9%, below the national average. Facilities include a sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, music rooms, a sensory room and a chapel. The school offers a range of clubs including book club, drama, art club and eco club, and sports such as netball, tennis, gymnastics and cross country. Its SEND provisions cover dyslexia, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, and autistic spectrum disorder. Given the strong parent satisfaction and improving Ofsted trajectory, this school suits families who value a supportive, community-focused primary with good reading outcomes, but who should investigate SEND support carefully before applying.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About St Mary's Church of England Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents