St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

About St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a state primary in North Northamptonshire, ranking 17th out of 90 primary schools in the local authority. That places it comfortably in the top quarter of schools across the area. The three highest-ranked peers in the authority are Gretton Primary Academy, Stanion Church of England (Aided) Primary School, and Broughton Primary School, all of which sit ahead of St Mary's on the local league table. The school is a mixed, Church of England primary for children aged 4 to 11, with headteacher Diane Wright at the helm. It has 262 pupils on roll, just four short of its full capacity of 266, and 24 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals. In its most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in January 2025, the school was judged Good across every graded category, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The early years provision was also rated Good.

Academically, St Mary's performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 74 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a North Northamptonshire average of 61 per cent. The school's ranking score of 74, based on that combined measure, places it in the top 25 per cent nationally and in the top 19 per cent of primaries in the East Midlands. Looking at individual subjects, 82 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in both reading and maths, with average scores of 106 and 107 respectively. A third of pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, and 32 per cent did so in maths. Writing was a relative weak spot, with only 5 per cent reaching the higher standard, matching the proportion for reading, writing and maths combined. The school's previous Ofsted inspection, back in 2011, also rated it Good overall, so the school has maintained that standard over time.

Parents are overwhelmingly positive. In the most recent Parent View survey, 87 per cent would recommend the school, and 90 per cent strongly agreed or agreed that their child is happy there. The school is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 48 applications for 26 places, with 21 first-preference offers made. Facilities include a gymnasium, sports hall, ICT suite, forest school and chapel, and the school offers a range of sports and clubs including football, cricket, drama and eco club. SEND provision covers specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. For families looking for a strong local primary with solid academic results and a clear Church of England character, St Mary's is a reliable choice. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Greenfields Primary School and Nursery, 1.9 km away, which may be worth considering as an alternative.

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