St Mary's CofE (A) First School

About St Mary's CofE (A) First School

If you're a parent considering St Mary's CofE (A) First School, the feedback from other families is a strong place to start. In the most recent Parent View survey, covering the period up to September 2025, a very high 92% of respondents said they would recommend the school. That confidence is backed up by some notably positive individual scores: 99% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy at the school, and 98% felt their child is safe. The school is also clearly popular in the local area. For its 2025/26 reception intake, St Mary's received 80 applications for just 44 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.82. Of those 80 applications, 43 were first-preference choices, and all 43 received an offer. So while getting a place isn't guaranteed, the data suggests that families who really want to come here are often successful.

Academically, St Mary's is a Good school, a rating it has held since its last graded inspection in 2016. Its most recent ungraded inspection, in May 2025, confirmed that standards are being maintained. The Ofsted breakdown shows that leadership and management, as well as early years provision, are both rated Good. The school's journey is worth noting: its previous graded inspection in 2014 rated it as Requires Improvement, so the improvement to Good represents a significant step forward. While specific Key Stage 2 SATs results for this school aren't available in the data, the local authority average for KS2 attainment in Staffordshire is 65, which gives a useful benchmark for the area. The school serves a community where 19.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, slightly above the national average, and it has 200 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, so it is running very close to full.

For families looking at the practical day-to-day, St Mary's offers a Church of England foundation for children aged 3 to 9, with nursery provision on site. The facilities are varied and include a Forest School, a sensory room, a chapel, music rooms, and art studios. There's a good range of sports on offer, including football, cricket, netball, and swimming, plus clubs like drama, eco club, and chess. The school also has a broad SEND offer, with provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, hearing impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. 28% of parents responding to the survey said their child has SEND, and 77% of those agreed or strongly agreed that the school gives them the support they need. This is a school that suits families who value a strong community feel, a clear moral framework, and a setting where the headteacher, Joanne Moult, has overseen a clear improvement journey.

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