St Mary's Church of England Primary School

St Mary’s Church of England Primary School is a good school where the values of love, respect, creativity, forgiveness and perseverance shape daily life. Pupils are welcoming, behave well and show respect for each other and staff. They feel confident that concerns will be handled quickly and fairly, and they learn and play well together. The school has high ambition for all pupils, including those with SEND, and most pupils learn well and show a love of learning. The school has introduced an ambitious curriculum that is generally well ordered from the early years to Year 6, and teachers usually present information clearly and engagingly. Pupils progress well in most subjects and benefit from improved SEND identification and support. Phonics is taught from Reception, reading books are matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge, and support for pupils who struggle with reading has improved after earlier weaknesses. Attendance is high and the school takes swift action when it begins to fall. Pupils also benefit from strong personal development, including opportunities to explore beliefs, learn about different faiths and cultures, and understand British values. Safeguarding is effective, and staff feel well supported. There are still areas to improve. In a few subjects, the curriculum has only recently been finalised, so some pupils have gaps in prior knowledge that hinder new learning. Assessment checks in some subjects are not yet refined enough to help teachers identify misconceptions and gaps securely. Governors are committed but have not routinely challenged the school robustly enough, which has limited the rigour of some curriculum evaluation. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the headteacher has been appointed since the previous inspection.

Strengths

• The school’s values create a welcoming and respectful culture where differences are accepted.
• Pupils behave well and show deep respect for other pupils and staff.
• Pupils trust staff to deal with issues quickly and fairly.
• The school has high ambition for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Pupils show a love of learning and are eager to share their work.
• The curriculum is ambitious and carefully ordered from early years to Year 6.
• Teachers usually present information clearly and engagingly.
• SEND identification and support have improved, and teachers adapt the curriculum successfully.
• Phonics is taught from Reception and reading books are well matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge.
• Support for pupils who struggle with reading has improved, helping more pupils become confident readers.
• Attendance is celebrated, carefully analysed and acted on swiftly when it declines.
• Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures and understand fundamental British values.
• Staff feel that the school cares about their well-being and are proud to work there.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Pupils take responsibilities such as eco-councillor, school councillor and playleader seriously.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, the curriculum has only recently been finalised, leaving some pupils with insecure prior knowledge and gaps from the previous curriculum.
• Assessment checks in some subjects are not refined enough to show whether pupils have secured knowledge or where gaps remain.
• Governors have not routinely challenged the school on some aspects of its work, including curriculum effectiveness, limiting rigorous evaluation.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Mary's Church of England Primary School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Mary's Church of England Primary School had 19.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 19.4% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St Mary's Church of England Primary School received £7,060 and spent £7,167 for each of its 180 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £84,000 (£467 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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All schools in Stockport · Stockport local authority: places and applications

What is St Mary's Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was St Mary's Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does St Mary's Church of England Primary School have?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School has 180 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's Church of England Primary School cover?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are St Mary's Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's Church of England Primary School?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School is at Broomfield Drive, South Reddish, Stockport, Cheshire, SK5 7DR.