St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington

St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington is a highly inclusive school with a clear 'Every Child Can' culture. Inspectors found strong practice in attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils behave excellently, attend better than the national average, and benefit from an ambitious curriculum with a strong focus on oracy, reading and vocabulary. Safeguarding standards are met. The school serves a deprived area and many pupils join with low starting points or speak English as an additional language. Despite this, pupils are well supported and achieve broadly in line with national outcomes, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Achievement and early years are judged at the expected standard, while the other areas are stronger. The main remaining focus is to continue closing the achievement gap for disadvantaged pupils in reading, writing and mathematics across all year groups, with support kept carefully targeted.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive culture where vulnerable, disadvantaged, SEND and EAL pupils are well supported
• Excellent pupil behaviour, with calm and orderly routines and high levels of respect
• Attendance and persistent absence rates are better than the national average and improving
• Ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum with oracy and vocabulary prioritised
• Strong phonics and reading provision, with effective targeted interventions
• High-quality teaching and excellent subject knowledge across the school
• Assessment used well to identify gaps and adapt lessons quickly
• Strong leadership and governance with a clear vision and effective support and challenge
• Well-planned personal development programme, including RSE, life skills and British values
• Wide range of clubs, trips and leadership roles that build pupils' confidence and responsibility
• Early years curriculum is well structured with a strong focus on language and communication
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture of safeguarding

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is at the expected standard rather than strong, with disadvantaged pupils' gaps in reading, writing and mathematics still a focus
• Leaders should continue to close the achievement gap in reading, writing and mathematics for disadvantaged pupils across all year groups, ensuring support remains carefully targeted

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 Catholic Primary School, Edlington attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.0% 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, 0.5% of pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington 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 Catholic Primary School, Edlington had 20.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.6% 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, 11.6% of pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.5% 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 Catholic Primary School, Edlington received £7,189 and spent £6,441 for each of its 195 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £315,000 (£1,619 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

What is St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington is Expected standard, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington have?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington has 198 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington cover?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington is at Bungalow Road, Edlington, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN12 1DL.