St Mary's Church of England Primary School

St Mary’s Church of England Primary School is a small, inclusive village school that inspectors found to be performing well across most areas. Pupils are well behaved, feel safe and are taught an ambitious curriculum that starts in Reception; reading is a particular strength, with consistent teaching and strong support for anyone who falls behind. Personal development is a standout feature, with an unusually rich set of extra-curricular and community experiences, including a Year 6 trip to New Zealand, and pupils show an exceptional understanding of citizenship. The school is well led within its federation, and staff and parents speak highly of it. The main area for improvement is assessment. In some subjects, staff do not check carefully enough what pupils have learned, so misconceptions can persist and some pupils do not reach the standards they are capable of. Teachers also do not always use what they know about pupils’ achievements to shape their teaching. Safeguarding is effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014, when it was judged outstanding and was subsequently exempt from routine inspection. It is a voluntary-aided Church of England primary in the United Schools Federation.

Strengths

• High aspirations for all pupils, with most achieving well
• Exceptional additional learning experiences and personal development provision
• Strongly inclusive provision; pupils with SEND achieve well
• Effective, consistent reading teaching from Reception
• Calm, welcoming environment with positive pupil behaviour
• Pupils feel safe and say bullying would be dealt with immediately
• Impressive extra-curricular activities and community projects
• Pupils develop an exceptional understanding of good citizenship
• Effective leadership and governance with appropriate support and challenge
• Staff are proud to work at the school and value workload support
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment checks are not effective enough in some curriculum areas
• Misconceptions in pupils’ knowledge are not always resolved
• Teachers do not always use assessment information to inform teaching
• Some pupils develop gaps in knowledge and do not reach their full potential

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 96.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.3% 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 18.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 34.0% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.0% 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Plymouth · Devon 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 May 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 May 2025.

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

St Mary's Church of England Primary School has 100 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 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 100% 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 Elliott's Hill, Brixton, Plymouth, Devon, PL8 2AG.