St Mary's CofE Primary School

St Mary's CofE Primary School is a small, caring village school where pupils feel valued, safe and part of a close community. Pupils attend regularly, behaviour is calm and positive, and safeguarding requirements are met. Early years, inclusion, personal development and wellbeing are all effective, with strong support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, a broad range of experiences, and a clear Christian ethos that promotes kindness and respect. Attendance is above national levels and persistent absence has fallen significantly over time.

Strengths

• Attendance is above national levels, including for pupils with SEND, and persistent absence has decreased significantly.
• Pupils behave well, feel safe and form positive relationships in a calm and happy school environment.
• The early years curriculum is well designed, with strong emphasis on routines, communication and language.
• Inclusion is central to the school's ethos, and pupils with SEND are supported to access the curriculum alongside their peers.
• Personal development and wellbeing are well provided for, including mental health, relationships and spiritual development.
• Pupils benefit from clubs, trips, community links and charitable activities that broaden their experiences.
• Leaders are positive role models, staff morale is high, and governors maintain effective strategic oversight.
• The school works well with families and agencies to support attendance, emotions and additional needs.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils have not secured basic knowledge in handwriting, spelling, grammar and mathematics.
• Published outcomes by the end of Year 6 are below national averages in reading, writing and combined reading, writing and mathematics.
• Disadvantaged pupils' achievement is well below national non-disadvantaged pupils, with large gaps in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Checks on pupils' learning are not precise enough to identify and address errors and misconceptions promptly.
• Staff do not always use assessment information effectively to close gaps in learning, especially in writing.
• Recent curriculum improvements are appropriate but too early to have sufficiently improved pupils' achievement.
• Monitoring arrangements need strengthening so curriculum actions lead to more rapid and sustained improvements in outcomes.
• Achievement, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance require attention.

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 CofE Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.8% 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 CofE 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 CofE Primary School had 14.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.9% 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, 17.9% of pupils at St Mary's CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.4% 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 CofE Primary School received £10,300 and spent £9,625 for each of its 84 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £110,000 (£1,306 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 Hereford · Herefordshire, County of local authority: places and applications

What is St Mary's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's CofE Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was St Mary's CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's CofE Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does St Mary's CofE Primary School have?

St Mary's CofE Primary School has 84 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's CofE Primary School cover?

St Mary's CofE Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are St Mary's CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 31% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's CofE Primary School?

St Mary's CofE Primary School is at Court Orchard, Fownhope, Hereford, Herefordshire, HR1 4PG.