St Mary's CofE (VA) Primary School

St Mary’s CofE (VA) Primary is a welcoming, inclusive school where pupils feel safe and are happy to attend. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and follows a previous Requires improvement judgement; inspectors found that leadership has driven clear improvement, with a curriculum that is increasingly secure and consistent, effective early reading, strong early years provision and a well-developed personal development offer. Pupils behave with respect, understand the school’s values and benefit from a wide range of clubs, trips and responsibilities. Safeguarding is effective, and governors and staff are positive about the direction of the school. There are still some important areas to refine. In some lessons, teachers do not check pupils’ understanding sharply enough, so gaps in knowledge can persist and slow progress. Pupils with SEND are identified precisely, but classroom adaptations are not consistently used well enough to ensure they learn securely and work independently. Some subject leaders are less secure in evaluating and developing their areas, which leaves pockets of inconsistency. The school also has a specially resourced pre-school provision for speech and language, where the youngest children’s needs are identified quickly and supported well.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and are made to feel welcome, including through the breakfast club.
• Pupils behave with high levels of respect and consideration in lessons and at social times.
• Pupils understand and can explain the school’s values of respect, forgiveness and generosity.
• The curriculum is increasingly secure and consistent, with clearer key knowledge and tasks that build on prior learning.
• Early reading is taught very well and consistently, and pupils needing fluency support are identified rapidly.
• Pupils with SEND have their needs identified precisely, and staff receive clear information to support their learning.
• The youngest children in the resource base have needs identified rapidly, with strong speech and language support and transition into Reception.
• Early years staff are well trained and enrich conversations with children, supporting an effective transition to key stage 1.
• Personal development is strong, with clubs, trips, residentials, leadership opportunities and careful tracking of uptake.
• Pupils learn about health, rights and responsibilities, and tolerance and respect for other faiths and traditions.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Governors are highly supportive and ambitious, have developed effective parent relationships, and staff speak positively about leadership and workload engagement.
• Leadership has managed change with local authority support and conducted extensive curriculum reviews.

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not consistently check that pupils have secure understanding, so gaps in learning can persist and slow progress.
• Classroom adaptations for pupils with SEND are not consistently in place or do not build appropriate independence.
• Some subject leaders are less secure in evaluating their areas, leaving inconsistencies and pockets where subject vision is not systematically in place.

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 (VA) Primary School attended 93.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.1% 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 CofE (VA) 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 (VA) Primary School had 15.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.4% 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, 36.8% of pupils at St Mary's CofE (VA) Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.6% 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 (VA) Primary School received £8,816 and spent £8,941 for each of its 209 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £281,000 (£1,346 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 Kidderminster · Worcestershire local authority: places and applications

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

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's CofE (VA) Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

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

St Mary's CofE (VA) Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

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

St Mary's CofE (VA) Primary School has 212 pupils on roll.

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

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

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

In 2025, 39% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's CofE (VA) Primary School?

St Mary's CofE (VA) Primary School is at Stoney Lane, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, DY10 2LX.