The St Marylebone CofE School

The St Marylebone CofE School is a highly successful Church of England secondary comprehensive academy in Westminster, educating girls aged 11 to 18 with a mixed sixth form. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and inspectors found exceptionally strong provision across the school. Pupils achieve consistently above-average outcomes, including in the sixth form, and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities learn and progress very well alongside their peers. The school's curriculum is very ambitious and thoughtfully structured, helping pupils recall and apply knowledge exceptionally well. Teachers have strong subject knowledge, reading is a priority with effective targeted support, and pupils' behaviour and attitudes are exemplary. Personal development is extensive, with the arts at the heart of the school, a wide range of pupil-led extracurricular opportunities, strong careers guidance, and high attendance. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Leadership and governance are very strong, creating a culture of continuous improvement and trust. Staff retention is exceptionally high, and staff value the support for professional development and consideration of workload. Inspectors identified no significant weaknesses or areas for improvement in this inspection.

Strengths

• Exceptionally high academic and personal expectations with consistently above-average outcomes
• Very ambitious, thoughtfully structured curriculum enabling exceptional recall and application
• Teachers with extremely strong subject knowledge and effective use of subject-specific language
• Pupils with SEND learn and progress very well alongside their peers through precise adaptation
• Reading is a priority, with rapid targeted support for pupils with weaker reading skills
• Exemplary pupil behaviour and attitudes, reflecting the 'Marylebone five'
• Strong mental health and wellbeing support; pupils feel safe and bullying is addressed quickly
• Outstanding personal development through the arts, extracurricular activities and pupil-led opportunities
• Highly effective careers programme preparing pupils well for education, employment or training
• Strong attendance and punctuality systems with diligent follow-up of absence
• Effective leadership and governance sustaining continuous improvement and exceptionally high staff retention
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

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 The St Marylebone CofE School attended 93.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 15.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 1.1% of pupils at The St Marylebone CofE School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 The St Marylebone CofE School had 14.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 14.8% of pupils at The St Marylebone CofE School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 The St Marylebone CofE School received £10,414 and spent £10,635 for each of its 1,170 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £257,000 (£220 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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What is The St Marylebone CofE School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The St Marylebone CofE School is Outstanding, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was The St Marylebone CofE School last inspected by Ofsted?

The St Marylebone CofE School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does The St Marylebone CofE School have?

The St Marylebone CofE School has 1,181 pupils on roll.

What age range does The St Marylebone CofE School cover?

The St Marylebone CofE School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The St Marylebone CofE School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 62.8, and 75% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The St Marylebone CofE School?

The St Marylebone CofE School is at 64 Marylebone High Street, London, W1U 5BA.