St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold

St Mary’s CofE Academy Stotfold has successfully maintained the standards from its previous inspection, highlighting a commitment to positive outcomes for all pupils. The school fosters a caring environment where staff genuinely support students, leading to a culture of safety and happiness. With a strong focus on pupil achievement and well-being, most students are well-prepared for the next stage of their education, benefitting from an ambitious curriculum tailored to diverse needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The recent increase in SEND pupils has been effectively managed, resulting in them achieving their specific targets. However, there are areas for improvement as some pupils struggle to retain detailed knowledge across wider curriculum subjects. The school recognizes this issue and acknowledges the need to allocate more time to address knowledge gaps. Additionally, the development of a tailored curriculum for certain SEND pupils is still in its early stages, which may hinder their communication skills advancement. Despite these challenges, the leadership and staff engagement with parents and the community remains highly positive.

Strengths

• Strong culture of mutual respect and kindness among pupils.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND, leading to improved achievements.
• High levels of student engagement and participation in extracurricular activities.
• Dedicated leadership that prioritizes staff well-being and workload.

Areas for Improvement

• Insufficient time allocated to address knowledge gaps in wider curriculum subjects.
• Early stages of developing a tailored curriculum for some SEND pupils.

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 Academy Stotfold attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.0% 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, 0.0% of pupils at St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold 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 Academy Stotfold had 25.2 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, 4.7% of pupils at St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.1% 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 2024–25 St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold received £6,562 and spent £7,140 for each of its 292 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £15,000 (-£51 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

All schools in Hitchin · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold have?

St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold has 297 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold cover?

St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold for pupils aged 5 to 9.

Where is St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold?

St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold is at Rook Tree Lane, Stotfold, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 4DL.