Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough

Saint Mary’s Catholic Primary School continues to perform well, maintaining its good status from previous inspections. The school is characterized by its diverse and welcoming environment, where positive relationships and high expectations foster pupil engagement and a love for learning. Pupils achieve well academically, particularly in subjects like mathematics and reading, where teachers ensure that foundational knowledge is built upon effectively. However, there are notable concerns regarding the support provided to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), who do not consistently receive the precise help needed to achieve their full potential.

Strengths

• Pupils are proud of their culturally diverse school.
• Teachers create a welcoming and supportive environment for sharing ideas.
• High expectations lead to keen and motivated learners.
• Strong focus on reading and phonics from an early age.
• Effective teaching of mathematics allows pupils to build knowledge securely.
• Pupils participate in a variety of extracurricular activities, enhancing their learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils with SEND do not consistently receive the precise support needed for their achievement.
• Some subjects do not allow pupils to apply their knowledge to more complex ideas.

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 Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.2% 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, 2.0% of pupils at Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough 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 Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough had 24.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.5% 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, 15.5% of pupils at Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% 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 Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough received £6,976 and spent £7,097 for each of its 200 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £125,000 (-£627 per pupil).

Across all 23 schools of St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,145 and spending £7,245 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 Loughborough · Leicestershire local authority: places and applications

Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough is part of St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• Sacred Heart Catholic Voluntary Academy Loughborough
• De Lisle College Loughborough Leicestershire Loughborough
• Saint Winefride's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Shepshed, Leicestershire Loughborough
• Holy Cross School A Catholic Voluntary Academy Coalville
• Saint Clare's Primary School A Catholic Voluntary Academy, Coalville, Leicestershire Coalville
• Bishop Ellis Catholic Voluntary Academy Leicester
• English Martyrs' Catholic School, A Voluntary Academy Leicester
• Saint Patrick's Catholic Voluntary Academy Leicester
• Christ the King Catholic Voluntary Academy Leicester
• Sacred Heart Catholic Voluntary Academy Leicester

What is Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough is Good, from an inspection in May 2022.

When was Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough last inspected by Ofsted?

Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough was last inspected in May 2022.

How many pupils does Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough have?

Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough has 207 pupils on roll.

What age range does Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough cover?

Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough?

Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough is at Hastings Street, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 5AX.