St Mary's Church of England Primary School

St Mary’s is a happy, welcoming Church of England primary within the Rise multi-academy trust, and inspectors found it performing well across the board. Pupils are polite, feel safe and respond to high expectations; they achieve well, especially where teaching is strongest, such as mathematics. The curriculum is ambitious and logically sequenced, and leaders are beginning to broaden pupils’ horizons through carefully chosen texts, places and people. Early years provision is a particular strength, with children settling quickly and being well prepared for key stage 1, and pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported well. Safeguarding is effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and under the current framework no overall effectiveness grade was given.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, polite and respectful, and feel safe in a welcoming school.
• The curriculum is ambitious and sets out precise knowledge in a logical way.
• Leaders are broadening pupils’ horizons through well-chosen authors, places and significant individuals.
• Teaching in most core subjects is strong, and pupils achieve well, especially in mathematics.
• Phonics is prioritised, and additional help is provided for pupils who find reading difficult.
• Early years provision is strong, with careful modelling and well-chosen texts preparing children well for key stage 1.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly, and activities are tailored so they can access a broad and balanced curriculum.
• Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and benefit from clear school rules and nurture support.
• Personal development is strong, including British values, pupil voice, cultural learning, clubs and trips.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Staff value the trust’s support for their workload and well-being, and local governance is developing well.

Areas for Improvement

• Phonics teaching is inconsistent, and some staff use inaccurate sounds when modelling word reading.
• Some pupils who fall behind do not receive enough practice to recall sounds automatically and develop fluency as quickly as they could.
• Systems for checking how well the curriculum is implemented are in the early stages of development in some subjects.
• In some subjects, staff subject knowledge is not as strong as it could be, and pupils do not always receive appropriate learning activities.
• The school is not yet able to identify successes and next steps, or provide appropriate support, in some curriculum subjects.

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 Church of England Primary School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.1% 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 Church of England 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 Church of England Primary School had 19.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.1% 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, 16.2% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.5% 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 Church of England Primary School received £6,577 and spent £6,786 for each of its 191 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £76,000 (£398 per pupil).

Across all 26 schools of Rise Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,294 and spending £7,149 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 Melton Mowbray · Leicestershire local authority: places and applications

St Mary's Church of England Primary School is part of Rise Multi Academy Trust, which runs 26 schools. The nearest others:

• Frisby Church of England Primary School Melton Mowbray
• Waltham on the Wolds Church of England Primary School Melton Mowbray
• St Peter's Church of England Primary School Wymondham Melton Mowbray
• St Michael & All Angels Church of England Primary School Leicester
• Croxton Kerrial Church of England Primary School Grantham
• St Peter and St Paul Church of England Academy Leicester
• Redmile Church of England Primary School Nottingham
• Christ Church & Saint Peter's Cofe Primary School Loughborough
• Thurnby, St Luke's Church of England Primary School Leicester
• Tugby Church of England Primary School Leicester

What is St Mary's Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was St Mary's Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does St Mary's Church of England Primary School have?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School has 179 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's Church of England Primary School cover?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Mary's Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's Church of England Primary School?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School is at Brampton Road, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE13 0NA.