St Mary's Catholic Primary School

St Mary's Catholic Primary School is performing exceptionally well, achieving an overall effectiveness rating of outstanding. The school has a strong focus on fostering a loving and inclusive environment, which is evident in the positive attitudes and exemplary behavior of its pupils. The curriculum is ambitious and well-structured, helping pupils to develop key skills in areas such as language, reading, and mathematics. There is a notable emphasis on extracurricular activities and student leadership, contributing to a well-rounded educational experience for all pupils. This is the first inspection since the school's conversion to an academy, with previous accolades suggesting a strong legacy of high standards.

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit outstanding behavior and attitudes towards learning.
• The curriculum is ambitious, well-sequenced, and promotes language development effectively.
• Strong emphasis on reading and phonics helps pupils acquire literacy skills rapidly.
• Exceptional provision for pupils with SEND supports tailored learning.
• A wide range of extracurricular activities fosters well-rounded pupil development.
• The early years environment is engaging and conducive to learning.
• Pupils are actively involved in leadership roles, enhancing their sense of responsibility.

Areas for Improvement

• Recent pupil outcomes do not reflect the high quality of the curriculum due to previous disruptions in learning.

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 Catholic Primary School attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.8% 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, 1.9% of pupils at St Mary's Catholic 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 Catholic Primary School had 13.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.7% 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, 19.7% of pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.0% 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 Catholic Primary School received £7,655 and spent £7,500 for each of its 208 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £136,000 (£655 per pupil).

Across all 38 schools of Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust, income was £7,521 and spending £7,443 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 Middlesbrough · Redcar and Cleveland local authority: places and applications

St Mary's Catholic Primary School is part of Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 38 schools. The nearest others:

• St Peter's Catholic College Middlesbrough
• St Margaret Clitherows RC Primary School Middlesbrough
• Saint Gabriel's Catholic Primary School Middlesbrough
• Corpus Christi RC Primary School Middlesbrough
• St Alphonsus' Catholic Primary School Middlesbrough
• St Pius X Catholic Primary School, a Catholic Voluntary Academy Middlesbrough
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Middlesbrough
• St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School Middlesbrough
• St Thomas More RC Primary School Middlesbrough
• St Benedict's Catholic Primary School Redcar

What is St Mary's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Catholic Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was St Mary's Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does St Mary's Catholic Primary School have?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School has 198 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's Catholic Primary School cover?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 44% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's Catholic Primary School?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School is at Tennyson Avenue, Grangetown, Middlesbrough, TS6 7AD.