St. Mary Cray Primary Academy

St. Mary Cray Primary Academy continues to demonstrate a good standard of education, benefiting from strong leadership and a supportive community. The school has high expectations for its pupils, fostering a safe and friendly atmosphere where respect and ambition are encouraged. The curriculum is ambitious and includes essential learning experiences for all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), ensuring they receive adequate support to thrive academically and socially. The recent focus on early reading has bolstered teaching efforts, enabling staff to systematically introduce and reinforce knowledge in young learners.

Strengths

• High expectations from leadership for student performance
• Ambitious and comprehensive curriculum in place
• Effective support for pupils with SEND
• Strengthened teaching of early reading
• Welcoming and supportive school environment
• Engaging extracurricular activities enhancing learning

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent checking of pupil understanding in some subjects
• Need for improved curriculum planning in certain areas

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 Cray Primary Academy attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.9% 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, 2.2% of pupils at St. Mary Cray Primary Academy 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 Cray Primary Academy had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.3% 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, 28.8% of pupils at St. Mary Cray Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.4% 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 Cray Primary Academy received £7,893 and spent £7,299 for each of its 228 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £32,000 (£138 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of The Spring Partnership Trust, income was £7,638 and spending £7,559 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 Bromley · Bromley local authority: places and applications

St. Mary Cray Primary Academy is part of The Spring Partnership Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Leesons Primary School Orpington
• Midfield Primary School Orpington
• Elmstead Wood Primary School London
• Hayes Primary School Bromley

What is St. Mary Cray Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St. Mary Cray Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2023.

When was St. Mary Cray Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St. Mary Cray Primary Academy was last inspected in June 2023.

How many pupils does St. Mary Cray Primary Academy have?

St. Mary Cray Primary Academy has 233 pupils on roll.

What age range does St. Mary Cray Primary Academy cover?

St. Mary Cray Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St. Mary Cray Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 41% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St. Mary Cray Primary Academy?

St. Mary Cray Primary Academy is at High Street, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent, BR5 4AR.