St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School

St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School has shown significant improvement since its previous inspection, moving from a requiring improvement status to a good overall effectiveness rating. The school provides a positive and safe environment where pupils are happy and engaged in their learning. Leaders have established a well-structured curriculum that accommodates the diverse needs of all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. However, there are areas for development to ensure that all aspects of the curriculum are linked effectively, especially between early years and key stage 1.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel safe.
• The school has a well-structured and ambitious curriculum.
• Staff provide effective support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Leaders prioritize reading and have implemented a successful phonics program.
• Positive relationships exist between staff and pupils.
• Pupils engage in various extra-curricular activities and community support.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects lack clear articulation of vocabulary and concepts in early years.
• Opportunities for pupils to link current learning with prior knowledge are insufficient in some 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 and St Peter Catholic Primary School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.9% 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, 0.0% of pupils at St Mary and St Peter 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 and St Peter Catholic Primary School had 18.6 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, 15.0% of pupils at St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 and St Peter Catholic Primary School received £6,863 and spent £7,664 for each of its 213 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £89,000 (£419 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of St John the Baptist Catholic Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,090 and spending £6,959 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 Great Yarmouth · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School is part of St John the Baptist Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School Lowestoft
• St Benet's RC Primary School and Nursery Beccles
• St Edmund's RC Primary School and Nursery Bungay
• Notre Dame High School, Norwich Norwich
• St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School Norwich
• St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, Costessey Norwich
• St Martha's Catholic Primary School King'S Lynn
• St Thomas More Catholic Primary School Peterborough
• St John Fisher Catholic High School Peterborough
• Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Peterborough

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

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School have?

St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School has 200 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School cover?

St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School?

St Mary and St Peter Catholic Primary School is at East Anglian Way, Gorleston, East Anglia Way, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR31 6QY.