St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy

St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating during its first inspection as an academy. The school is characterized by a nurturing environment where students display exemplary behaviour and a strong commitment to their education. Noteworthy strengths include the high standards of personal development and the focus on reading within the curriculum, which foster a love for learning from an early age. Nonetheless, while many pupils achieve well, there are some subjects where students do not have sufficient opportunities to deepen their knowledge, which could hinder their overall progress.

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit exemplary behaviour and positive attitudes to learning.
• The school fosters a nurturing and supportive environment.
• Strong emphasis on reading, with effective phonics teaching.
• Ambitious curriculum with thoughtful local context integration.
• Pupils with SEND are effectively supported to achieve alongside peers.
• Extra-curricular opportunities are high quality and diverse.
• Parents hold the school in high regard and appreciate the staff's caring approach.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to deepen their 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 Voluntary Academy attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.2% 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, 0.0% of pupils at St Mary's Catholic Voluntary 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's Catholic Voluntary Academy had 23.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.9% 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, 6.8% of pupils at St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.8% 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 Voluntary Academy received £6,482 and spent £7,580 for each of its 220 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £254,000 (-£1,156 per pupil).

Across all 25 schools of St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,472 and spending £7,889 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 Stockport · Stockport local authority: places and applications

St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy is part of St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which runs 25 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy High Peak
• St Margaret's Catholic Voluntary Academy Glossop
• St Philip Howard Catholic Voluntary Academy Glossop
• St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy Glossop
• St Charles' Catholic Voluntary Academy Glossop
• All Saints' Catholic Voluntary Academy Glossop
• St Anne's Catholic Voluntary Academy Buxton
• St Thomas More Catholic Voluntary Academy Buxton
• St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy Matlock
• Christ the King Catholic Voluntary Academy Alfreton

What is St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy is Good, from an inspection in April 2024.

When was St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy was last inspected in April 2024.

How many pupils does St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy have?

St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy has 222 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy cover?

St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy?

St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy is at Lowry Drive, Marple Bridge, Stockport, Cheshire, SK6 5BR.