St Mary's Catholic Primary School

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School has demonstrated good overall effectiveness during its first inspection since becoming an academy. The school prides itself on creating a happy and safe environment where pupils feel valued and supported. High aspirations from leadership ensure that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are well provided for. The leadership and management of the school are exceptional, earning strong support from parents and establishing a caring culture among staff and pupils alike.

Strengths

• Outstanding behaviour and attitudes from pupils.
• Leadership and management are outstanding.
• Effective and ambitious curriculum that prepares pupils for secondary school.
• Strong emphasis on reading and phonics instruction.
• Inclusive environment for pupils with SEND.
• Excellent support and development opportunities for staff.
• Strong connections with the local community and creative learning opportunities.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils at the early stages of reading do not have books consistently matched to their phonics knowledge.
• Limited understanding of different world faiths and religions among pupils.

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 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.0% 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, 1.1% 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 23.0 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, 8.6% of pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.2% 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 £7,408 and spent £6,997 for each of its 275 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £373,000 (£1,357 per pupil).

Across all 30 schools of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, income was £7,338 and spending £7,295 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 Jarrow · South Tyneside local authority: places and applications

St Mary's Catholic Primary School is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, which runs 31 schools. The nearest others:

• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Jarrow Jarrow
• St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Jarrow Jarrow
• St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Jarrow Jarrow
• SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School, South Shields South Shields
• St James' Catholic Primary School, Hebburn Hebburn
• St Oswald's Catholic Primary School, South Shields South Shields
• St Wilfrid's RC College South Shields
• St Joseph's Catholic Academy Hebburn
• St Aloysius Catholic Junior School Academy Hebburn
• St Aloysius Catholic Infant School, Hebburn Hebburn

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

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

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

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

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

St Mary's Catholic Primary School has 278 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, 74% 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 Ayr Drive, Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, NE32 4AW.