St Mary's CofE Primary School

St Mary’s CofE Primary School is a highly effective and exceptionally inclusive school where pupils are happy, confident and successful. Inspectors found that leaders have turned the school’s motto, ‘I can do all things’, into reality: pupils behave extremely well, work hard and learn an ambitious curriculum successfully. The school provides strongly for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, and pupils achieve well across subjects. This was the school’s first routine section 5 inspection, and it has improved substantially since joining the Midsomer Norton Partnership Trust in April 2020. The curriculum is meticulously planned from Nursery to Year 6, and teachers check learning carefully and adapt teaching so gaps are closed quickly. Reading and mathematics are prioritised effectively, helping nearly all pupils become fluent readers by the end of Year 2 and confident mathematicians throughout. Personal development and extra-curricular provision are exceptionally strong, with pupils benefiting from a wide range of opportunities and taking active roles in school life. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Inspectors identified no areas for improvement, and every key judgement was outstanding. The report highlights exceptional care, ambition and inclusion, with pupils socially and emotionally well prepared to move on from primary school.

Strengths

• Highly ambitious and meticulously sequenced curriculum across all subjects and year groups.
• Teachers check understanding carefully and adapt teaching to close gaps quickly.
• Strong reading programme helps nearly all pupils decode fluently by the end of Year 2.
• Mathematics basics are secured early, enabling confident complex problem-solving.
• Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, achieve well and produce high-quality work.
• Exceptionally inclusive environment where all pupils can thrive.
• Pupils behave extremely well, work hard and contribute through pupil leadership groups.
• Personal development is exceptionally strong, including PSHE, resilience, tolerance and community responsibility.
• Extra-curricular offer is exceptionally broad and leaders ensure pupils from all backgrounds can take part.
• Effective trust support has driven substantial improvement since 2020.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

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 CofE Primary School 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, 0.6% of pupils at St Mary's CofE 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 CofE Primary School had 18.5 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, 13.2% of pupils at St Mary's CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.7% 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 CofE Primary School received £7,333 and spent £7,679 for each of its 152 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £312,000 (-£2,059 per pupil).

Across all 41 schools of Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership, income was £8,730 and spending £8,608 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 Bath · Bath and North East Somerset local authority: places and applications

St Mary's CofE Primary School is part of Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership, which runs 43 schools. The nearest others:

• High Littleton CofE VC Primary School Bristol
• Peasedown St John Primary School Bath
• Trinity Church School Bath
• Welton Primary School Radstock
• Midsomer Norton Primary School Radstock
• Clutton Primary School Bristol
• St John's CofE Primary School Radstock
• Somervale Secondary School Radstock
• Westfield Primary School Radstock
• Longvernal Primary School Radstock

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

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's CofE Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in November 2024.

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

St Mary's CofE Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

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

St Mary's CofE Primary School has 182 pupils on roll.

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

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

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

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's CofE Primary School?

St Mary's CofE Primary School is at Lansdown View, Timsbury, Bath, Somerset, BA2 0JR.