School Chooser

Rothwell St Mary's RC Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedRoman Catholic211 pupilsLeeds
School Chooser Score
89
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 76 to 95, so it could be “above”
Out of 100. Better than 79% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedOutstandingLast Ofsted inspection, March 2024
Reached the expected level at 1163%England 63%
Attendance96.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families5%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull211 pupils, 211 places
Pupils per teacher19.9School workforce census

Rothwell St Mary's RC Primary School is a Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) in Leeds for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 211 pupils and every place is taken. About 5 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 89 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 79% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2024.

Royds Lane, Rothwell, Leeds, LS26 0BJ0113 282 8182rothwellstmarys.co.ukMiss Siobhan Leonard headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 19 March 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Outstanding overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Outstanding
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

30 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1163%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level7%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score104.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 79%79%20172018: 81%81%20182019: 74%74%20192023: 71%71%20232024: 76%76%20242025: 63%63%2025
Since 2017: -16%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017LeedsEngland
Pupils tested302931273228
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths63%76%71%74%81%79%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths7%10%16%15%22%18%9%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score104.0105.0107.0108.0107.0108.0105.5105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0106.0105.0106.0106.0108.0104.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0106.0107.0111.0110.0111.0105.5105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard83%86%84%85%88%89%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard73%86%77%81%94%89%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)87%90%84%81%88%82%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.3+1.0+1.0+3.6
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.6-1.3+0.4+3.9
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged17%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged75%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
17%75%
Gap 58 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
60%67%
Gap 7 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%7%
Gap 7 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Nearly full209 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
100% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Leeds council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll211Census January 2026
Places211100% full
Pupils from low-income families5%5% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English9%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support15%31 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%2 pupils with a plan
Average class size30.17 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils29%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)5%£17,050 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls122 / 89
White British pupils83%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 31.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (23), emotional and mental health (6), Other difficulty or disability (2), Physical disability (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll211210207210209208
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals5%7%8%9%9%10%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language9%10%12%11%13%14%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support17%20%22%13%14%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%1%0%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school3.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.3%3.3%3.9%5.2%1.7%2.5%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.3%2.0%2.8%4.2%1.2%1.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.0%1.2%1.2%0.9%0.5%0.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence3.3%4.5%5.5%9.4%1.1%1.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.01.00.50.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers10.6full-time equivalent, 13 people
Pupils per teacher19.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£49,337
Teachers who left in the year9%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.82024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,092England £7,738. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£6,112England £7,697. Total £1.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,797England £3,480
Money in reserve8%Not much put by: £98k, £464 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£4,207it took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,092spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m6912 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate90 per 1,000 peopleabout the England average
Typical house price£245,000Leeds
Nearest bus stop220 mRoyds Lane, 5 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Rothwell Primary SchoolCouncil590 m310Good 202362Compare
Holy Trinity Church of England Academy, RothwellAcademy900 m183No overall grade 202414Compare
Oulton Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles304Good 202218Compare
Cockburn Haigh Road AcademyAcademy0.9 miles63Good 202354Compare
Carlton Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles323Good 202044Compare
Victoria Junior SchoolCouncil0.9 miles97Good 202313Compare
Woodlesford Primary SchoolCouncil1.3 miles442Good 202378Compare
Robin Hood Primary SchoolCouncil1.6 miles420Good 202363Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Rothwell St Mary's RC Primary School with the 42 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 42 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats79%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 89 is 19 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 14 · middle 70 · highest 99100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 42 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Rothwell St Mary's RC Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Jerry Clay AcademyAcademy4.0 miles211Outstanding 202397Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 89 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 89% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 76 to 95. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
+0.08
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 30 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well above
+0.43
Ofsted grade, 2.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.11
DfE progress measure; 30 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.10
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well above
+0.13
2024/25; 180 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
-0.02
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 30 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Rothwell St Mary's RC Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Rothwell St Mary's RC Primary School scores 89 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 79% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 76 to 95, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Rothwell St Mary's RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Rothwell St Mary's RC Primary School outstanding at its last full inspection on 19 March 2024.

How good are Rothwell St Mary's RC Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 63% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 7% went further and reached the higher level.

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

211 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 211 places, so it is 100% full.

Is Rothwell St Mary's RC Primary School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Rothwell St Mary's RC Primary School?

Pupils were in school 96.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 3% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Rothwell St Mary's RC Primary School?

The average class had 30.1 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 29% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Royds Lane, Rothwell, Leeds, LS26 0BJ
Telephone
0113 282 8182
Website
www.rothwellstmarys.co.uk
Headteacher
Miss Siobhan Leonard
Type of school
Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Leeds (rc)
Local authority
Leeds
Ward
Rothwell
Constituency
Wakefield and Rothwell
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
108018 · LAESTAB 3833364 · UKPRN 10078653

Where these figures come from