School Chooser

St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic91 pupilsNurseryStaffordStaffordshire
School Chooser Score
75
Above
similar schools
Likely range 40 to 92, so it could be “well above”
Out of 100. Better than 85% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, May 2026
Reached the expected level at 1186%England 63%
Attendance94.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families22%A bit fewer than most schools
Places15 spare91 pupils, 106 places
Pupils per teacher23.2School workforce census

St Mary's Catholic Primary School is a converter academy in Stafford for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 91 pupils and room for 106. About 22 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 75 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 85% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in May 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Wharf Lane, Brewood, Stafford, ST19 9BG01902 850261stmaryscatholicprimarybrewood.org.ukMrs Tamsin Davis headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 12 May 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
As expected
Achievement
Strong
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Strong
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Strong
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
Strong
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
Strong
Early years
Strong
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
6 April 2022S5 InspectionGood

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

7 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 1186%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level14%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score109.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score112.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 100%100%20172018: 100%100%20182019: 100%100%20192023: 67%67%20232024: 85%85%20242025: 86%86%2025
Since 2017: -14%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017StaffordshireEngland
Pupils tested7131215910
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths86%85%67%100%100%100%66%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths14%23%17%47%56%40%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score109.0110.0108.0114.0113.0111.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score112.0107.0105.0111.0112.0113.0104.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score113.0110.0108.0113.0114.0112.0105.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard86%100%92%100%100%100%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard86%92%92%100%100%100%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)86%92%83%100%100%100%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.6+6.2+6.5+4.9
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.5+3.6+5.9+6.9

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.

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.

Plenty of spare places81 pupils for 105 places, 2024/25
77% full

24 places were empty (23% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 24% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

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 Staffordshire 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 roll91Census January 2026
Places10686% full
Pupils from low-income families23%22% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support15%14 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan0%0 pupils with a plan
Average class size22.84 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)24%£29,450 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls40 / 51
White British pupils69%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 25.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 22.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (7), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Moderate learning difficulty (2), language and communications needs (2), Physical disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll91798698104109
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals23%17%16%18%12%9%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%3%0%2%1%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%8%10%11%7%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans0%0%0%1%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school15.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.7%4.4%4.8%6.4%2.8%2.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.5%3.5%3.9%5.5%2.2%2.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.1%0.9%0.9%0.9%0.7%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence15.1%13.8%9.1%15.5%10.9%4.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers3.8full-time equivalent, 6 people
Pupils per teacher23.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants1.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£54,106
Teachers who left in the year32%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher9.42024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£8,291England £7,128. Total £655k
Income per pupil£8,329England £7,587. Total £658k
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,190England £3,405
Money in reserve12%A healthy amount put by: £82k, £1,033 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£3,000it took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£8,291spent 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 m2312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate63 per 1,000 people31% lower than the England average
Typical house price£285,000South Staffordshire
Nearest bus stop410 mHockerhill Farm, 1 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
Brewood Middle CofE AcademyAcademy570 m422Good 202456Compare
St Mary and St Chad CofE First SchoolAcademy580 m172Good 202340Compare
St Paul's CofE First SchoolAcademy2.3 miles139Good 202436Compare
St John's CofE First SchoolAcademy2.8 miles81Report card 202627Compare
St Mary's CofE First AcademyAcademy3.0 miles84Good 202334Compare
St Nicholas Church of England First SchoolAcademy3.4 miles339Not inspectedCompare
Bilbrook CofE (VC) Middle SchoolChurch of England3.5 miles150Good 202330Compare
Lane Green First SchoolCouncil3.5 miles145No overall grade 202541Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Mary's Catholic Primary School with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats85%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 75 is 44 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 32 · highest 94100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 75 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 75% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 40 to 92. 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
+0.05
2024 and 2023 results; 13 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%above
+0.16
Ofsted report card, 0.3 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.01
DfE progress measure; 13 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.07
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.02
2024/25; 73 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.22
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 13 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 St Mary's Catholic Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. St Mary's Catholic Primary School scores 75 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 85% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 40 to 92, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

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

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 12 May 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as strong, behaviour and attendance as strong, leadership as strong.

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

In summer 2025, 86% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 14% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

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

91 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 106 places, so it is 86% full.

Is St Mary's Catholic Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 24 places were empty in 2024/25 (23% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

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

Pupils were in school 94.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 15% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

The average class had 22.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class 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
Wharf Lane, Brewood, Stafford, ST19 9BG
Telephone
01902 850261
Website
www.stmaryscatholicprimarybrewood.org.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Tamsin Davis
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Archdiocese of Birmingham
Multi-academy trust
St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust (64 schools)
Local authority
Staffordshire
Ward
Brewood, Coven & Blymhill
Constituency
Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 March 2016 (academy converter)
URN
142214 · LAESTAB 8603455 · UKPRN 10053370
Formerly
St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Where these figures come from