School profile

St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Primary · Academy converter · Luton, LU1 4BB

Good

Map showing St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#8,380 of 15,057

Similar to most schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

St Mary's Catholic Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 7 Jul 2026

Area360 rating
Good
Inclusion
Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour
Strong standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Strong standard
Leadership and governance
Strong standard
Early years
Strong standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeAcademy converter
Ages2 to 11
Pupils229
GenderMixed
Religious characterRoman Catholic
Head teacherMrs Amanda Dowling
TrustST THOMAS CATHOLIC ACADEMIES TRUST
Local authorityCentral Bedfordshire
Opened01 Jan 2018
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 145324.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolCentral BedfordshireEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths62%, similar to England, better than Central Bedfordshire50%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.14%, better than England, better than Central Bedfordshire3%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.104, worse than England, similar to Central Bedfordshire104106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.105, similar to England, better than Central Bedfordshire103105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.105, similar to England, better than Central Bedfordshire103105
Expected standard in reading71%, worse than England, similar to Central Bedfordshire70%76%
Expected standard in writing76%, similar to England, better than Central Bedfordshire61%73%
Expected standard in maths71%, worse than England, better than Central Bedfordshire66%75%
Pupils taking tests21--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils229
Girls120
Boys109
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.20.1%
First language not English38%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.210
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.177
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.15.7%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.26
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.11
Average class size25.4

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
37.6%
Other White
24%
African
8.7%
White and Black Caribbean
5.2%
Other Asian
3.9%
Indian
3.5%
White and Black African
2.6%
Other mixed
2.6%
Pakistani
2.2%
Caribbean
2.2%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher20.4
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.8.9
Teachers (FTE)10.6
Teaching assistants (FTE)13.72
Support staff (FTE)19.32
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2510
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/259
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/251
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/250

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.28
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.41
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.30
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.28
Applications from another local authority (Reception)3

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolCentral BedfordshireEngland
Overall absence4.7%, similar to England, similar to Central Bedfordshire4.8%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.10.9%, better than England, similar to Central Bedfordshire11.5%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.3%, similar to England, similar to Central Bedfordshire1.1%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate5.8%
Pupils with one or more suspensions3.8%
Permanent exclusion rate0.4%
Permanent exclusions1

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near St Mary's Catholic Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.0 miSecondaryManshead Church of England AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Requires improvement
0.5 miPrimarySt. Augustine's AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miPrimaryArdley Hill AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.0 miPrimaryWatling Lower SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.1 miAll-throughPriory AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.2 miPrimarySt Christophers AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.3 miPrimaryLark Rise AcademyAcademy converter
Outstanding
1.3 miPrimaryHadrian AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.4 miSecondaryQueensbury AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Requires improvement
1.4 miNurseryWillow Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Good

Frequently asked questions about St Mary's Catholic Primary School

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

St Mary's Catholic Primary School is rated Good, last inspected on 7 Jul 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does St Mary's Catholic Primary School rank in England?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School ranks 8,380 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (similar to most schools).

What are St Mary's Catholic Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 62% of pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into St Mary's Catholic Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, St Mary's Catholic Primary School made 28 offers from 41 applications (1.5 per offer), and 28 of 30 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend St Mary's Catholic Primary School?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School has 229 pupils aged 2 to 11.

What is the capacity of St Mary's Catholic Primary School?

St Mary's Catholic Primary School had 210 school places in 2024/25.

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

At St Mary's Catholic Primary School, the average class had 25.4 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 20.4 pupils per teacher.

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

In 2025/26, pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School missed 4.7% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 10.9% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.