St Mary Roman Catholic Primary School, Royston

Outstanding
Primary
Academy converter
Mixed
Roman Catholic
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~659m)Possible (~942m)Unlikely (~1.2km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Louise Cooke
Pupils:227 / 210 capacity
LA:Hertfordshire
Phone:01763246021
Address:Melbourn Road, Royston, SG8 7DB
Trust:THE DIOCESE OF WESTMINSTER ACADEMY TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 July 2012

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Outstanding

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Outstanding

Early Years

Inspected 8 July 2025View full report
URN:138292
UKPRN:10037738
Diocese:Archdiocese of Westminster
Constituency:North East Hertfordshire
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

This school excels at creating a caring community where every child feels safe and valued. The outstanding early years gets children off to a fantastic start, while excellent reading teaching means pupils become confident, fluent readers. Staff prioritise wellbeing alongside learning, and pupils benefit from exciting enrichment activities like residential trips and leadership opportunities that prepare them brilliantly for secondary school.

Key Strengths

  • Outstanding early years provision with skilled staff supporting children to explore their interests
  • Excellent reading programme with effective phonics teaching and pupils reading fluently for pleasure
  • Exceptional personal development opportunities including trips, residential visits, and leadership roles
  • Strong school values and ethos evident in daily life with calm, purposeful behaviour
  • Effective support for pupils with SEND and those who fall behind in their learning

Areas for Improvement

  • Some inconsistencies in how a few foundation subjects are taught, leading to gaps in pupils' knowledge
  • Staff do not always identify when pupils are ready for more challenging curriculum content, limiting deeper understanding
  • Need for secure understanding of how well curriculum is implemented across all subjects

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective with staff creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.

Extracurricular Activities

Musical instrument lessons for all pupils, careers fair, charity work, school performances, residential visits, leadership roles, breakfast club, after-school club

St Mary Roman Catholic Primary School is a good school where pupils achieve well and leave as well-rounded members of the community. The school provides an ambitious curriculum built on inclusion, independence and inspiration, with outstanding early years provision.

At a Glance

6.8%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

115 responses
Would recommend94%
Child is happy97%
Well taught98%
Good progress90%
Feels safe97%
Well behaved99%
Bullying dealt with18%
Kept informed94%
Handles concerns59%
Wider development90%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-3ppMaths-3ppWriting-10pp

Reading has remained stable at around 83%. Maths has remained stable at around 79%. Writing has declined from 82% to 72%.

Class Sizes

28.6

Avg class size

30.0

Infant (KS1)

29.8

KS2

8

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Royston Rail Station
538m · 9 min walk

Bus Stops

St Mary's RC School (nr)
112m · 2 min walk
Town Hall (o/s)
314m · 5 min walk
Melbourn Road (SW-bound)
331m · 5 min walk
Hollies Close (adj)
342m · 6 min walk
The Green (adj)
381m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

108%

Over capacity

227 pupils

210 capacity

17 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Royston

Low pressure
New homes approved:718
Projected new pupils:180

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Royston

Admissions Demand - Hertfordshire

Low demand0.86x oversubscription

Places available

14,951

Applications

12,834

Got 1st preference

88.0%

Got preferred school

98.2%

Primary admissions across Hertfordshire (2025/26)

Inspection History(4)

8 July 2025
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentOutstanding
Leadership & ManagementGood
Early YearsOutstanding
26 March 2024
5 December 2017
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

4.63408%

Overall absence

9.23913%

Persistent absence

184

Enrolments

Authorised4.01971%
Unauthorised0.61437%
Persistent (10%+)9.23913%
Severe (50%+)1.08696%

Absence trend

3.59286%
18/19
2.5674%
20/21
5.86593%
21/22
5.46354%
22/23
5.29839%
23/24
4.63408%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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