St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy, Batley
St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Batley, part of Blessed Peter Snow Catholic Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 16th-highest of the 17 schools in Batley with published results, and 11,035th of 14,452 across England. It was 83% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Kirklees (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 69% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Kirklees and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 80% in reading and 70% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 33 families put St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy as their first choice and 70 named it as one of their preferences, for 34 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy are Batley Parish CofE Primary Academy (0.2 miles, 86% reading, 82% maths); Carlinghow Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 67% reading, 79% maths); Park Road Junior Infant and Nursery School (0.5 miles, Good, 78% reading, 83% maths); and Healey Junior Infant and Nursery School (0.7 miles, Good, 79% reading, 79% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy.
Batley Parish CofE Primary AcademyCarlinghow AcademyPark Road Junior Infant and Nursery SchoolHealey Junior Infant and Nursery School
The trust
St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy is one of 14 schools run by Blessed Peter Snow Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
12 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy (as of September 2025): 83% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).
Who goes there
40.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 6.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (83%) and Mixed (9%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Batley Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
19 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Mary's School, 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 379 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Kirklees (153), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy issued 7 suspensions, 2.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy are Batley Grammar School (0.4 miles), Upper Batley High School (0.4 miles), Batley Girls' High School (1.1 miles) and Heckmondwike Grammar School (1.3 miles).
Batley Grammar SchoolUpper Batley High SchoolBatley Girls' High SchoolHeckmondwike Grammar School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in April 2022. Before that, as St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Batley (URN 107732), it was rated Good in July 2015.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Mary's is a warm, welcoming school where children feel safe, happy and proud to be part of the community. Teachers are enthusiastic about reading and create a genuine love of books from nursery onwards. The school works hard to include every child, ensuring pupils with additional needs participate fully in all activities and learning.
Key Strengths
- Strong relationships and sense of community with pupils who are polite, respectful and behave very well
- Excellent teaching of reading with enthusiastic staff who promote a love of books from early years onwards
- Well-designed curriculum built logically from early years with clear identification of crucial knowledge
- Inclusive approach ensuring all pupils including those with SEND and behavioural difficulties participate fully in school life
- Effective phonics teaching with prompt additional support for pupils who need it
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers do not check pupils' understanding adequately in some foundation subjects, leaving gaps in learning
- In mathematics, teachers move on to new topics before some pupils have secured their learning, causing persistent gaps
- Need to check pupils' knowledge across all subjects more consistently to improve learning outcomes
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with strong relationships between staff and pupils who have great trust that staff will help them with worries.
Extracurricular Activities
School council, play leaders, Happy Minds ambassadors
St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy is a school at the heart of its community with very strong relationships between staff, pupils, parents and carers. The school has maintained good standards and continues to provide an aspirational curriculum with high expectations for all pupils.
At a Glance
40.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
12 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 80% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 69% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 73% to 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.5
Avg class size
25.3
Infant (KS1)
24.3
KS2
11
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy
Before and after school care
St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Kirklees
Term dates
St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Kirklees's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy is in Kirklees; for families living there:
- Kirklees's school travel policy: School transport
- How to apply: Apply for school travel support
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 58
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 10
- Children hurt
- 22
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 58 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 48 slight.
22 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 16 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise.
18 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Kirklees is 12 (the median across 203 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy
Will you get a place at St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Kirklees, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy for 2023 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Kirklees got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
83%
Available places
261 pupils
315 places
54 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Batley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Batley
Across Kirklees council
Places available
5,437
Applications
4,554
Got 1st preference
93.8%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Kirklees council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
36
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
18.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
258
Total Pupils
133
Boys
125
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
19.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,070
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,691
Per pupil
£1758k
Total funding
£155k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.5%
Overall absence
22.0%
Persistent absence
246
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 67% reached the expected standard in reading and 69% did so in maths.
What is St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in April 2022. Before that, as St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Batley (URN 107732), it was rated Good in July 2015.
What is the catchment area for St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Kirklees allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy?
St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 83% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy?
Classes at St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy average 23.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy?
St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy has around 258 pupils on roll. 40% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy?
7.5% of sessions were missed at St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy in 2024/25. 22% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy?
Apply through Kirklees's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 58 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 48 slight. 22 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 16 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise. 18 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Kirklees is 12 (the median across 203 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy?
St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy is at Upton Street, Batley, West Yorkshire, WF17 8PH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)