St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Hornchurch
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Hornchurch. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 13 schools in Hornchurch with published results, and 5,291st of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Havering (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Mary's Catholic Primary School in detail
St Mary's Catholic Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "St. Mary's is a Voluntary Aided school, founded in 1933 by Monsignor Jules van Meene, who was the first parish priest of our parish church, St. Mary Mother of God."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include drama and choir.
The school runs after-school care.
Coming up: an open evening on Thursday 12 November 2026, an open evening on Thursday 19 November 2026 and an open evening on Thursday 26 November 2026 at 5.30pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Havering
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 80% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 78% in Havering and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 80% in reading and 73% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St Mary's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 51 families put St Mary's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 127 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 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 School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary's Catholic Primary School are Harrow Lodge Primary School (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 79% reading, 74% maths); Hylands Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 81% reading, 74% maths); Towers Junior School (0.7 miles, Good, 81% reading, 78% maths); and Towers Infant School (0.7 miles, Outstanding).
St Mary's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Harrow Lodge Primary SchoolHylands Primary SchoolTowers Junior SchoolTowers Infant School
Who goes there
8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Romford Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Park Lane Heath Park, 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Mary's Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 7th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 430 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and drug offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Havering (201), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Mary's Catholic Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.2 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 School are Hornchurch High School (0.5 miles), The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls (0.6 miles), Abbs Cross Academy and Arts College (0.9 miles) and Sanders Draper (1.3 miles).
Hornchurch High SchoolThe Frances Bardsley Academy for GirlsAbbs Cross Academy and Arts CollegeSanders Draper
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from September 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Reading is at the heart of the school's curriculum with expertly taught phonics and carefully matched books that help children develop fluency and enthusiasm. The school creates a calm, respectful atmosphere where pupils behave well and show positive attitudes to learning. Staff provide ambitious teaching across a well-structured curriculum while supporting each child's individual needs, including those with SEND.
Key Strengths
- Excellent reading instruction with well-trained staff and carefully matched books that develop fluency and enthusiasm
- Well-structured curriculum with logical steps from Reception to Year 6, supported by strong staff subject knowledge
- Very good pupil behaviour and positive attitudes to learning due to firmly established expectations and routines
- Quick identification and effective support for pupils with SEND, working closely with external professionals
- Strong focus on developing responsible and respectful citizens through teaching about diversity, individual liberty, and healthy relationships
Areas for Improvement
- In a few subjects, pupils struggle to retain and recall key concepts and vocabulary taught previously, leading to gaps in learning
- Teachers need to focus more on helping pupils remember and link new learning to what they have been taught before
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with regular staff training, swift response to concerns, robust staff checks, and pupils having good awareness of staying safe both online and offline.
Extracurricular Activities
Singing at the O2 arena, sporting tournaments, school council, mini middays (Year 6 supporting younger children), breakfast club, after-school club
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is a good school that provides a welcoming and nurturing environment with clear routines, high expectations, and warm relationships between staff and pupils. The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well and has put a well-structured curriculum in place that meets national requirements.
At a Glance
8.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 82% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 73% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.5
Avg class size
29.4
Infant (KS1)
29.5
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 School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Mary's Catholic Primary School.
- Trambells Learning Club Hornchurch420m away · Not yet graded
- Kidz Camp Essex Romford870m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary's Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary's Catholic Primary School is in Havering; for families living there:
Apply to Havering for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 28
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 28 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 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 Havering is 23.5 (the median across 92 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 School
Will you get a place at St Mary's Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary's Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary's Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary's Catholic Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Havering, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary's Catholic Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Havering 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
101%
Over capacity
418 pupils
413 places
5 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Hornchurch
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Hornchurch
Across Havering council
Places available
3,373
Applications
3,066
Got 1st preference
91.5%
Got preferred school
98.6%
All primary applications across Havering council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
63
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
19.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
414
Total Pupils
212
Boys
202
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
20.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,768
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,128
Per pupil
£2328k
Total funding
£48k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.9%
Overall absence
5.2%
Persistent absence
365
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 School
Questions parents ask about St Mary's Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 82% reached the expected standard in reading and 80% did so in maths.
What is St Mary's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary's Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Havering 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 School?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School was full in 2025, at 101% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St Mary's Catholic Primary School average 29.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School has around 414 pupils on roll. 8% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
3.9% of sessions were missed at St Mary's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 5.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Havering's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary's Catholic Primary School 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 School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of St Mary's Catholic Primary School: Trambells Learning Club Hornchurch (420m away, registered, not yet graded) and Kidz Camp Essex Romford (870m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 28 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 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 Havering is 23.5 (the median across 92 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is at Hornchurch Road, Hornchurch, Essex, RM12 4TL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)