St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Birmingham
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Birmingham. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 10th-highest of the 275 schools in Birmingham with published results, and 941st of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Birmingham (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
In its own words: "At the heart of our school's mission is a deep commitment to love God above all things, guiding every aspect of our learning and growth. We believe in learning together as a community, nurturing a spirit of unity and shared purpose."
From the headteacher's welcome: "I came to St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School as the newly appointed Headteacher in September 2021 and I am thrilled to be part of this loving and wonderful community."
The school runs after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 95% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 90% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 76% in Birmingham and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (93% in reading, 88% in maths).
Getting a place at St Mary's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 70 families put St Mary's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 191 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 12 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
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 Harborne Primary School (0.2 miles, Outstanding, 84% reading, 80% maths); Harborne Primary School (0.2 miles); St Peters CofE Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 80% reading, 85% maths); and Chad Vale Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 85% reading, 93% maths).
St Mary's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Harborne Primary SchoolHarborne Primary SchoolSt Peters CofE Primary SchoolChad Vale Primary School
Who goes there
42.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Black (26%), White British (24%) and Asian (13%).
In 2026, 56 pupils (13.4%) received SEN support and 8 (1.9%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is University Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Waterward Close (adjacent), 40 metres away.
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 Harborne Academy (0.7 miles) and King Edward VI Lordswood School for Girls (1 mile).
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); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Mary's excels at teaching children to read with enthusiasm and structure, ensuring all pupils including those with learning difficulties develop strong phonics skills. Teachers explain learning clearly and quickly identify and fix gaps in understanding. The school's strong Catholic values mean pupils develop excellent respect for people from different cultures and backgrounds, and take on responsibilities to help their community.
Key Strengths
- Pupils achieve at a high level in English and mathematics across all year groups
- Strong reading programme with well-structured phonics and enthusiastic teaching
- Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities
- Pupils behave well, show respect for differences, and understand the seriousness of bullying
- Strong Catholic ethos and spiritual development with good understanding of world faiths
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum is not coherently sequenced in some foundation subjects and areas of learning in early years
- Pupils do not build consistently on prior knowledge in these subjects
- Leaders and governors have not reviewed their own effectiveness well enough through external validation
- School improvement momentum could be stronger in non-core subject areas
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective with a strong culture of safety, well-trained staff, prompt reporting of concerns, and pupils understanding personal and internet safety.
Extracurricular Activities
Karate, chess, musical instrument tuition, sports teams, school visits including Houses of Parliament, school clubs and events, charity fundraising
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is a good school where pupils are happy, feel safe, and achieve well in English and mathematics. However, the school needs to improve the sequencing and development of some other subjects to match the high standards in core areas.
At a Glance
20.1%
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 95% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 90% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 93% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.8
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
29.8
KS2
12
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St Mary's Catholic Primary School
18th September 2026 18th September 2026 Newsletter
18 Sep 2026
11th September 2026 11th September 2026 Newsletter
11 Sep 2026
4th September 2026 4th September 2026 Newsletter
4 Sep 2026
From St Mary's Catholic Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
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.
- Fun Fest Harborne200m away · Not yet graded
- School's Out380m away · Not yet graded
- EINSTEIN11PLUS Childcare410m away · Not yet graded
- The Strings Club - Harborne Holiday Camp (St Peter's CE School)470m away · Not yet graded
- Super Sports Birmingham960m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Birmingham's term dates for its community schools.
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 Birmingham; for families living there:
- How to apply: Travel passes for 5 to 16 year olds
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 51
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 10
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 51 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 41 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot.
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 Birmingham is 41 (the median across 517 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.
- Birmingham publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St Mary's Catholic Primary School that we hold, 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 Birmingham 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
99%
Near capacity
419 pupils
420 places
1 spare place in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Birmingham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Birmingham
Across Birmingham council
Places available
15,375
Applications
12,117
Got 1st preference
92.1%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Birmingham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
56
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
15.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
418
Total Pupils
205
Boys
213
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
22.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,573
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,123
Per pupil
£2394k
Total funding
£120k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.4%
Overall absence
6.2%
Persistent absence
371
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, 95% reached the expected standard in reading and 90% did so in maths.
What is St Mary's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2009 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary's Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Birmingham 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 100% 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 29.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School has around 418 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
3.4% of sessions were missed at St Mary's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 6.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Birmingham'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 5 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of St Mary's Catholic Primary School: Fun Fest Harborne (200m away, registered, not yet graded), School's Out (380m away, registered, not yet graded) and EINSTEIN11PLUS Childcare (410m 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 51 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 41 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot. 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 Birmingham is 41 (the median across 517 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is at Vivian Road, Harborne, Birmingham, West Midlands, B17 0DN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)