St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whitehaven
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Whitehaven. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 2nd-highest of the 11 schools in Whitehaven with published results, and 1,534th of 14,452 across England. It was 80% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Cumberland (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: "It is my pleasure to welcome you to St Mary's CP School, Kells, a happy and nurturing school where our Christian values are at the heart of everything we do and our pupils are happy and thrive. We are not the only ones who think this- Ofsted said (2025): 'Pupils love attending this school."
The school runs after-school care, from £3.50 per session.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 96% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 84% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 70% in Cumberland and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 89% in reading and 81% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Mary's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 20 families put St Mary's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 31 named it as one of their preferences, for 21 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 Kells Infant School (under 0.1 miles, Outstanding); Monkwray Junior School (0.5 miles, Good, 74% reading, 67% maths); St Gregory and St Patrick's Catholic Infant School (0.8 miles, Good); and St Begh's Catholic Junior School (0.9 miles, Good, 79% reading, 66% maths).
St Mary's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 2 of them.
Kells Infant SchoolMonkwray Junior SchoolSt Gregory and St Patrick's Catholic Infant SchoolSt Begh's Catholic Junior School
What parents say
59 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Mary's Catholic Primary School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (97%).
Who goes there
12.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (80%), Asian (7%) and Mixed (5%).
Staffing
St Mary's Catholic Primary School had 11 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Corkickle Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is High Road (near), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 102 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and vehicle crime. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cumberland (22), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Mary's Catholic Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Mary's Catholic Primary School are St Benedict's Catholic High School (1.6 miles) and The Whitehaven Academy (1.7 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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 · 1 year agoThis judgement is from March 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Mary's creates a happy, inclusive environment where pupils feel valued and excited to learn. The school goes beyond the classroom to provide enriching experiences like residential trips and enterprise projects that develop confident, active citizens. Early years provision is exceptional, with children getting off to a flying start and making strong progress.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional early years provision with children making rapid progress from the start
- Outstanding behaviour and personal development, with pupils showing mature understanding of emotions and supporting each other
- Rich curriculum with impressive trips and experiences to contrasting locations including Glasgow, Newcastle and London
- Strong focus on reading with pupils developing fluency and teachers skilled at supporting those who struggle
- High attendance rates with effective action on persistent absence
Areas for Improvement
- A small number of recently revised subjects lack clearly defined key knowledge at each stage, making it harder for teachers to help pupils deepen their understanding over time
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports, art, music, drama, dance, trips to contrasting geographical locations (Glasgow, Newcastle, London), annual residential trips from Year 2 onwards, enterprise projects with businesses, community work with charities and older people
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is a welcoming school where pupils are happy and excited to learn. The school provides an ambitious curriculum with high expectations and excellent behaviour from all pupils.
At a Glance
21.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
59 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 improved from 89% to 96% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 84% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 78% to 88% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.3
Avg class size
22.7
Infant (KS1)
24.5
KS2
8
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
October Newsletter
30 Sep 2026
Online Safety October
28 Sep 2026
Online Safety September
3 Sep 2026
September Newsletter
3 Sep 2026
End of Term July 2026
6 Jul 2026
Online Safety July
30 Jun 2026
From St Mary's Catholic Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with St Mary's Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
St Mary's Catholic Primary School 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 Cumberland
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 Cumberland'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 Cumberland; for families living there:
- Cumberland's school travel policy: Step by step guide of the Home to School Travel Assistance Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 7 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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 Cumberland is 5 (the median across 179 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 Cumberland, 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 Cumberland 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
80%
Available places
162 pupils
203 places
41 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Whitehaven
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Whitehaven
Across Cumberland council
Places available
3,537
Applications
2,352
Got 1st preference
98.2%
Got preferred school
99.7%
All primary applications across Cumberland council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
29
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
18.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
195
Total Pupils
100
Boys
95
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
17.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,834
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,842
Per pupil
£1107k
Total funding
£70k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
7.5%
Persistent absence
147
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, 96% reached the expected standard in reading and 84% 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 May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2014, 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, Cumberland 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 not full in 2025: it ran at 80% of its 203 places.
How big are the classes at St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St Mary's Catholic Primary School average 23.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School has around 195 pupils on roll. 22% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
4.4% of sessions were missed at St Mary's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 7.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Cumberland'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?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School 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 School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 7 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 Cumberland is 5 (the median across 179 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is at High Road, Kells, Whitehaven, Cumbria, CA28 9PG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)