St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Brighton
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Brighton. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 18th-highest of the 36 schools in Brighton with published results, and 10,218th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (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 Brighton and Hove (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Mary's Catholic Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 69% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 69% in Brighton and Hove and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 93% in reading and 72% 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, 25 families put St Mary's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 74 named it as one of their preferences, for 28 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 Benfield Primary School (0.4 miles, 67% reading, 71% maths); Brackenbury Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 61% reading, 61% maths); St Nicolas CofE Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 73% reading, 73% maths); and Eastbrook Primary Academy (0.7 miles, Outstanding, 85% reading, 78% maths).
St Mary's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Benfield Primary SchoolBrackenbury Primary SchoolSt Nicolas CofE Primary SchoolEastbrook Primary Academy
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Fishersgate Rail Station, about 440 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Albion Street (adjacent), 50 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Mary's Catholic Primary School issued 4 suspensions, 1.9 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 Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (1.4 miles) and Shoreham Academy (1.4 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from April 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its April 2014 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
26.9%
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 declined from 93% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 69% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
31.8
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
33.5
KS2
4
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
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.
- PLAY at SM and SMMAt the school · Not yet graded
- ActiveMe 360 CIC @ Benfield Primary School780m away · Not yet graded
- The Skate Club - Benfield780m away · Not yet graded
- Sussex Kids Hub950m away · Not yet graded
- The Skate Club - St Nicolas950m away · Not yet graded
- Go Wild Workshops LTD St Nicolas C of E primary950m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
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 Brighton and Hove; for families living there:
Apply to Brighton and Hove for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 40
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 9
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 40 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 9 serious and 30 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
10 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 Brighton and Hove is 40.5 (the median across 82 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.
- Brighton and Hove 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 Brighton and Hove 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
211 pupils
209 places
2 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Brighton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Brighton
Across Brighton and Hove council
Places available
2,430
Applications
1,936
Got 1st preference
93.8%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across Brighton and Hove council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
33
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
21.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
208
Total Pupils
95
Boys
113
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
16.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,942
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,709
Per pupil
£1350k
Total funding
£83k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.3%
Overall absence
8.4%
Persistent absence
191
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, 72% reached the expected standard in reading and 69% 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 September 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2014, 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, Brighton and Hove 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 31.8 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School has around 208 pupils on roll. 27% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
5.3% of sessions were missed at St Mary's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 8.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Brighton and Hove'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 an out-of-school club at the school: PLAY at SM and SMM (registered, not yet graded). There are 5 more within a kilometre. 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 40 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 9 serious and 30 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 10 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 Brighton and Hove is 40.5 (the median across 82 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary's Catholic Primary School?
St Mary's Catholic Primary School is at Church Road, Portslade, Brighton, East Sussex, BN41 1LB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)