St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Chippenham

Requires Improvement
Primary
Academy sponsor led
Mixed
Roman Catholic
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~604m)Possible (~863m)Unlikely (~1.1km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Lucy Buckland
Pupils:165 / 210 capacity
LA:Wiltshire
Phone:01249460231
Address:Rowden Hill, Chippenham, SN15 2AH
Trust:THE DUNSTAN CATHOLIC EDUCATIONAL TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 March 2023

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 8 months ago

Report card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)

Achievement
Expected Standard
Behaviour
Expected Standard
Personal Development
Strong Standard
Leadership
Expected Standard
Early Years
Expected Standard
Inspected 20 January 2026View full report
URN:149640
UKPRN:10092171
Diocese:Diocese of Clifton
Constituency:Chippenham
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St Mary's excels at creating a warm, supportive environment where every child feels valued and known. The school offers exceptional enrichment through music, leadership roles, educational visits and community involvement that helps pupils develop into thoughtful, responsible citizens. Strong pastoral care and inclusive practices ensure all pupils, including those with additional needs, receive the targeted support they need to learn and thrive.

Key Strengths

  • Personal development and wellbeing provision is rich and well structured, with highly effective pastoral support based on strong relationships
  • Wide range of enrichment opportunities including leadership roles, educational visits to Parliament and Hampton Court, and diverse learning about faiths and cultures
  • Clear behaviour expectations and routines create a calm, respectful environment where pupils feel safe and supported
  • Inclusive culture with effective identification and support for pupils with additional needs and disadvantaged pupils
  • Strong early years provision with well-structured curriculum and high-quality staff interactions

Areas for Improvement

  • Teachers do not always correct misconceptions promptly, leading to pupils making repeated errors
  • Writing and language knowledge gaps, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, are not addressed with sufficient precision
  • Published outcomes at key stage 2 do not reflect current pupils' progress, suggesting need to strengthen individual pupil tracking
  • Attendance remains an area for continued development despite tenacious leadership efforts

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed, making pupils safer and helping them feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Music concerts, St Mary's got talent, theatre visits, eco council, chaplaincy council, play leaders, sports leaders, educational visits to Houses of Parliament and Hampton Court, reading leaders programme

St Mary's Catholic Primary School is a well-established primary school in Chippenham, Wiltshire that provides a broad, ambitious curriculum with strong pastoral support and a rich personal development programme for all pupils.

At a Glance

15.8%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-8ppMaths-23ppWriting-12pp

Reading has declined from 77% to 69%. Maths has declined from 77% to 54%. Writing has declined from 81% to 69%.

Class Sizes

28.3

Avg class size

3

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Community Hospital (N-bound)
65m · 1 min walk
Rowden Arms (N-bound)
321m · 5 min walk
Charter Road (S-bound)
365m · 6 min walk
Post Office (o/s)
453m · 7 min walk
Little Down (E-bound)
496m · 8 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

79%

Available places

165 pupils

210 capacity

45 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Chippenham

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,098
Projected new pupils:275

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Chippenham

Admissions Demand - Wiltshire

Low demand0.70x oversubscription

Places available

6,311

Applications

4,449

Got 1st preference

95.2%

Got preferred school

99.0%

Primary admissions across Wiltshire (2025/26)

Inspection History

20 January 2026Report card
Achievement
Behaviour
Personal Development
Leadership
Early Years

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

3.68679%

Overall absence

4.65116%

Persistent absence

129

Enrolments

Authorised3.17047%
Unauthorised0.51632%
Persistent (10%+)4.65116%
Severe (50%+)0.77519%

Absence trend

3.47355%
22/23
4.45164%
23/24
3.68679%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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