St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy, High Peak
St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in High Peak, part of St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust. 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 January 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 3rd-highest of the 11 schools in High Peak with published results, and 4,602nd of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Derbyshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 90% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 75% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 73% in Derbyshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 75% 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 Voluntary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 9 families put St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy as their first choice and 27 named it as one of their preferences, for 11 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 Voluntary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy are New Mills Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 67% reading, 67% maths); St George's CofE Primary School (0.3 miles, Requires improvement, 75% reading, 69% maths); Newtown Primary School (High Peak Federation) (0.6 miles, Good, 87% reading, 73% maths); and Hague Bar Primary School (1 mile, 80% reading, 60% maths).
St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
New Mills Primary SchoolSt George's CofE Primary SchoolNewtown Primary School (High Peak Federation)Hague Bar Primary School
The trust
St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy is one of 25 schools run by St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
All 25 schools in St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust
Who goes there
4.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy had 4 teachers in 2026, one for every 30 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is New Mills Central Rail Station, about 220 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bus Station, 160 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy issued 3 suspensions, 2.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2013 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
24.0%
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 improved from 75% to 90% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 81% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.3
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
31.0
KS2
4
Total classes
1 class 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 Voluntary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy.
- Foxes Den950m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Derbyshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy is in Derbyshire; for families living there:
- Derbyshire's school travel policy: Home to school transport policy 2026 to 2027 - 465KB
- How to apply: Apply for home to school transport assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 6 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 Derbyshire is 6 (the median across 454 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 Voluntary Academy
Will you get a place at St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Derbyshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy for 2019 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Derbyshire 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
120 pupils
119 places
1 pupil over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - High Peak
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for High Peak
Across Derbyshire council
Places available
9,875
Applications
7,189
Got 1st preference
94.5%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All primary applications across Derbyshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
22
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
23.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
121
Total Pupils
54
Boys
67
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
4
Teachers
30.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£66,446
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,823
Per pupil
£779k
Total funding
£42k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.9%
Overall absence
6.8%
Persistent absence
103
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 Voluntary Academy
Questions parents ask about St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy
What are SATs results like at St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy?
Of the pupils at St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 90% reached the expected standard in reading and 75% did so in maths.
What is St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?
St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 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 Voluntary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy is oversubscribed, Derbyshire 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 Voluntary Academy?
St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy 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 Voluntary Academy?
Classes at St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy average 30.3 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy?
St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy has around 121 pupils on roll. 24% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy?
3.9% of sessions were missed at St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy in 2024/25. 6.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy?
Apply through Derbyshire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy 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 Voluntary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy: Foxes Den (950m 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 Voluntary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 6 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Derbyshire is 6 (the median across 454 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy?
St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy is at Longlands Road, New Mills, High Peak, Derbyshire, SK22 3BL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)