St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Swanley
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Swanley. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 4th-highest of the 5 schools in Swanley with published results, and 10,716th of 14,452 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Kent (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School in detail
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "The Governors, staff and pupils of St Mary's would like to extend a warm welcome to our school. We are extremely proud of our school, and the high standards we achieve. St Mary's is a small school, with an attached Nursery classes, sitting in the St Mary's ward of Swanley."
Coming up: an open day on Thursday 3 December 2026 at 2pm and an open day on Monday 7 December 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 72% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Kent and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 61% in reading and 45% 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 Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 31 families put St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School as their first choice and 63 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 4 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School are High Firs Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 77% reading, 73% maths); St Bartholomew's Catholic Primary School, Swanley (0.4 miles); Horizon Primary Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 88% reading, 81% maths); and Crockenhill Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 59% reading, 56% maths).
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
High Firs Primary SchoolSt Bartholomew's Catholic Primary School, SwanleyHorizon Primary AcademyCrockenhill Primary School
Who goes there
35.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School had 18 teachers in 2026, one for every 11 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Swanley Rail Station, about 130 metres away (roughly a 2-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Railway Station (opposite), 20 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 160 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Kent (101), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School issued 7 suspensions, 2.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
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; 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 · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its December 2022 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
35.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 61% to 66% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 45% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 76% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.9
Avg class size
28.7
Infant (KS1)
28.3
KS2
10
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School.
- West Hill Life LtdAt the school · Not yet graded
- Footscray OSC High Firs600m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is in Kent; for families living there:
Apply to Kent for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 13
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 9 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
5 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 Kent is 11 (the median across 711 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 Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Will you get a place at St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Kent, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Kent 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
96%
Near capacity
201 pupils
210 places
9 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Swanley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Swanley
Across Kent council
Places available
18,893
Applications
16,593
Got 1st preference
89.7%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Kent council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
57
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
24.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
279
Total Pupils
120
Boys
159
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
18
Teachers
15.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,276
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,371
Per pupil
£1496k
Total funding
£138k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.3%
Overall absence
22.6%
Persistent absence
186
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 Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 66% reached the expected standard in reading and 72% did so in maths.
What is St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2022.
What is the catchment area for St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is oversubscribed, Kent allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Classes at St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School average 25.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has around 279 pupils on roll. 36% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
6.3% of sessions were missed at St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School in 2024/25. 22.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Apply through Kent's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: West Hill Life Ltd (registered, not yet graded). There is another 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 Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 9 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 5 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 Kent is 11 (the median across 711 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is at St Mary's Road, Swanley, Kent, BR8 7BU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)