St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold, Hitchin
St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 9 in Hitchin, part of St Mary's Church of England Academy, Stotfold. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. It was 98% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2016)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Central Bedfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold in detail
St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, tennis, athletics, gymnastics, multi-sports, drama, choir, Lego and STEM.
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold
For September 2026 entry, 66 families put St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold as their first choice and 133 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 7 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold are Roecroft Lower School (0.4 miles, Requires improvement); The Grange Academy (1.4 miles, Good, 72% reading, 83% maths); Northfields Infants and Nursery School (1.5 miles, Requires improvement); and Fairfield Park Lower School (1.6 miles, Good).
Roecroft Lower SchoolThe Grange AcademyNorthfields Infants and Nursery SchoolFairfield Park Lower School
The trust
St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold is run by its own single-school academy trust.
What parents say
121 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold (as of September 2025): 99% would recommend the school, 99% say their child is happy there and 79% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (79%).
Who goes there
1.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (81%) and Mixed (11%).
In 2026, 14 pupils (4.7%) received SEN support and 18 (6.1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Arlesey Rail Station, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Home Close (opposite), 220 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold are Pix Brook Academy (0.4 miles) and Etonbury Academy (1 mile).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2016, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Mary's creates a genuinely warm and inclusive environment where every child matters. The school excels at supporting pupils with SEND through accessible facilities and highly trained staff. Reading, writing and maths teaching is strong, with staff quickly spotting and fixing any gaps in understanding so most pupils achieve well.
Key Strengths
- Strong pastoral care with staff deeply committed to knowing and supporting each pupil's needs
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND, including accessible environments and well-trained staff
- Effective teaching of reading, writing and mathematics with quick identification and correction of misconceptions
- Positive behaviour culture based on mutual respect and kindness
- Rich range of enrichment activities and trips that broaden pupils' horizons
Areas for Improvement
- In wider curriculum subjects, knowledge gaps are sometimes not addressed thoroughly enough before moving to new topics, limiting depth of learning
- Early stages of developing a tailored curriculum for pupils with SEND who need specialist communication and language support
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating a positive culture that prioritises children's wellbeing.
Extracurricular Activities
Football club, science club, signing club, prayer club, sports leaders, school council, residential trips, museum visits, zoo visits, theatre visits
St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold has maintained good standards since its previous inspection. The school provides a warm, caring environment where pupils feel safe, happy and ready to learn.
At a Glance
17.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
121 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
29.7
Avg class size
29.5
Infant (KS1)
30.0
KS2
10
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold
From St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold.
- Kidz Zone Club - Roecroft Lower School720m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold is in Central Bedfordshire; for families living there:
- Central Bedfordshire's school travel policy: Apply for school transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
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 Central Bedfordshire is 6 (the median across 135 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 CofE Academy Stotfold
Will you get a place at St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Central Bedfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Central Bedfordshire 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
98%
Near capacity
294 pupils
300 places
6 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Hitchin
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Hitchin
Across Central Bedfordshire council
Places available
4,158
Applications
3,678
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All primary applications across Central Bedfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
14
SEN Support
18
EHC Plans
10.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
297
Total Pupils
150
Boys
147
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
21.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,916
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,018
Per pupil
£1619k
Total funding
£55k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.5%
Overall absence
11.0%
Persistent absence
236
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 CofE Academy Stotfold
Questions parents ask about St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold
What is St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold's Ofsted rating?
St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2016, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold is oversubscribed, Central Bedfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold?
St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold?
Classes at St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold average 29.7 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 CofE Academy Stotfold?
St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold has around 297 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold?
4.5% of sessions were missed at St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold in 2024/25. 11% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold 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 CofE Academy Stotfold 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 CofE Academy Stotfold: Kidz Zone Club - Roecroft Lower School (720m 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 CofE Academy Stotfold?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 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 Central Bedfordshire is 6 (the median across 135 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold?
St Mary's CofE Academy Stotfold is at Rook Tree Lane, Stotfold, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 4DL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)