St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch, Berkhamsted
St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Berkhamsted. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 8 schools in Berkhamsted with published results, and 9,595th of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Hertfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch in detail
Results
In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch reached the expected standard in reading and 67% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 83% in reading and 92% 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 CofE Primary School, Northchurch
For September 2026 entry, 32 families put St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch as their first choice and 83 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 CofE Primary School, Northchurch
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch are Westfield Primary School (0.3 miles, Requires improvement, 61% reading, 43% maths); Bridgewater Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 92% reading, 92% maths); St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.9 miles, 77% reading, 69% maths); and Greenway Primary and Nursery School (0.9 miles, Good, 93% reading, 83% maths).
St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Westfield Primary SchoolBridgewater Primary SchoolSt Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyGreenway Primary and Nursery School
Who goes there
9.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (80%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 42 pupils (18.6%) received SEN support and 4 (1.8%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch had 17 teachers in 2026, one for every 12 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Berkhamsted Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Mary's CE First School (outside), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 48 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and burglary. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138).
Suspensions and exclusions
St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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 agoThis judgement is from May 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.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2014 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
9.3%
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 declined from 83% to 77% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 92% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 83% to 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.3
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
29.0
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch.
- Cascade Camps at Westfield Primary School and Nursery600m away · Not yet graded
- Stagecoach Vyne Theatre600m away · Not yet graded
- FizzBug Holiday Club @ Berkhamsted Leisure Centre900m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Hertfordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch is in Hertfordshire; for families living there:
- Hertfordshire's school travel policy: Read the home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 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 Primary School, Northchurch
Will you get a place at St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Hertfordshire 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
206 pupils
210 places
4 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Berkhamsted
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Berkhamsted
Across Hertfordshire council
Places available
14,776
Applications
12,543
Got 1st preference
89.1%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Hertfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
42
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
20.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
226
Total Pupils
106
Boys
120
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
13.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,675
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,394
Per pupil
£1220k
Total funding
£33k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
8.3%
Persistent absence
181
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 Primary School, Northchurch
Questions parents ask about St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch
What are SATs results like at St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch?
Of the pupils at St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% reached the expected standard in reading and 67% did so in maths.
What is St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch's Ofsted rating?
St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire 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 Primary School, Northchurch?
St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch?
Classes at St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch average 28.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch?
St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch has around 226 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch?
4.9% of sessions were missed at St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch in 2024/25. 8.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch 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 Primary School, Northchurch have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch: Cascade Camps at Westfield Primary School and Nursery (600m away, registered, not yet graded), Stagecoach Vyne Theatre (600m away, registered, not yet graded) and FizzBug Holiday Club @ Berkhamsted Leisure Centre (900m 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 Primary School, Northchurch?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch?
St Mary's CofE Primary School, Northchurch is at Northchurch, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, HP4 3QZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)