St Mary's Preparatory, Henley-on-Thames
St Mary's Preparatory is an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Henley-on-Thames. It is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted; its most recent ISI inspection was a routine inspection in February 2026.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Mary's Preparatory in detail
St Mary's Preparatory in its own words
In its own words: "With a rich history spanning 90 years and a commitment to nurturing excellence in education, we are dedicated to creating a learning environment where children thrive academically and personally. Our vision is to provide a holistic education that instils a love for learning, fosters individual growth, and shapes confident, independent, and well-rounded individuals."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, rugby, hockey, swimming, yoga, judo, dance, drama, choir and orchestra.
The school runs after-school care until 5:30pm.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other independent schools to St Mary's Preparatory are Rupert House School (0.7 miles); Shiplake College (2.3 miles, selective); Reading Blue Coat School (4.2 miles, selective); and Caversham Preparatory School (4.9 miles).
Rupert House SchoolShiplake CollegeReading Blue Coat SchoolCaversham Preparatory School
Who goes there
In 2026, 27 pupils (26.5%) received SEN support and 0 (0%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Henley-on-Thames Rail Station, about 380 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Vicarage Road HAR (nw-bound), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Mary's Preparatory stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASISI Inspection Reports
Independent schools in England are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), not Ofsted. Ofsted last inspected this school in 2 July 2008, before the latest ISI inspection.
At its routine inspection in February 2026, ISI found that the school meets the Independent School Standards, including those relating to safeguarding. Report
Routine Inspection
10 February 2026
Educational Quality / Focused Compliance
31 January 2023
Regulatory Compliance
20 June 2018
At a Glance
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 2 nearby schools
Keep up with St Mary's Preparatory
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 3 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 Oxfordshire is 5 (the median across 369 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
51%
Available places
102 pupils
200 places
98 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Henley-on-Thames
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Henley-on-Thames
Across Oxfordshire council
Places available
7,654
Applications
6,814
Got 1st preference
85.4%
Got preferred school
96.3%
All secondary applications across Oxfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
27
SEN Support
0
EHC Plans
26.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
102
Total Pupils
46
Boys
56
Girls
2026 academic year
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
St Mary's Preparatory
Questions parents ask about St Mary's Preparatory
When was St Mary's Preparatory last inspected?
St Mary's Preparatory is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted. Its most recent ISI inspection was a routine inspection in February 2026. At its routine inspection in February 2026, ISI found that the school meets the Independent School Standards, including those relating to safeguarding.
How many pupils go to St Mary's Preparatory?
St Mary's Preparatory has around 102 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to St Mary's Preparatory?
St Mary's Preparatory is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near St Mary's Preparatory?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 3 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 Oxfordshire is 5 (the median across 369 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary's Preparatory?
St Mary's Preparatory is at 13 St Andrew's Road, Henley-on-Thames, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 1HS.
Sources: Independent Schools Inspectorate; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)