The Cathedral School of St Mary, Plymouth

From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a small, vibrant, Catholic 'School of Joy', right in the heart of Plymouth providing an excellent, enriched education with a caring, loving, family ethos. As a school community we support each other and know every child and family in our care. We are a city school with a village feel."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, hockey, tennis, multi-sports, running, dance, choir and art.

The school runs a breakfast club.

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils at The Cathedral School of St Mary reached the expected standard in reading and 47% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Plymouth and 77% and 75% across England.

Results fell from 56% in reading and 67% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 10 families put The Cathedral School of St Mary as their first choice and 21 named it as one of their preferences, for 12 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to The Cathedral School of St Mary are St Peter's CofE Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 67% reading, 89% maths); Pilgrim Primary Academy (0.2 miles, Outstanding, 80% reading, 77% maths); Stuart Road Primary Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 83% reading, 77% maths); and St Andrew's Cof E VA Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 77% reading, 77% maths).

Each of them had higher 2025 results than The Cathedral School of St Mary.

The Cathedral School of St Mary is one of 34 schools run by Plymouth Cast, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

27 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Cathedral School of St Mary (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 86% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (86%).

52% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 27.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (38%), Black (36%) and Asian (8%).

In 2026, 18 pupils (17.6%) received SEN support and 9 (8.8%) 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.

The Cathedral School of St Mary had 8 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Plymouth Rail Station, about 690 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).

18 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Octagon Street (s-bound), 240 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Cathedral School of St Mary 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 1170 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 Plymouth (196), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, The Cathedral School of St Mary issued 5 suspensions, 4.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to The Cathedral School of St Mary are Millbay Academy (0.3 miles), Devonport High School for Boys (0.5 miles), Stoke Damerel Community College (0.7 miles) and Scott Medical and Healthcare College (0.7 miles).