Schools by area › Essex › St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Primary · Mixed · Ages 4–11 · Voluntary aided
Castle Street, Saffron Walden CB10 1BQ · stmaryssw.org.uk · 01799 523384
On the mapSearch near CB10 1BQ
Overview
- Ofsted
- Remains Good
- Ungraded inspection · May 2023
- Key stage 2, 2024/25
- 65%
- reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. Essex 63%, England 62%
- Last distance offered
- No limit
- Reception, September 2025 entry · Essex Council
- Demand for places
- 1.0
- first choices for each place · Reception, September 2026
- Pupils
- 224
- 14 over 210 places · 107%
- Local authority
- Essex
- Nursery class
- No
- Free school meals
- 20.1%
- First language not English
- 15.2%
- School census 2025/26
The official school record (Department for Education)
Admissions
For Reception in September 2025, everyone who applied was offered a place. Source: Essex Council’s document.
For Reception in September 2026, 25 families put the school first and 25 places were offered; 100% of those families were offered a place there. Admission depends on the school’s own rules.
First choices against places
| Reception | Places | First choices | Per place | % offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026Sept 2026 | 25 | 25 | 1 | 100% |
| September 2025Sept 2025 | 28 | 20 | 0.7 | 100% |
| September 2024Sept 2024 | 23 | 20 | 0.9 | 100% |
| September 2023Sept 2023 | 30 | 22 | 0.7 | 100% |
| September 2022Sept 2022 | 30 | 30 | 1 | 97% |
Results
In 2024/25, 65% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of key stage 2, and 26% the higher standard. Across Essex it was 63%, and across England 62%.
Expected standard reading, writing and maths
| 2024/25 | Trend | School | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading, writing and maths | |||
| ▲65% | 62% | ||
| ▲26% | 8% | ||
| Average scaled score | |||
| ●106 | 106 | ||
| ▲108 | 105 | ||
| ●107 | 105 | ||
Ofsted
At an ungraded inspection on 24 May 2023, Ofsted’s outcome for St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was: School remains Good.
- Outcome
- Remains Good
- Inspected
- 23 May 2023
- Ungraded inspection
Safeguarding effectiveInspection reports
Previously: Good, graded inspection, May 2013
Earlier inspections
Before September 2019
Nov 2017Monitoring visit
Safeguarding Effective May 2013Good
Outcomes for pupils Good Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Leadership and management Good Dec 2009Requires improvement
Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Leadership and management Good Early years Good
What parents said
97% of the parents who answered Ofsted’s Parent View survey would recommend the school (71 replies, to 1 April 2024).
- Recommend
- 97%
- Replies
- 71
- 33% · 1 Apr 2024
based on the 77% who raised concerns
based on the 31% who had a child bullied