St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster

Academy converter·Primary school Axminster, Devon·EX13 5BE
Composite score
19.5
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#14,473
National rank
#1571
In South West
#256
In Devon
Top 98%
Nationally

Performance (KS2 SATs)

% meeting expected RWM
21%
% achieving higher RWM
5%
Reading average scaled score
101.0
National avg ≈ 105
Maths average scaled score
98.0
National avg ≈ 104
Reading progress
—
Maths progress
—

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
83%
24 first choices, 20 places
First choices per place
1.20
more first choices than places
Applications naming the school
31
any preference, for 20 places
Last place offered lived
0.67 mi
straight line, 2026 intake · 1075 m
Applications from another council area
6%
First preferences per place, last five years▲ 0.20
00.511.52
1 per place
1.0020221.7420231.2020241.0020251.202026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

The cut-off distance is how far the last child offered a place lived, not a catchment boundary: it moves every year with the number of applicants, and in 2026 the last place went under “category 8 (last place, by distance)”. Published by the council in its 2026 allocation figures, and checked against that document before we show it.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
4–11
Pupils on roll
136
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
14.0%
Typical primary: 21.5%
% EAL
11.8%
Typical primary: 9.6%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
8.1%
Typical primary: 14.3%
% with an EHC plan
3.7%
Typical primary: 3.0%

Attendance

Overall absence
4.7%
Typical primary: 5.3%
Persistently absent
10.2%
Typical primary: 13.3%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
22.3
Typical primary: 20.7
Spend per pupil
£7,000
Typical primary: £6,960

“Typical” = the median primary school in England. What this means

Nearby primary schools

Location

St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster at a glance

Located in Axminster, Devon, St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster is a primary school, classified by the DfE as a converter academy with a Roman Catholic religious character. The school educates roughly 136 pupils aged 4 to 11. In the most recent Key Stage 2 SATs, 21% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — well below the national average of 61%. That is down 48.0 percentage points in the proportion reaching the expected standard on the previous year, though small year groups can make these figures swing sharply from year to year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of primary schools nationally.

Pupils achieved an average scaled score of 101 in reading and 98 in maths (national averages are about 105 and 104). 5% reached the higher standard across all three subjects (around 8% do so nationally). Competition for places is real here - 83% of first-choice applicants were offered a Reception place for September 2026 (24 first choices for 20 places). The council's own allocation figures show the last child offered a place for 2026 lived 0.67 miles away in a straight line — that distance is not a fixed catchment and moves each year. Overall pupil absence was 4.7%. There are about 22.3 pupils per teacher. St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster does not currently have a recent graded Ofsted judgement on record (often the case for newer or recently converted schools), so it is worth asking when its next inspection is expected. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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