St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich

About St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich

St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich is a primary school in Ipswich, Suffolk, classified by the DfE as a converter academy with a Roman Catholic religious character. Around 212 pupils aged 4 to 11 attend the school. The school holds an 'Outstanding' judgement from Ofsted. In the most recent Key Stage 2 SATs, 75% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — above the national average of 61%. That marks an improvement of 14.0 percentage points in the proportion reaching the expected standard on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it among the top 6% of primary schools in England.

Pupils achieved an average scaled score of 109 in reading and 108 in maths (national averages are about 105 and 104). 25% reached the higher standard across all three subjects (around 8% do so nationally). Competition for places is real here - 72% of first-choice applicants were offered a Reception place for September 2026 (39 first choices for 29 places). The council's own allocation figures show the last child offered a place for 2025 lived 1.79 miles away in a straight line — that distance is not a fixed catchment and moves each year. Overall pupil absence was 4.1%. There are about 11.6 pupils per teacher. Its intake is relatively advantaged, with around 12% of pupils eligible for free school meals in the last six years versus about 24% nationally. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. 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.