St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster

East Devon · EX13 5BE

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 136 pupils, 11.8% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 9.6% on SEN support Behaviour 5.5% absence rate Staff 6.8% turnover Financials £7,000 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster

General Information

Address: Lyme Road, Axminster, EX13 5BE – View on map
Phone: 0129732785
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Rob Meech
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 24 families put it first for 20 places – 12 for every 10 places. 83% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 17 · 2024 12 · 2025 10 · 2026 12
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Roman Catholic
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

136 pupils out of 140 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 16
% eligible for free school meals: 11.8%
Pupil mix: 4 in 10 (more mixed than the East Devon average)
English as an additional language: 13% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 6.8% a year (East Devon 16.9%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 0% moved to another school, 100% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Devon: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 8 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 6 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 1 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Devon (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 5.5%
Persistently absent pupils: 12.5%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 9.6%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 4.4%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 5 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils
Physical disability: 2 pupils
Hearing impairment: 1 pupil
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 2 pupils
Severe learning difficulty: 2 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil
Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2019 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 21% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 5% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 39 percentage points below the East Devon average (60%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (3-year average 50% against an expected 68%)
3-year average (expected standard): 50%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 53% · Writing 63% · Maths 32% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 26%
Average test scores: reading 101, maths 98
Based on: 19 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolEast Devon averageEngland↘ Falling Down 44 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 39 percentage points below the East Devon average (60%).

Year 6 SATs: 45th of 47 junior and primary schools in the area

#43Marpool Primary School31%
#44Plymtree Church of England Primary School22%
#45St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster21%
=46Exeter Road Community Primary School8%
=46Littleham Church of England Primary School8%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1West Hill Primary School91%
#2Upottery Primary School82%
#3Stockland Church of England Primary Academy80%
=4Payhembury Church of England Primary School76%
=4Seaton Primary School76%
#6Lady Seaward's Church of England Primary School75%
#7Broadclyst Community Primary School73%
#8Woodbury Church of England Primary School72%
=9Honiton Primary School71%
=9Newton Poppleford Primary School71%
=9Shute Community Primary School71%
=12Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy68%
=12Withycombe Raleigh Church of England Primary School68%
=14Awliscombe Church of England Primary School67%
=14Drake's Church of England Primary School67%
=14St Peter's Church of England Primary School67%
=14Woodbury Salterton Church of England Primary School67%
=18Clyst St Mary Primary School66%
=18Cranbrook Education Campus66%
=18Feniton Church of England Primary School66%
#21Sidmouth Church of England Primary School65%
#22Bassetts Farm Primary School63%
#23Sidbury Church of England Primary School62%
#24Colyton Primary Academy61%
=25All Saints Church of England Primary School60%
=25St Martin's CofE Primary & Nursery School60%
=27Stoke Canon Church of England Primary School and Pre-School58%
=27Whimple Primary School58%
=29Beer Church of England Primary School57%
=29Offwell Church of England Primary School57%
=29Rockbeare Church of England Primary School and Pre-School57%
=29The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School57%
#33Lympstone Church of England Primary School56%
=34Brixington Primary Academy53%
=34Westclyst Community Primary School53%
#36Axminster Community Primary Academy52%
#37Ottery St Mary Primary School51%
=38St Andrew's CofE Primary Academy50%
=38Tipton St John Church of England Primary School50%
#40Littletown Primary Academy49%
#41Kilmington Primary School38%
#42St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth36%
#43Marpool Primary School31%
#44Plymtree Church of England Primary School22%
#45St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster21%
=46Exeter Road Community Primary School8%
=46Littleham Church of England Primary School8%

View full Ofsted inspection report

31st of 46 primary schools in East Devon for Ofsted rating

#29St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, ExmouthGood
#30St Martin's CofE Primary & Nursery SchoolGood
#31St Mary's Catholic Primary School, AxminsterGood
#32St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#33Stockland Church of England Primary AcademyGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Broadclyst Community Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Lady Seaward's Church of England Primary SchoolOutstanding
#3Westclyst Community Primary SchoolOutstanding
#4All Saints Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#5Awliscombe Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#6Bassetts Farm Primary SchoolGood
#7Beer Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#8Brampford Speke Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#9Branscombe Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#10Clyst Hydon Primary SchoolGood
#11Drake's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#12Feniton Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#13Honiton Primary SchoolGood
#14Littletown Primary AcademyGood
#15Lympstone Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#16Membury Primary AcademyGood
#17Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary AcademyGood
#18Musbury Primary SchoolGood
#19Newton Poppleford Primary SchoolGood
#20Offwell Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#21Otterton Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#22Ottery St Mary Primary SchoolGood
#23Payhembury Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#24Plymtree Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#25Rockbeare Church of England Primary School and Pre-SchoolGood
#26Seaton Primary SchoolGood
#27Shute Community Primary SchoolGood
#28Sidbury Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#29St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, ExmouthGood
#30St Martin's CofE Primary & Nursery SchoolGood
#31St Mary's Catholic Primary School, AxminsterGood
#32St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#33Stockland Church of England Primary AcademyGood
#34Stoke Canon Church of England Primary School and Pre-SchoolGood
#35Tipton St John Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#36Upottery Primary SchoolGood
#37Whimple Primary SchoolGood
#38Withycombe Raleigh Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#39Woodbury Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#40Woodbury Salterton Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#41Farway Church of England Primary SchoolRequires improvement
#42Kilmington Primary SchoolRequires improvement
#43St Andrew's CofE Primary AcademyRequires improvement
#44Broadhembury Church of England Primary SchoolInadequate
#45Littleham Church of England Primary SchoolInadequate
#46Marpool Primary SchoolInadequate

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,000 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

26th of 47 primary schools in East Devon for spending per pupil

#24Colyton Primary Academy£7,130
#25Clyst St Mary Primary School£7,060
#26St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster£7,000
#27Honiton Primary School£6,950
#28Feniton Church of England Primary School£6,929

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Membury Primary Academy£22,500
#2Branscombe Church of England Primary School£19,077
#3Broadhembury Church of England Primary School£15,714
#4Musbury Primary School£13,639
#5Clyst Hydon Primary School£11,736
#6Littleham Church of England Primary School£11,387
#7Hawkchurch Church of England School£11,013
#8Farway Church of England Primary School£10,746
#9Exeter Road Community Primary School£9,438
#10Offwell Church of England Primary School£9,383
#11Upottery Primary School£8,757
#12Sidbury Church of England Primary School£8,348
#13Woodbury Salterton Church of England Primary School£8,292
#14The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School£8,193
#15Otterton Church of England Primary School£8,189
#16Drake's Church of England Primary School£8,048
#17Stoke Canon Church of England Primary School and Pre-School£8,026
#18Payhembury Church of England Primary School£7,889
#19Stockland Church of England Primary Academy£7,806
#20Sidmouth Church of England Primary School£7,719
#21Lady Seaward's Church of England Primary School£7,707
#22Brixington Primary Academy£7,542
#23Newton Poppleford Primary School£7,327
#24Colyton Primary Academy£7,130
#25Clyst St Mary Primary School£7,060
#26St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster£7,000
#27Honiton Primary School£6,950
#28Feniton Church of England Primary School£6,929
#29Lympstone Church of England Primary School£6,793
#30St Peter's Church of England Primary School£6,675
#31Withycombe Raleigh Church of England Primary School£6,614
#32Axminster Community Primary Academy£6,602
#33All Saints Church of England Primary School£6,583
#34St Martin's CofE Primary & Nursery School£6,499
#35Rockbeare Church of England Primary School and Pre-School£6,246
#36St Andrew's CofE Primary Academy£6,220
#37Beer Church of England Primary School£6,143
#38Bassetts Farm Primary School£6,115
#39St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth£5,984
#40West Hill Primary School£5,975
#41Littletown Primary Academy£5,950
#42Ottery St Mary Primary School£5,932
#43Seaton Primary School£5,811
#44Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy£5,744
#45Marpool Primary School£82
#46Westclyst Community Primary School£61
#47Broadclyst Community Primary School£44

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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