St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Junior School

East Hertfordshire · SG12 0RL

General information Junior School · 7-11 years Who goes here 231 pupils, 12.6% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 15.6% on SEN support Behaviour 3.7% absence rate Staff 6.3% turnover Financials £6,671 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

We haven't asked this school for its behaviour and staffing figures yet. Sign up to tell us you'd like them, and we'll email you when they arrive.

Notify me

Your email address

Leave this empty

We'll email you a link to confirm first. Your address is only used for news about this school, and every email has a link to stop them. Privacy

St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Junior School

General Information

Address: Heath Drive, Ware, SG12 0RL – View on map
Phone: 01920463641
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Hannah Orton
Age range: 7-11 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

231 pupils out of 240 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 29
% eligible for free school meals: 12.6%
Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (less mixed than the East Hertfordshire average)
English as an additional language: 5% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 6.3% a year (East Hertfordshire 14.7%, typical in England 13.9%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 50% moved to another school, 50% 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. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

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 Hertfordshire: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 33 (0.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 13 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 3 (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 Hertfordshire (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: 3.7%
Persistently absent pupils: 8.6%
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: 15.6%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.0%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Other difficulty or disability: 10 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 7 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 4 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 4 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 4 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Multi-sensory impairment: 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 –

Be the first to review — win £100 of books for your school Every honest review enters you into our prize draw

Behaviour

–

Openness

–

Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

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.

–

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.

–

Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2023 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: 65% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 2% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: in line with the East Hertfordshire average (63%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 64% against an expected 64%)
3-year average (expected standard): 64%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 85% · Writing 70% · Maths 75% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 82%
Average test scores: reading 106, maths 103
Based on: 60 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 Hertfordshire averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was in line with the East Hertfordshire average (63%).

Year 6 SATs: 23rd of 47 junior and primary schools in the area

#21All Saints Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Datchworth67%
#22St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S66%
#23St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Junior School65%
=24High Wych Church of England Primary School63%
=24Widford School63%

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

#1Thorley Hill Primary School87%
#2Simon Balle All-Through School84%
=3Benington Church of England Primary School82%
=3Little Hadham Primary School82%
=3Northgate Primary School82%
=6Manor Fields Primary School80%
=6Richard Whittington Primary School80%
#8Walkern Primary School79%
=9Hillmead Primary School77%
=9Mandeville Primary School77%
=9Reedings Junior School77%
#12Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School76%
#13Aston St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School75%
=14Hunsdon Junior Mixed and Infant School73%
=14Summercroft Primary School73%
=14Watton-at-Stone Primary and Nursery School73%
=17St Andrew's CE Primary School and Nursery70%
=17Windhill2170%
=19Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School68%
=19St Michael's Church of England Primary School68%
#21All Saints Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Datchworth67%
#22St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S66%
#23St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Junior School65%
=24High Wych Church of England Primary School63%
=24Widford School63%
=26All Saints Church of England Primary School and Nursery, Bishop's Stortford61%
=26Bengeo Primary School61%
=26St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School61%
#29Thorn Grove Primary School60%
#30Morgans Primary School & Nursery58%
#31St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School57%
=32Little Munden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School56%
=32Puller Memorial, Church of England, Voluntary Aided Primary School56%
=32St Catherine's Church of England Primary School56%
=32St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School56%
#36Abel Smith School55%
#37Christ Church CofE (VA) Primary School and Nursery54%
#38Spellbrook CofE Primary School53%
#39Wheatcroft Primary School51%
#40Priors Wood Primary School48%
#41Avanti Meadows Primary School47%
#42St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Hertford)46%
#43Furneux Pelham Church of England School42%
#44Hertford Heath Primary and Nursery School36%
#45Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School35%
#46Hollybush Primary School32%
#47Bayford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School23%

View full Ofsted inspection report

2nd of 2 junior schools in East Hertfordshire for Ofsted rating

#1Reedings Junior SchoolGood
#2St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Junior SchoolGood

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

#1Reedings Junior SchoolGood
#2St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Junior SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,671 (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.

1st of 2 junior schools in East Hertfordshire for spending per pupil

#1St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Junior School£6,671
#2Reedings Junior School£6,187

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

#1St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Junior School£6,671
#2Reedings Junior School£6,187

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

Have you rated St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Junior School yet? Your experience helps other parents.

Rate this school