SCHOOL PROFILE

The Cathedral School of St Mary

Primary Academy converter URN 140785
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 119 Published school capacity
Capacity used 85.7% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 4 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

29 April 2025
Latest published outcome Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Roman Catholic
Local authority Plymouth
Trust PLYMOUTH CAST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 102 102 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 46 45.1% of pupils
Male pupils 56 54.9% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

52.0%
27.2 pts above England
School 52.0%
Plymouth 25.3%
South West 20.1%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

27.5%
7.2 pts above England
School 27.5%
Plymouth 11.0%
South West 10.7%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

2.9%
1.9 pts above England
School 2.9%
Plymouth 2.7%
South West 1.5%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
38.2%
39
African
36.3%
37
Any other White background
6.9%
7
White and Black African
4.9%
5
Indian
3.9%
4
Any other Mixed background
2.0%
2
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 26.5% 27 of 102 pupils
5.6 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 26.5%
Plymouth 21.3%
South West 21.7%
England 20.8%
SEN support 17.7% 18 pupils
England 14.8% 2.9 pts above
EHC plans 8.8% 9 pupils
England 6.0% 2.8 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 8
Moderate learning difficulty 6
Autistic spectrum disorder 5
Social, emotional & mental health 5
Hearing impairment 1
Physical disability 1

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

47.0% 13.4 pts below England
School 47.0%
Plymouth 60.9%
South West 58.4%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

60.0%

13.8 pts below England

School 60.0%
Plymouth 71.0%
South West 73.1%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

60.0%

10.3 pts below England

School 60.0%
Plymouth 70.2%
South West 69.4%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

47.0%

25.0 pts below England

School 47.0%
Plymouth 70.1%
South West 70.5%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

6.10%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.12 pts lower than England
School 6.10%
Plymouth 6.71%
South West 6.20%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

23.85%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

8.04 pts higher than England
School 23.85%
Plymouth 17.83%
South West 15.08%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

0.00%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.80 pts lower than England
School 0.00%
Plymouth 2.13%
South West 1.90%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

85.7% 2.5 pts below England
The Cathedral School of St Mary
85.7%
Plymouth
85.2%
South West
84.2%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information