St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Castle Street, Saffron Walden, CB10 1BQ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Chris Jarmain
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Constituency
- North West Essex
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 224
- URN
- 115155
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01799523384
About this school
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Saffron Walden. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 224 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 24 May 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 32 | 33 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 75% | 73% | 65% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 19% | 12% | 26% |
| Expected standard in reading | 84% | 91% | 71% |
| Expected standard in maths | 91% | 85% | 90% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 81% | 79% | 74% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 110.0 | 108.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 109.0 | 106.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +4.20 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Essex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 75% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 73% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 65% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 215 |
| 2023/24 | 218 |
| 2024/25 | 222 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School compares
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 198th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 53% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 65% | 4.9% | 18.9% | 224 | — |
| R A Butler Infant School | — | 3.3% | 9.2% | 271 | 0.5 miles |
| R A Butler Junior School | 82% | 3.1% | 12% | 384 | 0.5 miles |
| St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden | 94% | 3.1% | 2.4% | 206 | 0.6 miles |
| Katherine Semar Infant School | — | 3.7% | 10.6% | 180 | 1.2 miles |
| Katherine Semar Junior School | 79% | 3.1% | 12.9% | 256 | 1.2 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 18.92%
- English as an additional language
- 15.3%
- Overall absence
- 4.89%
- Persistent absence
- 9.27%
Location
Nearby schools
-
R A Butler Infant School0.5 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
R A Butler Junior School0.5 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden0.6 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
Katherine Semar Infant School1.2 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
Katherine Semar Junior School1.2 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
Other schools in Saffron Walden
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranks 9th of the 11 ranked primary schools in Saffron Walden.
- Ashdon Primary School Primary
- Clavering Primary School Primary
- Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy Primary
- Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- Great Sampford Community Primary School Primary
- Katherine Semar Infant School Primary
- Katherine Semar Junior School Primary
- R A Butler Infant School Primary
- R A Butler Junior School Primary
- Radwinter Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Rickling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teach?
- St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Saffron Walden.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Mr Chris Jarmain, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 224 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School full?
- St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 224 on roll (107%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 75% in 2022/23 and 65% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School compare with other schools in Essex?
- St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 198th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 53% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's absence rate?
- St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.