St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
St Mary's Road, Swanley, BR8 7BU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Amanda McGarrigle
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Sevenoaks
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 279
- URN
- 118754
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01322665212
About this school
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Swanley. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 279 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 26 | 31 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 42% | 39% | 59% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 6% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 54% | 61% | 66% |
| Expected standard in maths | 73% | 45% | 72% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 46% | 55% | 69% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 102.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 101.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -3.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.60 | - | - |
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 | Kent average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 42% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 39% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 59% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 247 |
| 2023/24 | 280 |
| 2024/25 | 286 |
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 280th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 38% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 35% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 59% | 6.3% | 49.8% | 279 | — |
| High Firs Primary School | 63% | 5.2% | 17.7% | 210 | 0.4 miles |
| St Bartholomew's Catholic Primary School, Swanley | — | — | — | 318 | 0.4 miles |
| Horizon Primary Academy | 77% | 5.1% | 42.3% | 195 | 0.5 miles |
| Crockenhill Primary School | 41% | 7.2% | 31% | 203 | 0.7 miles |
| Downsview Community Primary School | 52% | 9.1% | 48.2% | 140 | 0.8 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)
- 49.75%
- English as an additional language
- 19.6%
- Overall absence
- 6.27%
- Persistent absence
- 22.58%
Location
Nearby schools
-
High Firs Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Swanley
-
St Bartholomew's Catholic Primary School, Swanley0.4 miles
Primary · Swanley
-
Horizon Primary Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Swanley
-
Crockenhill Primary School0.7 miles
Primary
-
Downsview Community Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Swanley
Other schools in Swanley
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranks 4th of the 5 ranked primary schools in Swanley.
- Downsview Community Primary School Primary
- Hextable Primary School Primary
- High Firs Primary School Primary
- Horizon Primary Academy Primary
- St Bartholomew's Catholic Primary School, Swanley Primary
- Orchards Academy Secondary
- Parkwood Hall Co-Operative Academy Academies
- SupaJam Education In Music and Media Other types
- The Annex School House Special schools
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 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Swanley.
- 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 Mrs Amanda McGarrigle, 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 279 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 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 279 on roll (133%), 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 Rochester.
- Does St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School as having 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 42% in 2022/23 and 59% 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 Kent?
- St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 280th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 38% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 35% 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 6.3% in the latest published census, above 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.