St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School
Oakfield Road, Bridgwater, TA6 7LX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Morwenna Dunstan
- Diocese
- Diocese of Bath and Wells
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Bridgwater
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 490
- URN
- 123784
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01278422691
About this school
St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Bridgwater. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 490 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 59 | 60 | 61 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 53% | 62% | 72% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 5% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 69% | 72% | 79% |
| Expected standard in maths | 61% | 80% | 90% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% | 67% | 79% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -4.10 | - | - |
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 Voluntary Controlled Church of England 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 | Somerset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 53% | 54.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 62% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 72% | 57.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 483 |
| 2023/24 | 493 |
| 2024/25 | 476 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School compares
St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School ranked 32nd of 155 primary schools in Somerset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 72% | 4.1% | 8.6% | 490 | — |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Bridgwater | 54% | 6.3% | 13.4% | 199 | 0.4 miles |
| Wembdon St George's Church School | 44% | 5.2% | 17.2% | 294 | 0.6 miles |
| Westover Green Community School and Autism Centre | 59% | 7.9% | 46.9% | 382 | 0.6 miles |
| Hamp Academy | 49% | 7.3% | 50.5% | 307 | 0.9 miles |
| Hamp Nursery and Infants' School | — | 8.1% | 33.2% | 234 | 1.0 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.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report8 January 2025
- 15 October 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 8.58%
- English as an additional language
- 5.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.08%
- Persistent absence
- 6.45%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Bridgwater0.4 miles
Primary · Bridgwater
-
Wembdon St George's Church School0.6 miles
Primary · Bridgwater
-
Westover Green Community School and Autism Centre0.6 miles
Primary · Bridgwater
-
Hamp Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Bridgwater
-
Hamp Nursery and Infants' School1.0 miles
Primary · Bridgwater
Other schools in Bridgwater
St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School ranks 4th of the 26 ranked primary schools in Bridgwater.
- Ashcott Primary School Primary
- Cannington Church of England Primary School Primary
- Catcott Primary School Primary
- Eastover Primary School Primary
- Enmore Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hamp Academy Primary
- Hamp Nursery and Infants' School Primary
- Kingsmoor Primary School Primary
- Middlezoy Primary School Primary
- Nether Stowey Church of England Primary School Primary
- North Newton Community Primary School Primary
- North Petherton Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School teach?
- St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Bridgwater.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School is Mrs Morwenna Dunstan, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England 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 Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School?
- St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School has 490 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School full?
- St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 490 on roll (117%), 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 Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.
- Does St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 53% in 2022/23 and 72% 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 Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Somerset?
- St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School ranked 32nd of 155 primary schools in Somerset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% 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 Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England 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.