St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School
Leigh Street, Hillfields, Coventry, CV1 5HG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mrs Pauline MacDonald
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Birmingham
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Coventry South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 354
- Pupils on roll
- 345
- URN
- 133556
- Local authority
- Coventry
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02476229486
About this school
St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in Coventry. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 345 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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 | 45 | 45 | 43 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 47% | 58% | 63% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 7% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 60% | 78% | 79% |
| Expected standard in maths | 76% | 78% | 79% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 84% | 82% | 86% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.10 | - | - |
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 and St Benedict Catholic 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 | Coventry average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 47% | 52.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 58% | 54.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 63% | 56.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 348 |
| 2023/24 | 345 |
| 2024/25 | 351 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School compares
St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School ranked 36th of 83 primary schools in Coventry for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 63% | 5.3% | 43.3% | 345 | — |
| Sidney Stringer Primary Academy | 69% | 5.7% | 47.5% | 416 | 0.2 miles |
| Southfields Primary School | 71% | 3.7% | 36.6% | 450 | 0.3 miles |
| John Gulson Primary School | 67% | 6.9% | 34.1% | 496 | 0.4 miles |
| Frederick Bird Academy | 44% | 9.7% | 49.1% | 855 | 0.4 miles |
| Gosford Park Primary School | 35% | 6.3% | 34.2% | 430 | 0.7 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)
- 43.26%
- English as an additional language
- 61.3%
- Overall absence
- 5.32%
- Persistent absence
- 17.96%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sidney Stringer Primary Academy0.2 miles
Primary · Coventry
-
Southfields Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Coventry
-
John Gulson Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Coventry
-
Frederick Bird Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Coventry
-
Gosford Park Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Coventry
Other schools in Coventry
St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School ranks 40th of the 93 ranked primary schools in Coventry.
- Alderman's Green Primary School Primary
- Aldermoor Farm Primary School Primary
- All Saints Church of England Primary School Primary
- All Souls' Catholic Primary School Primary
- Allesley Hall Primary School Primary
- Allesley Primary School Primary
- Arley Primary Academy Primary
- Balsall Common Primary School Primary
- Berkswell Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Binley Woods Primary School Primary
- Bournebrook CofE Primary School Primary
- Broad Heath Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School teach?
- St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Coventry.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School is Mrs Pauline MacDonald, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary and St Benedict Catholic 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 big is St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School?
- St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School has 345 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School full?
- St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School has capacity for 354 pupils and 345 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. 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 and St Benedict Catholic Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
- Does St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 47% in 2022/23 and 63% 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 and St Benedict Catholic Primary School rank locally?
- St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School ranked 36th of 83 primary schools in Coventry for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% 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 and St Benedict Catholic Primary School's absence rate?
- St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary and St Benedict Catholic 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.