St Mary's Catholic Academy
Cruso Street, Leek, ST13 8BW
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- ST GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL CATHOLIC MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
- Principal
- Mrs Gemma Turner
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Birmingham
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Staffordshire Moorlands
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 179
- URN
- 138725
- Local authority
- Staffordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01538493888
About this school
St Mary's Catholic Academy is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Leek. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 179 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 22 January 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 26 | 20 | 14 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 88% | 65% | 93% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 19% | 35% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 96% | 85% | 93% |
| Expected standard in maths | 100% | 70% | 100% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 100% | 70% | 93% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 111.0 | 108.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 112.0 | 108.0 | 112.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +6.50 | - | - |
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 Catholic Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Staffordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 88% | 59.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 65% | 61.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 93% | 62% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 2.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 168 |
| 2023/24 | 157 |
| 2024/25 | 154 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary's Catholic Academy compares
St Mary's Catholic Academy ranked 8th of 229 primary schools in Staffordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 99% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 100% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 93% | 2.6% | 29.2% | 179 | — |
| Westwood First School | — | 4% | 15% | 251 | 0.4 miles |
| All Saints CofE First School | — | 3.1% | 9.9% | 228 | 0.5 miles |
| Woodcroft Academy | — | 2.7% | 14.2% | 138 | 0.6 miles |
| Leek First School | — | 4.7% | 25.7% | 133 | 0.7 miles |
| Beresford Memorial CofE First School | — | 6.2% | 38.9% | 153 | 1.1 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)
- 29.22%
- English as an additional language
- 18.2%
- Overall absence
- 2.62%
- Persistent absence
- 4.2%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Westwood First School0.4 miles
Primary · Leek
-
All Saints CofE First School0.5 miles
Primary · Leek
-
Woodcroft Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Leek
-
Leek First School0.7 miles
Primary
-
Beresford Memorial CofE First School1.1 miles
Primary · Leek
Other schools in Leek
- All Saints CofE First School Primary
- Beresford Memorial CofE First School Primary
- Blackshaw Moor CofE First School Primary
- Horton St Michael's CofE First School Primary
- St Edward's CofE Academy Cheddleton Primary
- Westwood First School Primary
- Woodcroft Academy Primary
- Churnet View Middle School Middle deemed secondary
- St Edward's Church of England Academy Middle deemed secondary
- Leek High School Secondary
- Westwood College Secondary
- Horton Lodge Community Special School Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does St Mary's Catholic Academy teach?
- St Mary's Catholic Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Leek.
- Who is the principal of St Mary's Catholic Academy?
- The principal of St Mary's Catholic Academy is Mrs Gemma Turner, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Mary's Catholic Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Catholic Academy, 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's Catholic Academy?
- St Mary's Catholic Academy has 179 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Mary's Catholic Academy full?
- St Mary's Catholic Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 179 on roll (85%), so it has space against 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 Catholic Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's Catholic Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
- Does St Mary's Catholic Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Mary's Catholic Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St Mary's Catholic Academy?
- St Mary's Catholic Academy is part of ST GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL CATHOLIC MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Mary's Catholic Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 88% in 2022/23 and 93% 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 Catholic Academy rank locally?
- St Mary's Catholic Academy ranked 8th of 229 primary schools in Staffordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 99% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 100% 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 Catholic Academy's absence rate?
- St Mary's Catholic Academy's overall absence rate is 2.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary's Catholic Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary's Catholic Academy'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 1 July 2026.