St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster
Lyme Road, Axminster, EX13 5BE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- PLYMOUTH CAST
- Executive Headteacher
- Mr Rob Meech
- Diocese
- Diocese of Plymouth
- Sponsor
- Plymouth CAST
- Constituency
- Honiton and Sidmouth
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 140
- Pupils on roll
- 136
- URN
- 140772
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 0129732785
About this school
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Axminster. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 136 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 17 December 2024, 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 | 17 | 16 | 19 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 65% | 69% | 21% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 6% | 13% | 5% |
| Expected standard in reading | 65% | 75% | 53% |
| Expected standard in maths | 71% | 81% | 32% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 65% | 56% | 26% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 106.0 | 101.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 106.0 | 98.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.60 | - | - |
| 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's Catholic Primary School, Axminster has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Devon average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 65% | 55% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 69% | 54.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 21% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 135 |
| 2023/24 | 132 |
| 2024/25 | 136 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster compares
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster ranked 260th of 269 primary schools in Devon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 21% | 5.5% | 14% | 136 | — |
| Axminster Community Primary Academy | 52% | 6.4% | 37.1% | 297 | 0.2 miles |
| Kilmington Primary School | 38% | 5.2% | 15.7% | 72 | 1.8 miles |
| All Saints Church of England Primary School | 60% | 4.3% | 16.7% | 84 | 1.8 miles |
| Musbury Primary School | — | 4.2% | 33.3% | 53 | 2.8 miles |
| Shute Community Primary School | 71% | 4.7% | 6.4% | 46 | 3.0 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 13.97%
- English as an additional language
- 11.8%
- Overall absence
- 5.48%
- Persistent absence
- 12.5%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Axminster Community Primary Academy0.2 miles
Primary · Axminster
-
Kilmington Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Axminster
-
All Saints Church of England Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Axminster
-
Musbury Primary School2.8 miles
Primary · Axminster
-
Shute Community Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Axminster
Other schools in Axminster
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster ranks 6th of the 6 ranked primary schools in Axminster.
- All Saints Church of England Primary School Primary
- Axminster Community Primary Academy Primary
- Hawkchurch Church of England School Primary
- Kilmington Primary School Primary
- Membury Primary Academy Primary
- Musbury Primary School Primary
- Shute Community Primary School Primary
- St Andrew's CofE Primary Academy Primary
- Axe Valley Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster teach?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Axminster.
- Who is the executive headteacher of St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster?
- The executive headteacher of St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster is Mr Rob Meech, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster, 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 Primary School, Axminster?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster has 136 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster full?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster has capacity for 140 pupils and 136 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's Catholic Primary School, Axminster a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Plymouth.
- Does St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster is part of PLYMOUTH CAST. 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 Primary School, Axminster's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 65% in 2022/23 and 21% 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 Primary School, Axminster rank locally?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster ranked 260th of 269 primary schools in Devon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% 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 Primary School, Axminster's absence rate?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster's overall absence rate is 5.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster'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.