St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull
Old Mill Lane, Marnhull, Sturminster Newton, DT10 1JX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- PLYMOUTH CAST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sharon Betts
- Diocese
- Diocese of Plymouth
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Plymouth CAST
- Constituency
- North Dorset
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 175
- Pupils on roll
- 82
- URN
- 140776
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01258820417
About this school
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Sturminster Newton. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 82 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull, 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
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 8 | 24 | 15 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 75% | 54% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 13% | 17% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 71% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 88% | 71% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 63% | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.00 | - | - |
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, Marnhull has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Dorset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 75% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 54% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 91 |
| 2023/24 | 96 |
| 2024/25 | 87 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull compares
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull ranked 23rd of 89 primary schools in Dorset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 5.7% | 21.6% | 82 | — |
| St Gregory's Church of England Primary School, Marnhull | 50% | 5.6% | 29.8% | 51 | 0.9 miles |
| Stower Provost Community School | 40% | 4.4% | 15.9% | 92 | 1.7 miles |
| Stalbridge Church of England Primary School | 65% | 4.4% | 23.7% | 188 | 3.2 miles |
| St Nicholas CofE Primary School, Henstridge | 57% | 7.7% | 28.7% | 92 | 3.8 miles |
| William Barnes Primary School | 55% | 5.1% | 24.1% | 162 | 3.8 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)
- 21.62%
- English as an additional language
- 10.3%
- Overall absence
- 5.67%
- Persistent absence
- 10.29%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Gregory's Church of England Primary School, Marnhull0.9 miles
Primary · Sturminster Newton
-
Stower Provost Community School1.7 miles
Primary · Gillingham
-
Stalbridge Church of England Primary School3.2 miles
Primary · Stalbridge
-
St Nicholas CofE Primary School, Henstridge3.8 miles
Primary · Templecombe
-
William Barnes Primary School3.8 miles
Primary · Sturminster Newton
Other schools in Sturminster Newton
- Hazelbury Bryan Primary School Primary
- St Gregory's Church of England Primary School, Marnhull Primary
- William Barnes Primary School Primary
- Sturminster Newton High School Secondary
- Yewstock School Special schools
Common questions
- What ages does St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull teach?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Sturminster Newton.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull?
- The headteacher of St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull is Mrs Sharon Betts, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull, 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 Catholic Primary School, Marnhull?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull has 82 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull full?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull has capacity for 175 pupils and 82 on roll (47%), 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 Primary School, Marnhull a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Plymouth.
- Does St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull as having nursery classes.
- Is St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull part of an academy trust?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull 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, Marnhull's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 75% in 2022/23 and 67% 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, Marnhull compare with other schools in Dorset?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull ranked 23rd of 89 primary schools in Dorset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% 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, Marnhull's absence rate?
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull's overall absence rate is 5.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull'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.