St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School
Pheasant Way, Gillingham, SP8 4GG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- SHERBORNE AREA SCHOOLS' TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Matthew Barge
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- North Dorset
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 244
- Pupils on roll
- 242
- URN
- 147145
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01747824446
About this school
St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Gillingham. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 242 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Mary the Virgin 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 3 February 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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 | 28 | 31 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 57% | 74% | 59% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 10% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 64% | 94% | 69% |
| Expected standard in maths | 82% | 90% | 79% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% | 90% | 69% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 107.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.50 | - | - |
| 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 the Virgin 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 | Dorset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 57% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 74% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 59% | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 245 |
| 2023/24 | 244 |
| 2024/25 | 241 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School compares
St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School ranked 42nd of 89 primary schools in Dorset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 38% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 59% | 4.3% | 17.9% | 242 | — |
| Gillingham Primary School | 50% | 5.4% | 24.8% | 233 | 0.8 miles |
| Wyke Primary School | 71% | 4.8% | 19.3% | 161 | 1.4 miles |
| Motcombe CofE Primary School | 68% | 3.9% | 11.7% | 146 | 1.8 miles |
| Milton-on-Stour Church of England Primary School | 39% | 4.6% | 9.8% | 119 | 2.2 miles |
| Stower Provost Community School | 40% | 4.4% | 15.9% | 92 | 2.6 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)
- 17.91%
- English as an additional language
- 14.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.31%
- Persistent absence
- 8.38%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Gillingham Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Gillingham
-
Wyke Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Gillingham
-
Motcombe CofE Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Shaftesbury
-
Milton-on-Stour Church of England Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Gillingham
-
Stower Provost Community School2.6 miles
Primary · Gillingham
Other schools in Gillingham
St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School ranks 2nd of the 6 ranked primary schools in Gillingham.
- Gillingham Primary School Primary
- Milton-on-Stour Church of England Primary School Primary
- St George's Church of England School, Bourton Primary
- Stower Provost Community School Primary
- Wyke Primary School Primary
- Gillingham School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School teach?
- St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Gillingham.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School is Mr Matthew Barge, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary the Virgin 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 the Virgin Church of England Primary School?
- St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School has 242 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School full?
- St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School has capacity for 244 pupils and 242 on roll (99%), 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 the Virgin Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School is part of SHERBORNE AREA SCHOOLS' TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Mary the Virgin 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 57% in 2022/23 and 59% 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 the Virgin Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Dorset?
- St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School ranked 42nd of 89 primary schools in Dorset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 38% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% 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 the Virgin Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary the Virgin 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 10 July 2026.