Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery
Mary Dean Avenue, Tamerton Foliot, Plymouth, PL5 4LS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE FIRST FEDERATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Miss Lesa Garside
- Diocese
- Diocese of Exeter
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The First Federation Trust
- Constituency
- Plymouth Moor View
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 350
- Pupils on roll
- 281
- URN
- 150116
- Local authority
- Plymouth
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01752773521
About this school
Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery is a Church of England primary academy in Plymouth. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 281 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery, and its latest judgement is set out 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 did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 44 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 27% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 57% |
| Expected standard in maths | 45% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 50% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 101.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 98.0 |
Trends over time
How Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 319 |
| 2024/25 | 302 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery compares
Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery ranked 66th of 66 primary schools in Plymouth for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% 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 | 27% | 5.5% | 19.3% | 281 | — |
| St Peter's RC Primary School | 41% | 7.6% | 46.4% | 75 | 0.8 miles |
| Woodfield Primary School | 63% | 6.7% | 48.9% | 222 | 0.8 miles |
| Beechwood Primary Academy | 34% | 7.3% | 49% | 249 | 1.0 miles |
| Whitleigh Community Primary School | 52% | 7.9% | 45% | 313 | 1.1 miles |
| Knowle Primary School | 73% | 7.9% | 57.5% | 275 | 1.2 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 19.33%
- English as an additional language
- 3%
- Overall absence
- 5.47%
- Persistent absence
- 14.68%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Peter's RC Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Woodfield Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Beechwood Primary Academy1.0 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Whitleigh Community Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Knowle Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Plymouth
Other schools in Plymouth
Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery ranks 72nd of the 72 ranked primary schools in Plymouth.
- Austin Farm Academy Primary
- Beechwood Primary Academy Primary
- Bickleigh Down Church of England Primary School Primary
- Boringdon Primary School Primary
- Chaddlewood Primary School Primary
- College Road Primary School Primary
- Compton CofE Primary School Primary
- Drake Primary Academy Primary
- Eggbuckland Vale Primary School Primary
- Elburton Primary School Primary
- Ernesettle Community School Primary
- Ford Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery teach?
- Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Plymouth.
- Who is the headteacher of Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery?
- The headteacher of Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery is Miss Lesa Garside, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery, 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 Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery?
- Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery has 281 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery full?
- Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery has capacity for 350 pupils and 281 on roll (80%), 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 Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery a faith school?
- Yes. Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Exeter.
- Does Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery as having nursery classes.
- Is Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery part of an academy trust?
- Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery is part of THE FIRST FEDERATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How does Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery compare with other schools in Plymouth?
- Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery ranked 66th of 66 primary schools in Plymouth for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% 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 Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery's absence rate?
- Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery's overall absence rate is 5.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery'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 3 July 2026.