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St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School

Primary · Gillingham · SP8 4GG

Data updated

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Good

Earlier grade, confirmed by a later ungraded inspection

Ofsted's most recent (ungraded) visit confirmed the school remains Good. Ungraded inspections do not award a new grade.

Inspected 3 February 2023

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

242 pupils · 99% of 244 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
2–11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Free school meals
11.7% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
14.5% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
20.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
2.5% of pupils (2024/2025)
Nursery
Yes
Website
www.stmarygillingham.dorset.sch.uk/
URN
147145

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 26 families named it first for 26 Reception places, 1.00 first choices per place. An ungraded Ofsted inspection on 3 February 2023 confirmed its earlier grade, Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 4.4% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

1.00 first-choice applications per place

26 places offered · 26 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

29 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths
59%
England 62%
Reaching the higher standard
14%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)
105
England 106
Average scaled score (maths)
107
England 105

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 2024/2025

This school59%
Median of its 12 closest peers65%
Dorset average56.5%
England62%

On meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, this school is behind the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedResult
Ash Grange Nursery and Primary SchoolAsh · 69 miles awayGood (2016)77%
Trotts Hill Primary and Nursery SchoolStevenage · 108 miles awayGood74%
Paulton Junior SchoolPaulton · 22 miles awayRequires improvement58%
Courtney Primary SchoolBristol · 31 miles awayGood62%
Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior SchoolWhitstable · 144 miles awayOutstanding73%
Wigan St Andrew's CofE Junior and Infant SchoolWigan · 175 miles awayNeeds attention67%
South Bersted CofE Primary SchoolBognor Regis · 71 miles awayGood78%
Great Barford Church of England Primary AcademyBedford · 113 miles awayGood0%
South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery SchoolLewes · 100 miles awayGood67%
Quinton Primary SchoolStratford-upon-Avon · 79 miles awayExpected standard53%
East Farleigh Primary SchoolMaidstone · 120 miles awayExpected standard63%
Cove Junior SchoolFarnborough · 67 miles awayGood54%

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 85% (Dorset 88%, England 60%) · Any other White background 7% (Dorset 3%, England 7%) · Any other ethnic group 2% (Dorset 1%, England 3%) · Asian Indian 2% (Dorset 1%, England 4%) · Black African 1% (Dorset 1%, England 5%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Dorset 1%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Dorset 0%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 1% (Dorset 1%, England 2%) · other groups together 1%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
4.4%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
11.2%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

0.00 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, primary schools: 2.47 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Dorset: 2.92 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

Suspensions and exclusions, last three years Premium

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
27.2
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

94% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 6% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, primary academies: 0.3% vacant, 0.32% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

30% of teachers took sickness absence, 6 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £53,296; 20% on the leadership pay range · England, primary schools: £50,856, 17.3%

Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
6/10around the middle for England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
8/10less deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher27.5%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications14.1%18.1%
In managerial or professional work29.2%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways11.2%18.1%
Residents in very good health48.8%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier71.7%62.3%
Social housing6.7%17.1%
Privately rented21.7%20.5%
Detached houses34.5%22.9%
Flats7.1%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms29.2%21.1%
Households with no car or van7%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01033156 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£260,000188 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£205,000–£330,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (56)£378,500
Semi-detached (50)£262,500
Terraced (55)£225,000
Flat (27)£120,000

Homes around this school are cheaper than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
0an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
1an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
5an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
1an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools