Official inspection reports and grades
Inspected 8 September 2026
Compared with the local authority and England
The share of pupils reaching the standard expected for their age, and the share going beyond it.
| Measure | School | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading, writing & maths — expected | 65% | 57% | 63% |
| Reading, writing & maths — higher | 0% | 7% | 8% |
| Grammar, punctuation & spelling — expected | 74% | 70% | 73% |
| Grammar, punctuation & spelling — higher | 23% | 24% | 30% |
A score of 100 is the expected standard; 110 or more is a higher standard.
| Subject | School | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 107 | 105 | 106 |
| Maths | 107 | 104 | 105 |
| Grammar, punctuation & spelling | 104 | 104 | 105 |
School workforce census, 2025/26.
Ofsted inspected St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Swanage on 8 September 2026 using a report card, which grades each area separately and gives no overall grade. The school met Ofsted's safeguarding standards. It was graded Strong standard for personal development and wellbeing; Expected standard for achievement, for curriculum and teaching, for inclusion, for leadership and governance, for attendance and behaviour and for early years.
Apply through the council where you live by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference, and offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day. As a Roman Catholic school it may also ask for a supplementary form, and its admissions policy says whether it does.
No. Distance only counts when St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Swanage has more applicants than places. Then its admission criteria, set by its academy trust, decide who is offered a place first. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or a catchment area. As a Roman Catholic school, it can give priority to children on grounds of faith. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Swanage had 180 pupils aged 4 to 11 at the latest school census. Its official capacity is 210. It is a mixed school.
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