Achievement
Our 2026 Assessment Outcomes
At St Mary’s, we are proud of every one of our children and the progress they make throughout their time with us.
Assessment information is one of the ways we evaluate how well our curriculum is supporting children to learn, make progress and achieve well. Alongside these results, we consider each child’s individual starting point, progress, wider achievements and personal development.
Early Years – a strong start 🌟
78% of our Reception children achieved a Good Level of Development (GLD) at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
This is a result we are particularly pleased with and demonstrates the strong foundations our children are developing in their earliest years at St Mary’s.
A Good Level of Development means that children have reached the expected level across the key areas of Communication and Language, Physical Development, Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Literacy and Mathematics.
Our 78% outcome is above the most recently published national GLD figure, giving our children a strong foundation as they move into Year 1.
Phonics – building confident early readers 📚
73% of our Year 1 children achieved the expected standard in the Phonics Screening Check.
The most recently published national figure, for 2025, was 80%, with 78% of children in the North West achieving the expected standard.
Our 73% outcome is therefore slightly below these comparators. However, as with all our assessment information, our small cohort means that the outcome of just one child can have a significant impact on the overall percentage.
We are proud of the progress our children are making as early readers and phonics remains an important part of our approach to ensuring that every child becomes a confident and fluent reader.
Multiplication Tables Check – developing multiplication fluency
64% of our Year 4 pupils achieved a score of 20 or more out of 25 in the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC).
The MTC assesses how fluently children can recall their multiplication tables up to 12 × 12. A score of 20 or above demonstrates a strong level of multiplication recall, providing an important foundation for mathematics throughout Key Stage 2.
We are pleased that almost two thirds of our Year 4 cohort achieved 20 or more correct answers and will continue to develop rapid and accurate recall of multiplication facts for all pupils.
There is no nationally defined ‘pass mark’ for the Multiplication Tables Check; pupils receive a score out of 25.
End of Key Stage 2
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Reading: 60% achieved the Expected Standard, with 20% achieving Greater Depth
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Writing: 60% achieved the Expected Standard
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Mathematics: 60% achieved the Expected Standard, with 10% achieving Greater Depth
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Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling (GPS): 80% achieved the Expected Standard, with 20% achieving Greater Depth
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Science: 80% achieved the Expected Standard
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Reading, Writing and Mathematics Combined: 40% achieved the Expected Standard in all three subjects
How Do Our KS2 Results Compare Nationally?
| Subject | St Mary’s | National 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 60% | 75% |
| Writing | 60% | 73% |
| Mathematics | 60% | 75% |
| Grammar, Punctuation & Spelling | 80% | 74% |
| Science | 80% | 82% |
| Reading, Writing & Maths Combined | 40% | 63% |
Our results show a particular strength in Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling, where 80% of pupils achieved the Expected Standard compared with 74% nationally. Our Science result of 80% was also broadly in line with the national figure of 82%.
Reading, Writing and Mathematics remain important areas of focus for us. We use assessment information carefully to identify where children need further teaching, practice, support or challenge and to inform our priorities for school improvement.
Understanding Our Results – Our Small School Context
When looking at our results, it is particularly important to remember that St Mary’s is a small school with very small year groups.
National percentages are calculated using results from hundreds of thousands of children. At St Mary’s, our percentages represent a much smaller number of pupils. This means that the result of just one individual child can make a significant difference to the school's overall percentage.
This is particularly important when considering the combined Reading, Writing and Mathematics measure. To be included in this figure, a child must achieve the Expected Standard in all three subjects. A child who achieves the standard in Reading and Mathematics but narrowly misses it in Writing, for example, cannot be included within the combined figure.
For this reason, headline percentages alone do not always tell the complete story of achievement in a small school.
We therefore look carefully at the attainment, progress and individual journey of every child, alongside our headline school data.
Celebrating Achievement and Looking Forward
There is much to celebrate in our 2026 outcomes.
Our children have made a strong start in EYFS, with 78% achieving a Good Level of Development. We continue to build strong foundations in early reading through phonics, and at Key Stage 2 we are particularly pleased with outcomes in Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling and Science.
Our assessment information also helps us to be clear about where we want to improve further. Reading, Writing and Mathematics continue to be key priorities for school improvement, with a particular focus on ensuring that more children achieve the Expected Standard across all three areas.
At St Mary’s, we remain ambitious for every child. We will continue to use assessment thoughtfully to strengthen teaching, provide appropriate support and challenge, and ensure that every child has the opportunity to flourish and achieve their very best.