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Stratford St Mary Primary School

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Community school in Nr Colchester, CO7 6YG, taking ages 4 to 11, 88 on roll.

Good Ofsted, Dec 2023
4.564 mi Admitted from, 2026/27
84% Full
80.0% Met the expected standard, 2024/25

Will an address get in?

In the 2026/27 round, the furthest-away child offered a place at Stratford St Mary Primary School lived 4.564 miles away, according to Suffolk. Put a postcode in and it is measured against that distance.

Applying for September 2027? Primary applications close on 15 January 2027, with offers on 16 April 2027. The address on the deadline is the one the council uses. How it works.

The circle is 4.564 miles, the distance the school admitted from in 2026/27. Real admission areas are not circular: this is the distance, not a boundary.

This is not a catchment area. Most English schools do not have one. When Stratford St Mary Primary School is oversubscribed, places go outward from the school until they run out, so the distance moves each year with how many families applied and where they lived. 4.564 miles was last year's outcome, not a boundary and not a promise.

What kind of school this is

Religious characterNo religious character
Sixth formDoes not have a sixth form
How full 88 pupils in 105 places (84% full)
Local authoritySuffolk

Department for Education register (GIAS).

How the school is doing

Ofsted Good, inspected 18 December 2023
Meeting the expected standard 80.0% in reading, writing and maths (2024/25)
YearMeeting the expected standard
2024/25 80.0%
2023/24 92.0%
2022/23 81.0%

Ofsted, and the Department for Education's published performance data.

Who goes to Stratford St Mary Primary School

Girls and boys51.1% girls, 48.9% boys
English as an additional language1.1% of pupils
Free school meals6.8% of pupils eligible

DfE school census, most recent published year.

The fee-paying alternative

Weighing Stratford St Mary Primary School against the independent sector? Every fee-paying school around CO7: ages, selection, and how full each one is →

Checking the house as well as the school

The full report measures the distance from every nearby school to one address, alongside sold prices, flood risk, crime and the other checks on the same house.

Common questions

What is the catchment area for Stratford St Mary Primary School?

Stratford St Mary Primary School does not have one in the sense most people mean. Like most English schools, an oversubscribed year offers places outward from the school until they run out. The nearest thing to an answer: the furthest child admitted in 2026/27 lived 4.564 miles away, per Suffolk.

How close do I need to live to get a place at Stratford St Mary Primary School?

Nobody can say in advance, and anyone who does is guessing. 4.564 miles was enough in 2026/27. The distance moves every year with the number of applications, so treat last year's figure as evidence, not a promise.

Does buying a house near Stratford St Mary Primary School guarantee a place?

No. Admission criteria usually put looked-after children, siblings ahead of distance, so places can be filled before distance is reached. Councils also check that the address is genuinely where the child lives.

Every Suffolk school's distance

All Suffolk schools with a published admission distance, tightest first →
How school admissions actually work, and what the distance means →

Admission distance published by Suffolk. School details from the Department for Education's register, ratings from Ofsted. Read how every figure on this site is sourced on the methodology page. If something here looks wrong, tell us and it goes on the accuracy log.