SchoolScoresIndependent school guide

St Mark's CofE School

Voluntary controlled school · All-through, ages 4 to 16 · Mixed · Church of England

Stafford Road, Shirley, Southampton, SO15 5TE

023 8077 2968 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedGoodInspected 18 October 2022
Pupils1,129Room for 1,320
First-choice applications per place1.3150 for 113 places, September 2026

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Good at the inspection that started on 18 October 2022.

This inspection used Ofsted's older format with four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Newer inspections use report cards. What changed.

AreaGrade
Quality of educationGood
Behaviour and attitudesGood
Personal developmentGood
Leadership and managementGood
Early yearsGood
SafeguardingEffective

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

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Results

Key stage 2 (SATs, age 11), 2024/25

59 pupils in this year group.

63% — 6 points above the Southampton average, and about the same as the England average.

MeasureThis schoolSouthamptonEngland
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths 63% 57% 62%
Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths 12% 7% 8%
Met the expected standard in reading 83% 71% 75%
Met the expected standard in writing 76% 70% 72%
Met the expected standard in maths 73% 69% 74%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. 105 105 106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 is the expected standard. 104 104 105
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, over time
50% 60% 70% 80% England 2022/23: 60%England 2023/24: 61%England 2024/25: 62% This school 2022/23: 65%This school 2023/24: 66%This school 2024/25: 63% This school England 62% 2022/23 65% 2023/24 66% 2024/25 63%

Source: DfE key stage 2 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

Admissions

Apply through the council where you live, even if the school is in a different council area. This school is in Southampton. The national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, and offers are sent on 1 March.

How hard is it to get in (Year 7)?

For the September 2026 intake there were about 1.5 first-choice applications for every place.

Places offered113
Families who put it first150
Of those, offered a place85 (57%)
Families who listed it at all473

First-choice applications per place: 2024: 1.3 · 2025: 1.7 · 2026: 1.3

This isn't your chance of getting a place. That depends on the school's admissions rules (for example siblings, distance or faith) and where you live. Source: DfE applications and offers, September 2026 intake.

How hard is it to get in (Reception)?

For the September 2026 intake there were about one first-choice application for every place.

Places offered43
Families who put it first39
Of those, offered a place39 (100%)
Families who listed it at all113

First-choice applications per place: 2024: 1.1 · 2025: 1.3 · 2026: 0.9

This isn't your chance of getting a place. That depends on the school's admissions rules (for example siblings, distance or faith) and where you live. Source: DfE applications and offers, September 2026 intake.

This is a Church of England school, but as a voluntary controlled school its admissions are set by the council, which usually doesn't prioritise by faith. Check the council's admissions criteria.

Admissions dates and schools in Southampton

Pupils, staff and SEND

PupilsThis schoolSouthamptonEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years
 46.6% 40.2%* 28.9%
With an education, health and care plan
 3.4% 3.8%* 3.1%
Receiving special educational needs support
 11.3% 16.5%* 13.4%
English as an additional language
 42.6% 27.9%* 19.2%
Overall absence (sessions missed)
 7.8% 10.3%* 8.4%
Persistently absent (missed 10% or more)
 21.5% 26.8%* 23.4%
Suspensions per 100 pupils
 16.2 24.9 21.2
Pupils suspended at least once
 8.2% 9.2% 7.3%
Pupils permanently excluded1 pupil 0.10% 0.12% 0.23%
Pupils per teacher
 19.4 15.5 16.7
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff)
 10.8 10.3 11.8
Teachers who left during the year
 12.2% 15.4%* 14.2%*

Comparisons are with secondary schools. Scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) figures. For absence and suspensions lower is better, so their scales run green to red; blue scales describe the school's pupils and staff and aren't good or bad. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE pupil absence 2024/25; DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.

Nearby secondary schools

Straight-line distance. Distance isn't the same as a catchment area.

Questions parents ask

What is St Mark's CofE School's Ofsted rating?

St Mark's CofE School was rated Good by Ofsted at its inspection in 18 October 2022.

Is St Mark's CofE School oversubscribed?

For the September 2026 intake, 150 families put St Mark's CofE School as their first choice for 113 places: about 1.5 first-choice applications for every place. 85 of those families were offered a place. Whether you get a place depends on the school's admissions rules and where you live.

Sources

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Page updated 26 September 2026.