St Mary's Catholic Primary School
Voluntary aided primary school in Whitehaven (Cumberland).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
iWritten by WhatSchool from official school data (Get Information about Schools, DfE and Ofsted).St Mary's is a Voluntary Aided school in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lancaster. The area served by the school, which coincides with the Roman Catholic Parish of St Mary's Kells, comprises the areas of Kells, Woodhouse, Greenbank and Sandwith.
The essential character of the school is Catholic and the emphasis is firmly placed upon providing a Catholic atmosphere in which the child can grow in the knowledge of his /her faith. The saying of prayers is part and parcel of school life.
The school provision is for a one form entry Primary, catering for the 4 to 11 age range with a separate Nursery class which offers education from the age of 3 years. Classes are organised as follows Yr 6, Yr 5, Yr 4, Yr 3, Yr 2, Yr 1 and Foundation Stage (Reception & Nursery). Children are admitted to the Nursery in the year in which they are 4.
The present number on roll is 169, excluding the Nursery, which at present has 25 part-time pupils who come to morning sessions. Afternoon sessions are provided from January to July each year (intakes after Christmas and Easter) for those children who reach their third birthday during the school year.
Enrichment
7 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Basketball
- Creative Writing
- Dance
- Music
- Swimming
- Accelerated Reader
- Little Wandle
Awards
2 awardsiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Sing UpRecognised award
- Stonewall School ChampionLGBT+ inclusion
Key facts
- URN
- 112353
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Sixth form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Nursery
- Has Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- Constituency
- Whitehaven and Workington
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
Governing body (9 current, 3 former)
Maintained school governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Nicola Pettitt Former | Chair of Governors | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2025 · term ended 2026 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Carley Miller | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2026 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mr Neal Gallier Sampson | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mrs Claire Boadle | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Miss Gemma Burns | Governor | Parent appointed by GB/board due to no election candidates | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Claire Cassley | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Miss Becky Kerr | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mr William Starkey | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Fr Kevan Dorgan | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Sarah Jardine | Governor | Appointed by LA | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Lucy Brannon Former | Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2023 · term ended 2026 |
| Mrs Susan Starkie Former | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2006 · term ended 2026 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record