Admissions – Welcome to St Mary’s
St Mary’s is a church school with a vision to achieve excellence balanced with compassion. Christian values and beliefs form the basis of our school ethos and are reflected in our teaching and in the daily life of the school. Please watch our school video to see what a journey at St Mary’s could look like for your child.
St Mary’s Our Journey
Our Prospectus
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St Mary’s is a Voluntary Aided Church of England primary school and responsibility for admissions rests with the Governing Body. Governors hope that parents and carers who have chosen this school for their child have done so with the knowledge that it is a Church of England school with a distinctive Christian ethos. We are a diverse school of many different nationalities, religions and languages spoken; all families are very much welcomed as part of our richly diverse St Mary’s community.
St Mary’s accepts up to 90 children into Reception each year, which includes 24 Foundation or Church places. (Information is provided below on how to apply for a Foundation Place.)
If you have any questions remaining following looking at this page and our website, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0208 8925840 or admissions@st-marys.richmond.sch.uk
Visiting the school
School Tours for Reception 2025 applications have now taken place. Please do view our School Film, virtual tour and prospectus on this page as well as visiting our Instagram @twickstmarys.
For any queries or if you wish to arrange a visit, please contact our Admissions officer via admissions@st-marys.richmond.sch.uk
As well as our school film and prospectus above, we have created a virtual tour showing all three of our sites which we hope gives parents a good sense of our school, our vision and values. Please do watch it here: St Mary’s Virtual Tour.
In addition, please do watch our Values videos here: https://st-marys.richmond.sch./uk/our-values/
How to apply to St Mary’s
Our Admissions Policy for 2024-25 can be found here.
When you apply, you will need to complete the local authority’s Common Application form online here . This applies even if you already have an older child at St Mary’s. Please note: You are only required to complete an additional ‘Supplementary Information Form’ if you wish to be considered for a Church foundation place and believe you are eligible (details below).
Foundation (church) Places
If you wish to apply for one of our 24 Foundation (i.e. Church) places, you will need, in addition to completing the Common Application Form, to download and complete a St Mary’s Foundation Place Supplementary Form relating to Church attendance and involvement.
This must be completed and signed by your parish priest or minister and a paper copy returned to the school along with a copy of your child’s Baptismal certificate.
Please note that while families attending St Mary’s Church are automatically eligible to apply for a Foundation place, those attending all other churches will need to live within the Parish Boundary to be eligible for admission under the Foundation criteria. Please refer to our Parish Boundary Map for details of the catchment area.
We have updated our over-subscription criteria for foundation places to take in to account the fact that it was not possible to attend places of worship during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are intending to apply for a foundation place, please detail your attendance only during the period when premises were available for worship
In-year Admissions
If your child is currently in Reception – Year 6 and you wish to inquire about current vacancies at St Mary’s please refer to our 2023-24 Admissions policy on our policies page.
You will first need to contact Richmond School Admissions and complete their application form before joining our waiting list. They can be contacted at richmond.admissions@achievingforchildren.org.uk. Further information is available and their application form is available on their website.
Fair Access Protocol
The school is a part of the Richmond Primary Schools’ Fair Access Protocol which prioritises children without a school place who may have difficulty finding a suitable school place Please refer to the local authority’s guidance here.
Appeals Process
Please find the local authority’s appeals page here which also includes a link to the online appeal form and further information about appealing. Further information about appealing can also be found here
Admissions Allocation
How school places have been allocated (on National Offer Day) in the past three years can be found here: St Mary’s Reception allocations 2024-25
Admissions Consultation 2026-27
We are seeking your views on the following aspects of the 2026-27 admission arrangements. This consultation runs from 18 November 2024 for six weeks until 12 January 2025.
We are consulting on the addition of the prioritisation of children with a social worker to the Admissions Policy and invite feedback from parents, carers, and the wider community on this proposed change.
If you wish to comment on the proposed changes to the 2062-27 admission arrangements, please email governors@st-marys.richmond.sch.uk by 12 January 25 at the latest.
All responses will be considered by the St Mary’s Admissions Committee. To view the draft policy, please see Admissions Policy 2026-27 DRAFT and Admissions Foundation Places form 2026-27 and Staff Supplementary Information Form 2026-27 on our policy page.
Proposed Change to School Admissions Policy
We propose adding a priority criteria to our school admissions policy to give preference to children who have a social worker. This change aims to support vulnerable children and ensure they have access to a high-quality education.
Considerations for these changes have been as follows:
- Vulnerable Children’s Needs: Children with social workers often face significant challenges that can impact their educational outcomes. Prioritising their admissions can provide them with a more stable and supportive learning environment.
- School’s Role: Schools have a responsibility to support all children, especially those who are vulnerable. This change aligns with our commitment to inclusivity and providing equal opportunities.
