Our School
St Mary’s Catholic Primary School is situated in Beckenham, in the London Borough of Bromley. It was founded in 1968 on land leased to Bromley Council by a religious order- The Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The school serves three main feeder parishes- St Edmund’s in Beckenham; St Mark’s in West Wickham and Our Lady of the Rosary in Hayes. The school is two forms of entry with fourteen classes and 412 children on roll.
In 2014 St Mary’s converted to stand-alone academy status and this means that all funding comes directly to be spent on our children. We have strong partnerships with the Catholic primary schools in Bromley deanery.
Our school’s motto is ‘Onwards and Upwards’ which describes the commitment of the whole school community to providing a high standard of education in a supportive and stimulating environment. Our ambition for our children is that they will flourish during their primary years becoming confident and well-rounded individuals, ready for the next stage in their education. We nurture a close working relationship with our families and do all that we can to ensure that the time our families spend as part of our community is happy and fruitful.
Our denominational inspection took place in 2025 said that, ‘The care of and for each other is deeply embedded with a sense of mutual respect in everything and for everyone.’ Our most recent Ofsted inspection took place in July 2024 and the school was judged to be outstanding in all areas. Inspectors noted that, 'Pupils thrive at this exceptional school. Kindness is at the centre of the culture. Pupils are confident, polite, and extremely hard working. They have a passion for learning and are very happy in school.'