Primary Schools in Banbury - St Mary's CE (C.) Primary School

St Mary's CE (C.) Primary School

St Mary's CE (C.) Primary School is an average sized primary school. It is located close to the town centre and therefore has a smaller than average catchment area, although it has 233 pupils in the 3–11 age range. The main school building is Victorian although much altered by addition of a hall and additional classrooms in the early twentieth century. The school had a new building for the key stage 1 children which was open in late 2003 to replace a 50-year old block. The former Maytree nursery is now the school's foundation stage unit. It also has a large field and a small nature reserve with a wild life pond. The school is situated on the Southam Road with vehicle access via Bluecoat Close.

The school was formerly the Bluecoat school and was founded in 1705 for boys and girls, above the old jail in the market place. The original building now houses Buckell and Ballard's Estate Agency. In 1817 the school was incorporated with the newly established national schools for boys and girls. In 1835, the national school at Banbury educated about 120 boys and 75 girls, besides occasional scholars on Sundays. The Bluecoat Charity still exists, the trustees meeting regularly at the school to make grants for school uniforms and other educational purposes.

The Headmaster is Mr Stephen Wass. For many years Mr Wass has been "The Fine Lady" in the Banbury Hobby Horse Festival. Some pupils have developed a strong interest in traditional dance and drama through attending folk dance club and in 2008 the school won the West Midlands Folk Federation Outstanding Achievement/Contribution Award for promoting folk music and dance.

The work of the staff and pupils in developing a creative curriculum has been recognised by its inclusion as a case study in the 2008 publication by the Department for Children, Schools and Families titled "Shakespeare for all ages and stages".