St Mary’s R.C. Primary School is in Merthyr. Pupils come from a wide catchment area. Around 13% of pupils are entitled to free school meals. This is below local and national averages. There are currently 199 pupils on roll, including 24 in the nursery class. The school admits pupils to the nursery at the age of three. Pupils are organised into eight classes with seven full-time and two part-time teachers. English is the not main home language for just over 40% of pupils and most of these receive support for English as an additional language. These figures are significantly higher than national or local averages. The school has no pupils who are looked after by the local authority. Around 22% of pupils have additional learning needs. This is similar to local authority averages. No pupil has a statement of special educational need. There were no exclusions last year. The headteacher was appointed in September 2013. There have been a significant number of staff absences over recent years. The individual school budget per pupil for St Mary's R.C. Primary School in 2013-2014 means that the budget is £3,257 per pupil. The maximum per pupil in the primary schools in Merthyr Tydfil is £4,219 and the minimum is £3,257. St Mary's R.C. Primary School is 23rd out of the 23 primary schools in Merthyr Tydfil in terms of its school budget per pupil.