Abbotskerswell Primary School

Abbotskerswell Primary School provides a good quality of education and has a strong sense of community among its pupils, staff, and parents. Pupils are polite and confident, enjoying the learning environment and the diverse range of extra-curricular activities. The school's commitment to effective phonics teaching and a well-planned curriculum has led to good progress in reading and mathematics, contributing to the overall positive outcomes for pupils. However, there are areas for improvement in the wider curriculum, where not all subjects have clearly defined knowledge goals, affecting students' retention of what they learn. Additionally, while most behaviour is well managed, some parent feedback indicates concerns in this area which the school is addressing.

Strengths

• Strong community involvement and high expectations from pupils, staff, and parents.
• Effective teaching of phonics leading to strong reading skills.
• Well-planned mathematics curriculum that builds knowledge progressively.
• Supportive environment for pupils with SEND, ensuring they achieve well.
• Rich extra-curricular activities that enhance pupils' interests and talents.

Areas for Improvement

• Gaps in knowledge in some subjects of the wider curriculum due to undefined key learning goals.
• Inconsistent assessment strategies across non-core subjects.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Abbotskerswell Primary School attended 96.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.0% of pupils at Abbotskerswell Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Abbotskerswell Primary School had 18.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 10.8% of pupils at Abbotskerswell Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Abbotskerswell Primary School received £6,932 and spent £7,483 for each of its 102 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £36,000 (£351 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Newton Abbot · Devon local authority: places and applications

What is Abbotskerswell Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Abbotskerswell Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Abbotskerswell Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Abbotskerswell Primary School was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Abbotskerswell Primary School have?

Abbotskerswell Primary School has 102 pupils on roll.

What age range does Abbotskerswell Primary School cover?

Abbotskerswell Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Abbotskerswell Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Abbotskerswell Primary School?

Abbotskerswell Primary School is at Slade Lane, Abbotskerswell, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 5NS.