Lympstone Church of England Primary School

Lympstone Church of England Primary School is performing securely overall: inspectors found it meeting expected standards in every evaluated area, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils achieve well, especially in reading, and leave well prepared for secondary school because they build detailed knowledge across many subjects. Attendance is above national averages, behaviour is typically purposeful, bullying is rare, and the school has a strong pastoral and inclusion offer, including notable expertise in supporting children from military service families. Early years provision is carefully designed and phonics teaching is consistently effective. The school has seen significant leadership and governance change, with new headteacher and executive headteacher appointed in September 2025 and support from the Devon Moors Federation. New leadership has brought decisive action, particularly in support for pupils with barriers to learning and renewed emphasis on mathematics. Governors understand the school’s context, including its Church of England character and the large proportion of service families, and staff report a supportive culture. There are still areas to sharpen. Assessment is not yet consistently precise enough to match work to pupils’ starting points, and routines and high expectations are not communicated clearly enough in some parts of the school, allowing attention to drift. Disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes and the evaluation of provision for them need closer attention, and leaders’ oversight of enrichment is too generalised to ensure pupils with barriers fully benefit. Multiplication tables have historically been weaker but are improving.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well, particularly in reading, and often produce high-quality work.
• Phonics teaching is consistently effective, with regular and precise checks on learning.
• The curriculum is well planned and stimulating across subjects.
• Early years provision is carefully designed, with a strong focus on personal, social and emotional development.
• Pupils with SEND and other barriers are identified quickly and generally well supported.
• Attendance is above the national average, and disadvantaged pupils’ attendance is improving.
• Behaviour is typically purposeful; bullying is rare and handled quickly.
• Pastoral care and mental health support are strong, including specialist support for service families.
• Leadership has taken decisive action since September 2025, improving SEND support and mathematics.
• Governance is well informed and staff value a supportive, collaborative leadership culture.
• Pupils benefit from a broad personal development programme and rich enrichment and community links.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment is not consistently precise enough to inform teaching from pupils’ starting points.
• Routines and high expectations are not communicated clearly enough in some parts, so some pupils lose focus.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes remain below national averages, with large gaps in combined reading, writing and mathematics.
• Leaders do not yet evaluate the impact of provision for disadvantaged pupils with sufficient rigour.
• Oversight of the enrichment offer is too generalised to ensure pupils with barriers participate fully.
• Multiplication tables have historically been weak, though improvements have begun.
• Early years routines and expectations are not consistently established well enough to check and adapt learning.

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 Lympstone Church of England Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.5% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Lympstone Church of England 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 Lympstone Church of England Primary School had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 33.3% 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, 10.6% of pupils at Lympstone Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.2% 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 2024–25 Lympstone Church of England Primary School received £7,001 and spent £6,793 for each of its 173 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £58,000 (£333 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).

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What is Lympstone Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lympstone Church of England Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Lympstone Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Lympstone Church of England Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Lympstone Church of England Primary School have?

Lympstone Church of England Primary School has 160 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lympstone Church of England Primary School cover?

Lympstone Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Lympstone Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lympstone Church of England Primary School?

Lympstone Church of England Primary School is at School Hill, Lympstone, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 5JY.