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Timberscombe Church of England First School

Primary Ages 2-9 28 pupils Minehead
Ofsted: Good
All schools in Minehead

Timberscombe Church of England First School is a voluntary aided school in Minehead for pupils aged 2 to 9. It has a Church of England religious character. It has 28 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Timberscombe Church of England First School is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

Ofsted inspection: July 2023.

Type Primary / Voluntary aided school
Age Range 2-9
Religion Church of England
Address Timberscombe
Minehead
Somerset
TA24 7TY
Reference Number 123841

General Makeup

Number of pupils 28
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 39.29%
Girls: 60.71%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 14.3%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 0%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 14
Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher 13

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
1 1 Unknown 1
2 4 5 9
3 2 6 8
4 3 2 5

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 89.3%
Unclassified 7.1%
White & Asian 3.6%

Timberscombe Church of England First School is performing well, overall rated as good in several areas, with outstanding personal development. The school fosters a warm and welcoming environment where pupils feel excited to attend. They engage positively with their peers and embody the values of kindness and respect established by the school. Leaders are dedicated to providing a broad and ambitious curriculum, focusing on strong foundations across subjects, and prioritizing reading alongside providing rich extracurricular experiences.

Overall Ofsted Rating Good
 >  Quality of education Good
  >  Behaviour & Attitude Good
  >  Personal Development Outstanding
  >  Leadership & Management Good
  >  Early Years Provision Good
Last Report Date 07 Jun 2023
Date Report
07 Jun 2023 School inspection:
07 Nov 2017 Short inspection
26 Jun 2013 Full inspection:
16 Nov 2010 Curriculum and development visit
03 Dec 2008 Full inspection:
07 Mar 2005 Full inspection

Strengths

  • Pupils enjoy attending school and exhibit enthusiasm for learning.
  • Strong emphasis on personal development and well-being.
  • Ambitious and broad curriculum that often exceeds national standards.
  • Effective early years provision that prepares children well for Year 1.
  • Positive relationships between pupils and staff promote good behavior.
  • Support for pupils with SEND ensures they progress well.

Areas for Improvement

  • New subject matter is sometimes not presented precisely, leading to misconceptions.

Reception admissions, 2026 entry

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 0 0
Third Preference 2 0
From another Local Authority 1 0

Previous years

Sample

Unlock

Places and pupil numbers

In 2024–25 Timberscombe Church of England First School had 29 pupils for 60 places. 31 places (51.7%) were unfilled.

Pupils and places

Reception intake in the “West Somerset - Minehead & Exmoor Primary” planning area

Somerset counted 140 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 97 in 2029–30, down 31%.

201020112012201320142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
Places 606060606060606060606060606060
Pupils 333934313330414337382529323329
Unfilled 45.0%35.0%43.3%48.3%45.0%50.0%31.7%28.3%38.3%36.7%58.3%51.7%46.7%45.0%51.7%

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 Timberscombe Church of England First School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 24.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

20142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
Authorised absence 3.5%4.5%4.9%2.7%2.9%2.2%4.0%4.5%5.2%3.6%4.6%
Unauthorised absence 0.9%1.2%0.8%1.0%0.9%0.6%1.2%0.7%1.0%0.9%1.3%
Severely absent pupils 0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%6.7%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%

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 Timberscombe Church of England First School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

2010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Suspensions per 100 pupils 0.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.05.120.00.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusions 0000000000000000

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 Timberscombe Church of England First School had 14.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 51.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

2011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Pupils per adult 11.99.29.78.610.59.18.47.68.17.46.25.25.35.24.69.2
Teachers who left state teaching 0.0%28.6%66.7%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%8.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%29.3%–
Teachers who took any sick leave 0.0%0.0%14.3%0.0%–0.0%0.0%16.7%50.0%––40.0%––––
Sick days per teacher 0.00.00.10.0–0.00.00.320.2––1.6––––

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, 25.0% of pupils at Timberscombe Church of England First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

SEN support EHC plan
Moderate learning difficulty 5 0
Social, emotional and mental health 1 0
Speech, language and communication needs 1 0

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 Timberscombe Church of England First School received £17,020 and spent £15,964 for each of its 28 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £118,000 (£4,213 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

2019202020212022202320242025
Revenue reserve £14,000£11,000£39,000£66,000£40,000£88,000£118,000
per pupil £365£302£1,441£2,556£1,260£2,851£4,213
In-year balance -£52,000-£4,000£28,000£28,000-£26,000£48,000£30,000
per pupil -£1,329-£105£1,050£1,060-£817£1,551£1,056

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

Name Distance
Dunster First School
13 St George's Street, Dunster, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 6RX
2.35 miles
Minehead Middle School
Ponsford Road, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 5RH
2.46 miles
Minehead First School
Townsend Road, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 5RG
2.5 miles
Cutcombe Church of England First School
Wheddon Cross, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 7DZ
2.72 miles
St Michael's Church of England First School
Watery Lane, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 5NY
2.75 miles
Name Distance
West Somerset College
Bircham Road, Alcombe, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 6AY
2.43 miles

All schools in Minehead · Somerset local authority: places and applications

What is Timberscombe Church of England First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Timberscombe Church of England First School is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Timberscombe Church of England First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Timberscombe Church of England First School was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Timberscombe Church of England First School have?

Timberscombe Church of England First School has 28 pupils on roll.

What age range does Timberscombe Church of England First School cover?

Timberscombe Church of England First School for pupils aged 2 to 9.

Where is Timberscombe Church of England First School?

Timberscombe Church of England First School is at Timberscombe, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 7TY.

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