Oreston Community Academy

Oreston Community Academy is performing well overall, rated as good in all inspected areas. The school fosters a positive learning environment where pupils enjoy attending and are keen to learn. Strong relationships between staff and pupils promote respect and high expectations for behaviour, leading to orderly conduct in lessons and around the school. The school has effectively prioritized reading and employs a systematic approach to phonics that helps pupils become confident readers. Additionally, there is a strong commitment to inclusivity, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The recent leadership transition appears to align well with the school's goals for continuous improvement. However, while the curriculum is well-sequenced in key areas like reading and mathematics, assessment practices in broader subjects need refining. There are notable gaps in pupils' understanding in subjects like history, indicating that further work is needed to assess and enhance learning outcomes comprehensively. The leadership team is aware of these concerns and has plans in place to address them, ensuring a focus on improving knowledge retention across the curriculum.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy coming to school and are enthusiastic about their learning.
• Strong relationships foster respect and high expectations for behaviour.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND ensures they learn well.
• The school prioritizes reading with a strong phonics program.
• Pupils use the school library effectively and engage in reading challenges.
• Leaders provide excellent support for staff's professional development and well-being.
• Pupils participate actively in extra-curricular clubs and take on responsibilities.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment in the wider curriculum does not effectively identify gaps in knowledge.

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 Oreston Community Academy attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.9% 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, 1.3% of pupils at Oreston Community Academy 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 Oreston Community Academy had 20.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.1% 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, 13.9% of pupils at Oreston Community Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.6% 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 Oreston Community Academy received £6,397 and spent £6,470 for each of its 386 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £429,000 (£1,111 per pupil).

Across all 31 schools of Westcountry Schools Trust, income was £7,571 and spending £7,467 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Plymouth · Plymouth local authority: places and applications

Oreston Community Academy is part of Westcountry Schools Trust, which runs 31 schools. The nearest others:

• Morley Meadow Primary School Plymouth
• Plymstock School Plymouth
• Coombe Dean School Plymouth
• Sherford Vale School & Nursery Sherford
• Austin Farm Academy Plymouth
• Woodford Primary School Plymouth
• Hele's School Plymouth
• Eggbuckland Community College Plymouth
• Wembury Primary School Plymouth
• Plympton St Maurice Primary School Plymouth

What is Oreston Community Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Oreston Community Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Oreston Community Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Oreston Community Academy was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Oreston Community Academy have?

Oreston Community Academy has 331 pupils on roll.

What age range does Oreston Community Academy cover?

Oreston Community Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Oreston Community Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Oreston Community Academy?

Oreston Community Academy is at Oreston Road, Plymouth, PL9 7JY.