Ashburton Primary School

Ashburton Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a good rating across all inspected domains including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. Pupils are happy and engaged, showcasing a love for learning and a strong sense of community within the school. The leadership team demonstrates ambition for high-quality education, successfully supports students with special educational needs, and encourages active participation through various responsibilities and community involvement. However, the school has faced challenges this academic year due to significant staff changes, which have hindered some improvement efforts within the curriculum. While the foundations for effective reading instruction and personal development are strong, not all subjects have reached the same level of maturity in teaching, and some students struggle to retain essential knowledge over the long term. Overall, the school is making positive strides despite these challenges and maintains an inclusive environment conducive to student growth.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy a strong sense of belonging and engagement in school life.
• High-quality support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Strong emphasis on reading and phonics instruction from the onset of schooling.
• Pupils actively participate in leadership roles and community activities.
• Effective personal, social, and health education curriculum supports pupil development.

Areas for Improvement

• Significant staff changes have impacted curriculum development.
• In some subjects, pupils struggle to retain important knowledge over the long term.
• Quality checks on the curriculum do not consistently inform future planning.

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 Ashburton Primary School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.2% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Ashburton 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 Ashburton Primary School had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.2% 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, 17.4% of pupils at Ashburton Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.1% 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 Ashburton Primary School received £7,734 and spent £7,302 for each of its 187 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £235,000 (£1,254 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 Newton Abbot · Devon local authority: places and applications

Ashburton Primary School is part of Westcountry Schools Trust, which runs 31 schools. The nearest others:

• South Dartmoor Community College Ashburton
• Buckfastleigh Primary School Buckfastleigh
• Ugborough Primary School Ivybridge
• Stowford School Ivybridge
• Ivybridge Community College Ivybridge
• Manor Primary School, Ivybridge Ivybridge
• Woodlands Park Primary School Ivybridge
• Ermington Primary School Ivybridge
• Glen Park Primary School Plymouth
• Holbeton Primary School Plymouth

What is Ashburton Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ashburton Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Ashburton Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ashburton Primary School was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Ashburton Primary School have?

Ashburton Primary School has 161 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ashburton Primary School cover?

Ashburton Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ashburton Primary School?

Ashburton Primary School is at Whistley Hill, Ashburton, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ13 7DW.