Newport Community School Primary Academy

Newport Community School Primary Academy is a successful and inclusive primary school where pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, flourish academically and emotionally. The school was previously judged outstanding and had not been routinely inspected since 2015, so this was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. Current judgements are good across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management, with early years provision judged outstanding. Pupils achieve well, especially in English and mathematics, and benefit from strong relationships, effective phonics and reading provision, and a wide range of trips, clubs and personal development opportunities. The school’s SEND provision is a notable strength, including its specialist resource base and additional support through the ‘Nest’ and ‘Den’. Children get off to a flying start in Nursery and Reception, where routines are secure, expectations are high and concentration is impressive. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, attendance support is strong, and the trust and governors know the school well and hold leaders to account. There are a small number of areas to improve. In a few key stage 1 and 2 subjects, the curriculum is still being refined, and tasks sometimes do not match the intended learning, so pupils’ knowledge does not always build as securely as it could. Assessment checks in some wider curriculum subjects are also not well established, meaning some pupils do not secure essential knowledge in the same depth as in more established subjects.

Strengths

• Outstanding early years provision where children settle quickly and concentrate well.
• Pupils, including those with SEND, flourish emotionally and academically.
• Pupils achieve very well by the end of key stage 2, especially in English and mathematics.
• Effective phonics teaching with reading books matched to pupils’ known sounds.
• A strong reading culture with a well-stocked library and diverse reading spine.
• High-quality SEND provision, including the specialist resource base and bespoke interventions.
• Pupils feel happy, safe and proud, with respectful behaviour and strong relationships.
• A well-thought-out personal development programme covering mental health, difference and modern Britain.
• A wide range of trips, clubs, music and sport that build teamwork and confidence.
• Strong attendance support that identifies and helps at-risk pupils quickly.
• Trust and governance know the school well and challenge leaders effectively.
• Staff feel valued and appreciate workload-reducing changes such as the marking policy.

Areas for Improvement

• In a small minority of key stage 1 and 2 subjects, the curriculum is still being refined and tasks sometimes do not match the intended learning.
• Assessment checks in some wider curriculum subjects are not well established, limiting how well pupils secure essential knowledge.
• Some pupils do not achieve the same depth of knowledge in less established subjects as they do in English and mathematics.

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 Newport Community School Primary Academy attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.3% 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 Newport Community School Primary 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 Newport Community School Primary Academy had 22.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.1% 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, 17.1% of pupils at Newport Community School Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 10 pupils.

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 2023–24 Newport Community School Primary Academy received £6,700 and spent £7,309 for each of its 460 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £456,000 (£991 per pupil).

Across all 29 schools of The Harbour Schools Partnership, income was £6,848 and spending £6,935 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 Barnstaple · Devon local authority: places and applications

Newport Community School Primary Academy is part of The Harbour Schools Partnership, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• The Park Community School Barnstaple
• Eden Park Academy Barnstaple
• Ashleigh CofE Primary School Barnstaple
• Orchard Vale Community School Barnstaple
• Landkey Community Primary Academy Barnstaple
• Pilton Community College Barnstaple
• Sticklepath Community Primary Academy Barnstaple
• Holywell Church of England School Barnstaple
• Roundswell Community Primary Academy Barnstaple
• Shirwell Community Primary School Barnstaple

What is Newport Community School Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Newport Community School Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was Newport Community School Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Newport Community School Primary Academy was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does Newport Community School Primary Academy have?

Newport Community School Primary Academy has 469 pupils on roll.

What age range does Newport Community School Primary Academy cover?

Newport Community School Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Newport Community School Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Newport Community School Primary Academy?

Newport Community School Primary Academy is at Landkey Road, Newport, Barnstaple, Devon, EX32 9BW.