Wilcombe Primary School

Wilcombe Primary School is demonstrating a strong standard of education but continues to face challenges, particularly in terms of academic outcomes for its pupils. While the school has established an effective learning environment with a focus on safeguarding, inclusion for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and a positive school culture, concerns remain regarding the foundational knowledge in key subjects such as reading, writing, and mathematics. The school's leadership is proactive in addressing these challenges, but progress in improving academic performance has been slow, highlighting the need for further focus on teaching quality and staff development.

Strengths

• Strong safeguarding culture ensures pupils feel safe and secure.
• Effective targeted provision for pupils with SEND leads to strong progress.
• High expectations and positive relationships among staff and pupils foster respectful behavior.
• Comprehensive personal development program enhances pupils' wellbeing.
• Rigorous phonics teaching positively impacts early literacy outcomes.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' academic performance in national tests is below average.
• Inconsistent staff expectations and pedagogical knowledge affect teaching quality.
• Gaps in pupils' foundational knowledge in core subjects remain unaddressed.
• Overall absence and persistent absence rates are above the national average.

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 Wilcombe Primary School attended 93.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.4% 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, 6.6% of pupils at Wilcombe 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 Wilcombe Primary School had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.0% 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, 28.0% of pupils at Wilcombe Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 16.6% 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 Wilcombe Primary School received £9,762 and spent £10,100 for each of its 167 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £104,000 (£625 per pupil).

Across all 35 schools of The Harbour Schools Partnership, income was £6,261 and spending £6,333 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). 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 Tiverton · Devon local authority: places and applications

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

• Bolham Community Primary School Tiverton
• Bickleigh on Exe Church of England Primary School Tiverton
• Sampford Peverell Church of England Primary School Tiverton
• St Andrew's Primary School Cullompton
• The Duchy School Bradninch Exeter
• Hemyock Primary School Cullompton
• St Martin's CofE Primary & Nursery School Exeter
• Willowbrook School Exeter
• St David's CofE Primary School Exeter
• Woodwater Academy Exeter

What is Wilcombe Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wilcombe Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in April 2026.

When was Wilcombe Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wilcombe Primary School was last inspected in April 2026.

How many pupils does Wilcombe Primary School have?

Wilcombe Primary School has 157 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wilcombe Primary School cover?

Wilcombe Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 17% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Wilcombe Primary School?

Wilcombe Primary School is at Lazenby Road, Wilcombe, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 4AL.