Widewell Primary Academy

Widewell Primary Academy is performing well overall, being recognized for its strong standards in various aspects of education. Leaders prioritize student safety and wellbeing, establishing a nurturing environment where pupils feel supported and ready to learn. Safeguarding measures are effectively in place, and the school has shown significant improvements in attendance and behavior, fostering a positive atmosphere. The school has made effective use of additional funding to support those in need, ensuring that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), receive appropriate support to thrive alongside their peers.

Strengths

• Strong focus on attendance and behavior improvements.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
• Nurturing environment where pupils feel safe and settled.
• Well-sequenced curriculum that helps pupils build knowledge over time.
• Positive staff-pupil relationships promoting a supportive atmosphere.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' depth of knowledge is still developing in some subjects.
• Foundational skills, particularly in writing, need further reinforcement across the curriculum.
• Some personal, social, and health education content lacks secure understanding among pupils.

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 Widewell Primary Academy attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.9% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Widewell 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 Widewell Primary Academy had 22.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 24.5% 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, 11.4% of pupils at Widewell Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.8% 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 Widewell Primary Academy received £7,090 and spent £6,877 for each of its 208 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £203,000 (£978 per pupil).

Across all 18 schools of Learning Academies Trust, income was £7,222 and spending £6,990 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

Widewell Primary Academy is part of Learning Academies Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• Woodfield Primary School Plymouth
• Shakespeare Primary School Plymouth
• Knowle Primary School Plymouth
• High View School Plymouth
• Plaistow Hill Primary and Nursery School Plymouth
• Hyde Park Junior School Plymouth
• Hyde Park Infants' School Plymouth
• Mayflower Academy Plymouth
• Victoria Road Primary Plymouth
• Ford Primary School Plymouth

What is Widewell Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Widewell Primary Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was Widewell Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Widewell Primary Academy was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Widewell Primary Academy have?

Widewell Primary Academy has 228 pupils on roll.

What age range does Widewell Primary Academy cover?

Widewell Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Widewell Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Widewell Primary Academy?

Widewell Primary Academy is at Lulworth Drive, Roborough, Widewell Primary School, Plymouth, Devon, PL6 7ER.