Sparkwell All Saints Primary School

Sparkwell All Saints Primary is a small community primary that inspectors found to be performing well across all key areas. Pupils are polite, kind and proud of their school, behaviour is calm, attendance is strong, and personal development is a particular strength through clubs, enterprise work, educational visits and learning about British values. The curriculum is ambitious, reading and phonics are prioritised, early years prepares children well for Year 1, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified early and well supported. Safeguarding is effective. One clear area for improvement is assessment in some subjects: teachers do not consistently check what all pupils know securely, so some pupils do not move on to more complex work when they are ready and do not learn as well as they could. The report identifies this as the main next step for the trust and school. This was the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the school converted to academy status in September 2023 as part of Link Academy Trust; it was previously judged good. Inspectors found that trust and local governors provide effective support and challenge, and staff feel supported.

Strengths

• Strong, ambitious curriculum across subjects
• Reading and phonics are a priority, with early identification and swift support for pupils who struggle
• Pupils with SEND are well supported and access the full curriculum alongside peers
• Well-structured early years provision that prepares children for Year 1
• Calm behaviour and positive attitudes to learning
• Effective support leads to good attendance
• Personal development is a strength, including British values, careers visitors, clubs and educational visits
• Pupils are involved in the community through charity enterprise and local fieldwork
• Trust and local governors provide effective support and challenge
• Staff receive ongoing professional development and feel supported
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, assessment is not used effectively to check what pupils know and understand
• Some pupils do not move on to more complex work when they are ready
• As a result, some pupils do not learn as well as they could

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 Sparkwell All Saints Primary School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.5% 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 Sparkwell All Saints 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 Sparkwell All Saints Primary School had 26.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 26.3% 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, 22.1% of pupils at Sparkwell All Saints Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 9.5% 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 Sparkwell All Saints Primary School received £8,696 and spent £9,110 for each of its 87 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £37,000 (£425 per pupil).

Across all 23 schools of Link Academy Trust, income was £9,193 and spending £9,372 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 · Devon local authority: places and applications

Sparkwell All Saints Primary School is part of Link Academy Trust, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School Totnes
• Harbertonford Church of England Primary School Totnes
• Landscove Church of England Primary School Nr Ashburton
• Widecombe-in-the-Moor Primary Newton Abbot
• Broadhempston Village Primary School Totnes
• Stoke Gabriel Primary School Totnes
• Ilsington Church of England Primary School Newton Abbot
• Wolborough Church of England Nursery and Primary School Newton Abbot
• Bearnes Voluntary Primary School Newton Abbot
• Moretonhampstead Primary School Newton Abbot

What is Sparkwell All Saints Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sparkwell All Saints Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Sparkwell All Saints Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sparkwell All Saints Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Sparkwell All Saints Primary School have?

Sparkwell All Saints Primary School has 95 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sparkwell All Saints Primary School cover?

Sparkwell All Saints Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Sparkwell All Saints Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sparkwell All Saints Primary School?

Sparkwell All Saints Primary School is at Sparkwell, Plymouth, Devon, PL7 5DD.