St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy

St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy is a welcoming, caring and inclusive school. It is part of St Christopher's Multi Academy Trust, and a new headteacher took up post in September 2024. Inspectors found the school performing at the expected standard overall, with early years provision judged strong. Children in the early years get off to a flying start: leaders adapt an ambitious curriculum to each cohort, staff know children well including those with SEND, and children are happy, develop speech and vocabulary quickly and are very well prepared for their next steps. Published outcomes are generally in line with national averages, with phonics and the Year 4 multiplication tables check consistently above national averages, and pupils with SEND typically make secure progress. Strengths include a broad, ambitious curriculum, effective SEND and inclusion support, strong pastoral and wraparound care, and a wide personal development offer. Pupils behave well, attendance is generally regular, and safeguarding standards are met. Leadership is accurate and responsive, staff benefit from trust-wide professional development and coaching, and governors and trustees fulfil their responsibilities. However, disadvantaged pupils remain a clear area for improvement: their attendance is too low for a small group, and their achievement, especially in reading and writing in 2024/25, is below national averages and the disadvantage gap is wide. Leaders also need to embed highly effective teaching consistently across all subjects and year groups, sharpen checking for understanding, and continue work on spelling. A minority of parents feel communication could be stronger following staffing changes.

Strengths

• Early years provision is strong and children get off to a flying start.
• Early years curriculum and provision are adapted well to children's needs and interests.
• Children, including those with SEND, are well supported and make strong progress in early years.
• Early years children are happy, flourish and are very well prepared for their next steps.
• Phonics and Year 4 multiplication tables check outcomes are consistently above national averages.
• Pupils with SEND typically make secure progress from their starting points.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and reflects the local context.
• SEND identification and support are accurate, with meaningful targets and a valued internal provision.
• Pupils behave well and the behaviour policy is seen as fair and consistently applied.
• Personal development is broad and inclusive, with enrichment clubs, trips and pupil responsibilities.
• Pastoral support and wraparound care are a strength of the school.
• Leadership is accurate and responsive, with strong staff development and coaching.
• Governors and trustees fulfil their statutory responsibilities and provide appropriate support and challenge.
• Safeguarding standards are met.
• Attendance is generally regular and leaders intervene quickly when it declines.
• Most parents are positive and value the care and nurture their children receive.

Areas for Improvement

• Disadvantaged pupils' attendance remains too low for a small group.
• Disadvantaged pupils' achievement is below national averages, especially in reading and writing in 2024/25.
• The disadvantage gap is wide, particularly in reading, writing and combined reading, writing and mathematics.
• Overall writing and combined reading, writing and mathematics outcomes were below national in 2024/25.
• Highly effective teaching is not yet embedded consistently across all subjects and year groups.
• Checking for understanding is not always precise enough to adapt pupils' next steps.
• Spelling work is in its early stages and needs further development.
• A small number of pupils, some with SEND, sometimes struggle to regulate their emotions.
• A minority of parents feel communication could be stronger following staffing changes.

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 St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.3% 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, 2.1% of pupils at St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery 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 St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy had 23.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.5% 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, 16.4% of pupils at St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% 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 St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy received £6,248 and spent £6,524 for each of its 471 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £130,000 (£275 per pupil).

Across all 21 schools of St Christopher'S C of E (Primary) Multi Academy Trust, income was £6,883 and spending £7,074 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

St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy is part of St Christopher'S C of E (Primary) Multi Academy Trust, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• St Edward's CofE Primary School Plymouth
• St Mary's Priory CofE Infant & Nursery School Plymouth
• St Mary's Priory Junior School Plymouth
• St Peter's CofE Primary School Plymouth
• St George's CofE Primary Academy Plymouth
• Meavy Church of England Primary School Yelverton
• Lady Modiford's Church of England Primary School Yelverton
• St Peter's Church of England Junior School Tavistock
• St Rumon's Church of England Infants School Tavistock
• Upton St James CofE Primary School Torquay

What is St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy have?

St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy has 487 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy cover?

St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 54% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy?

St Matthew's Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy is at 1 Peregrine Road, Plymouth, Devon, PL6 5FN.