Axminster Community Primary Academy

Axminster Community Primary Academy is performing well overall, with inspectors finding no area judged less than good. Pupils are happy, safe and well supported in an inclusive school, and staff understand how to meet individual needs, including for the youngest children in the Nursery and Reception Year. The school has raised expectations and made recent curriculum improvements in key stages 1 and 2, so pupils are learning and remembering more and are motivated to share their knowledge. Notable strengths include a carefully sequenced curriculum, effective training that has strengthened teachers’ subject knowledge, a strong early reading programme, and effective personal, social and health education. Pupils benefit from responsibilities such as mental health ambassadors, buddies and school council roles, and trustees are effective in supporting improvement while being mindful of staff workload. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Concerns remain around a minority of pupils occasionally disrupting learning or not treating others as expected, persistent absence for some pupils leading to gaps in knowledge, and extra-curricular activities that are limited in scope and not promoted well enough. Published 2024 Year 6 attainment was significantly below the national average, although leaders have identified the causes and taken effective steps to address weaknesses in the previous curriculum. The school is part of the First Federation Trust, which it joined in September 2024. It has a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils, including pupils with SEND, and provides education for two-year-old children. This was the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and inspectors took the pandemic’s impact into account.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, safe and well supported in an inclusive school.
• Staff understand and meet pupils’ individual needs, including the youngest children.
• Recent curriculum improvements have raised expectations and helped pupils learn and remember more.
• Pupils are motivated, eager to learn and can discuss their knowledge in detail.
• Most pupils meet the school’s high behaviour expectations, and staff sensitively support those who struggle to regulate.
• Pupils develop responsibility through mental health ambassador, buddy and council roles.
• The curriculum is carefully sequenced across subjects, with clear progression in knowledge and skills.
• Teacher training has strengthened subject knowledge, clear explanation and effective correction of misconceptions.
• Early years teaching focuses sharply on language and matches activities well to children’s starting points.
• The early reading programme is effective and books are matched precisely to pupils’ reading ability.
• Personal, social and health education is effective, including online safety, friendships and diversity.
• Trustees fulfil their role effectively and leaders are mindful of staff workload and well-being.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• A minority of pupils occasionally disrupt learning or do not treat others as expected.
• Absence remains too high for a minority of pupils, leading to gaps in knowledge.
• Extra-curricular activities are limited in scope and pupils are not supported well enough to benefit from them.
• Published 2024 Year 6 attainment was significantly below the national average, although leaders have identified causes and taken effective action.

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 Axminster Community Primary Academy attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.5% 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, 3.3% of pupils at Axminster Community 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 Axminster Community Primary Academy had 26.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.0% 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, 16.2% of pupils at Axminster Community Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.0% 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 Axminster Community Primary Academy received £7,024 and spent £6,926 for each of its 274 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £76,000 (£277 per pupil).

Across all 29 schools of The First Federation Trust, income was £7,461 and spending £7,535 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 Axminster · Devon local authority: places and applications

Axminster Community Primary Academy is part of The First Federation Trust, which runs 29 schools. The nearest others:

• Hawkchurch Church of England School Axminster
• Musbury Primary School Axminster
• Membury Primary Academy Axminster
• Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy Lyme Regis
• St Andrew's CofE Primary Academy Axminster
• Colyton Primary Academy Colyton
• Marshwood CofE Primary Academy Bridport
• Charmouth Primary School Bridport
• Thorncombe, St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy Thorncombe
• Loders CofE Primary Academy Bridport

What is Axminster Community Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Axminster Community Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Axminster Community Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Axminster Community Primary Academy was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Axminster Community Primary Academy have?

Axminster Community Primary Academy has 297 pupils on roll.

What age range does Axminster Community Primary Academy cover?

Axminster Community Primary Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

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

Where is Axminster Community Primary Academy?

Axminster Community Primary Academy is at Stoney Lane, Axminster, Devon, EX13 5BU.