Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy

Mrs Ethelston’s C of E Primary Academy is performing well overall, with a strong emphasis on high expectations and an ambitious curriculum that engages students. The school promotes a sense of community and personal responsibility, helping students prepare for future challenges. The leadership team has made notable progress, fostering a positive learning environment that emphasizes the importance of reading and supports pupils with special educational needs effectively. However, there are areas identified for improvement, particularly concerning the use of assessment in some subjects to gauge students' understanding and enhance their progression to more complex work.

Strengths

• High expectations for student achievement
• Ambitious and well-designed curriculum
• Strong focus on reading and phonics
• Pupils develop a strong sense of community and responsibility
• Effective leadership support from the Acorn Academy Trust
• Outstanding personal development programs

Areas for Improvement

• Ineffective use of assessment hindering student progress in some areas
• Inconsistencies in the quality of written work, including punctuation and spelling errors

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 Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.7% 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 Mrs Ethelston's CofE 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 Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy had 25.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.0% 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, 10.7% of pupils at Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.5% 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 Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy received £6,380 and spent £6,067 for each of its 195 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £54,000 (£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 East Devon · Devon local authority: places and applications

Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy is part of The First Federation Trust, which runs 29 schools. The nearest others:

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

What is Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy have?

Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy has 197 pupils on roll.

What age range does Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy cover?

Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy?

Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy is at Pound Lane, Uplyme, Lyme Regis, Devon, DT7 3TT.