Westcliff Primary Academy

Westcliff Primary Academy is a warm and welcoming school where pupils feel safe, valued and supported through positive relationships with staff. Many parents describe it as nurturing. However, the school is not yet achieving well enough: since the previous inspection pupils have underperformed, and 2023 Year 6 combined attainment in English and mathematics was well below the national average. New leadership, supported by First Federation Trust, has accurately identified the right priorities, but many changes are too recent to have fully improved pupils’ learning. This was the first routine inspection since the pandemic, and the head of school and deputy head took up post in September 2024. Strengths include a strengthened phonics programme, a well-mapped reading curriculum and improving attendance. SEND identification is clear and early, pastoral support is well targeted, including in The Nest, and safeguarding is effective. Pupils benefit from mental health strategies, careers and enrichment activities, and most staff are positive about the direction of travel. The curriculum has improved in some subjects, with concepts and vocabulary revisited. Key concerns remain. Important knowledge is not clearly sequenced in some subjects, especially key stage 2 mathematics, and writing standards are not high enough because spelling, grammar, punctuation and handwriting errors are not routinely addressed. Some staff do not adapt learning well for different groups, including pupils with SEND, and assessment is not used precisely enough to check what pupils know and remember. Some pupils also have a limited understanding of different faiths, cultures and fundamental British values. Behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and early years all require further improvement.

Strengths

• Warm, positive relationships help pupils feel safe and valued
• Many parents describe the school as nurturing and supportive
• Trust and new leadership have accurately identified improvement priorities
• Trustees ask probing questions to ensure the school moves forward
• Curriculum has improved in some subjects with concepts and vocabulary revisited
• Reading curriculum is carefully mapped to inspire wide reading
• Teaching of reading fluency strategies is developing well
• Phonics programme is stronger, with early sounds teaching and careful checks
• Fewer key stage 2 pupils need phonics catch-up support
• SEND identification is clear, early and accurate, including in The Nest
• Pastoral support is well targeted to help pupils overcome barriers
• Attendance is improving following raised expectations
• Pupils learn positive mental health strategies
• Careers fair and debates help pupils think about future choices
• Enrichment activities emphasise service to others and local safety
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Most staff are positive and share leaders’ ambition to improve

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils have not achieved well enough since the previous inspection
• 2023 Year 6 combined attainment in English and mathematics was well below national average
• Important curriculum knowledge is not clearly identified or sequenced in some subjects
• Mathematics in key stage 2 is especially affected by unclear sequencing
• Standards of pupils’ written work are not sufficiently high
• Handwriting, spelling, grammar and punctuation errors are not routinely addressed
• Some staff do not adapt learning well enough for different groups, including pupils with SEND
• When learning does not match needs, some pupils lose focus and interrupt learning
• Assessment is not used precisely enough in some subjects to check what pupils know and remember
• Some pupils have a limited understanding of different faiths, cultures and fundamental British values
• Many positive changes have not had enough time to impact pupils’ learning fully

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 Westcliff Primary Academy attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.2% 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, 2.3% of pupils at Westcliff 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 Westcliff Primary Academy had 18.9 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, 18.2% of pupils at Westcliff Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 5 pupils.

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 Westcliff Primary Academy received £7,349 and spent £7,720 for each of its 343 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £95,000 (£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 Dawlish · Devon local authority: places and applications

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

• Gatehouse Primary Academy Dawlish
• Brixington Primary Academy Exmouth
• Chudleigh Knighton Church of England Primary School Newton Abbot
• Lady Seaward's Church of England Primary School Exeter
• Blackpool Church of England Primary School Newton Abbot
• Rockbeare Church of England Primary School and Pre-School Exeter
• Sidmouth Church of England Primary School Sidmouth
• Willowbank Primary School Cullompton
• Colyton Primary Academy Colyton
• Musbury Primary School Axminster

What is Westcliff Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Westcliff Primary Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in October 2024.

When was Westcliff Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Westcliff Primary Academy was last inspected in October 2024.

How many pupils does Westcliff Primary Academy have?

Westcliff Primary Academy has 296 pupils on roll.

What age range does Westcliff Primary Academy cover?

Westcliff Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Westcliff Primary Academy?

Westcliff Primary Academy is at First Avenue, Dawlish, Devon, EX7 9RA.