Bearnes Voluntary Primary School

Bearnes Voluntary Primary School is a small primary school in Newton Abbot and part of Link Academy Trust. This was its first routine inspection since the pandemic and its first inspection under section 5. Pupils are happy, feel safe and attend well, and the school sits at the heart of its community. Behaviour and personal development are good, early years provision is good, and safeguarding is effective. The school is ambitious and leaders are determined to improve, but recent curriculum changes are still in their infancy. The main concerns are in the quality of education and leadership and management. Academic achievement has been too low, including in the 2024 published results. In some subjects, the curriculum is not implemented well enough and staff expertise is not yet secure, so pupils do not build knowledge consistently. Writing basics such as spelling, handwriting and presentation are not routinely corrected, some older pupils have gaps in phonics and reading fluency, and checks on pupils' understanding do not always identify misconceptions quickly enough. There are clear strengths to build on. Personal development is a strength, pupils' behaviour is positive, and the early years provision gives children a strong start, particularly in writing and mathematics. Reading is now a priority and staff are trained to teach phonics well in the early years, while pupils with SEND are identified swiftly and supported well. Staff, parents and trustees are positive about the school and the support it provides.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and attend well.
• The school sits at the heart of its community and pupils have a strong sense of belonging.
• Pupils behave well and demonstrate the school's values.
• The school acts swiftly to address bullying when it occurs.
• Personal development is a strength, including online safety and fundamental British values.
• Pupils access trips and residential experiences, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Children get a positive start in early years, especially in writing and mathematics.
• Reading is a priority and staff are trained to teach phonics in the early years.
• Pupils with SEND are identified swiftly and supported well.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Most staff feel valued and supported, and parents are positive about the school.

Areas for Improvement

• The quality of education requires improvement.
• Leadership and management require improvement.
• The curriculum is not implemented consistently across some subjects.
• Staff expertise is not yet sufficient in some subjects, so pupils do not build knowledge securely.
• Pupils' writing contains basic spelling, handwriting, grammar and punctuation errors that are not routinely addressed.
• Some older pupils are not fluent readers and have gaps in phonics knowledge.
• Extra reading support does not effectively target older pupils' specific phonics needs.
• Teachers' checks on pupils' understanding are not specific enough in some subjects.
• Misconceptions are not always addressed, so some pupils continue to struggle.
• Academic achievement has been too low, including in the 2024 published results.
• Recent improvements are still in their infancy.

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 Bearnes Voluntary 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, 1.0% of pupils at Bearnes Voluntary 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 Bearnes Voluntary Primary School had 16.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 51.4% 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, 31.0% of pupils at Bearnes Voluntary Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.0% 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 Bearnes Voluntary Primary School received £8,587 and spent £8,676 for each of its 102 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £43,000 (£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 Newton Abbot · Devon local authority: places and applications

Bearnes Voluntary Primary School is part of Link Academy Trust, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• Wolborough Church of England Nursery and Primary School Newton Abbot
• Broadhempston Village Primary School Totnes
• Ilsington Church of England Primary School Newton Abbot
• Hennock Community Primary School Newton Abbot
• Landscove Church of England Primary School Nr Ashburton
• Stoke Gabriel Primary School Totnes
• Widecombe-in-the-Moor Primary Newton Abbot
• Harbertonford Church of England Primary School Totnes
• Moretonhampstead Primary School Newton Abbot
• Littleham Church of England Primary School Exmouth

What is Bearnes Voluntary Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bearnes Voluntary Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Bearnes Voluntary Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bearnes Voluntary Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Bearnes Voluntary Primary School have?

Bearnes Voluntary Primary School has 100 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bearnes Voluntary Primary School cover?

Bearnes Voluntary Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Bearnes Voluntary Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 31% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bearnes Voluntary Primary School?

Bearnes Voluntary Primary School is at Queen Street, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 2AU.