Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School

Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School is a small village primary where pupils are happy, safe and polite. Inspectors found the school performing well across the main areas of provision, with a calm atmosphere, strong relationships and high expectations. The school has managed significant staffing, leadership and building changes since its last inspection, including some pupils being educated off-site, with effective support from Link Academy Trust.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, safe, welcoming and polite, reflecting the school's values.
• Staff know pupils well and have high expectations that pupils rise to.
• The curriculum is rich and builds knowledge and skills well over time.
• Reading is a strength, with pupils enthusiastic and highly skilled phonics teaching.
• Pupils with SEND learn the same ambitious curriculum, with adaptations where needed.
• Personal development is strong, including British values, democracy and pupil leadership roles.
• Pupils gain confidence and resilience through residentials, clubs and outdoor activities.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and feel workload and wellbeing are considered.
• Early years children develop communication skills and ambitious vocabulary.

Areas for Improvement

• Some wider-curriculum subjects are in the early stages of implementation.
• Teacher subject knowledge varies in some wider-curriculum subjects, limiting identification and closing of learning gaps.
• Behaviour recording and oversight are not robust enough.
• Low-level disruption continues in some classes.

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 Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.0% 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, 1.8% of pupils at Diptford Parochial Church of England 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 Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School had 13.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 16.7% of pupils at Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% 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 Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School received £9,905 and spent £12,208 for each of its 56 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £24,000 (£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 Totnes · Devon local authority: places and applications

Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School is part of Link Academy Trust, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• Harbertonford Church of England Primary School Totnes
• Landscove Church of England Primary School Nr Ashburton
• Stoke Gabriel Primary School Totnes
• Broadhempston Village Primary School Totnes
• Sparkwell All Saints Primary School Plymouth
• Wolborough Church of England Nursery and Primary School Newton Abbot
• Bearnes Voluntary Primary School Newton Abbot
• Widecombe-in-the-Moor Primary Newton Abbot
• Ilsington Church of England Primary School Newton Abbot
• Hennock Community Primary School Newton Abbot

What is Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School have?

Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School has 54 pupils on roll.

What age range does Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School cover?

Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School?

Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School is at Diptford, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 7NY.