Drake Primary Academy

Drake Primary Academy is performing well overall, with effective leadership that prioritizes the early years and focuses on enhancing pupils' personal development and wellbeing. The school has a nurturing environment where warm relationships between staff and students foster a sense of safety and readiness to learn. Many pupils, including disadvantaged students, achieve broadly in line with national averages by the end of key stage 2, indicating strengths in educational outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged learners. However, there are areas requiring attention, specifically in early reading skills and attendance, which has been consistently below national averages.

Strengths

• Strong leadership prioritizes early years education.
• Effective partnership with parents and carers.
• Instruction in phonics is consistent and purposeful.
• Pupils demonstrate pride in their work.
• The curriculum promotes understanding of British values.
• Extracurricular activities are inclusive and free of charge.

Areas for Improvement

• Gaps in pupils' knowledge, especially in key stage 2.
• Attendance remains below national average.
• Assessment of pupils' understanding in mathematics is inconsistent.
• Inconsistencies in support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Strategies to improve phonics have not yet shown significant impact.

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 Drake Primary Academy attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.0% 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, 4.7% of pupils at Drake 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 Drake Primary Academy had 11.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.6% 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, 19.1% of pupils at Drake Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 9.6% 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 Drake Primary Academy received £8,360 and spent £8,705 for each of its 171 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £55,000 (-£319 per pupil).

Across all 18 schools of Reach South Academy Trust, income was £10,522 and spending £10,515 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 Plymouth · Plymouth local authority: places and applications

Drake Primary Academy is part of Reach South Academy Trust, which runs 19 schools. The nearest others:

• Morice Town Primary Academy Plymouth
• UTC Plymouth Plymouth
• Stoke Damerel Primary Academy Plymouth
• Marlborough Primary Academy Plymouth
• Mount Tamar School Plymouth
• Stuart Road Primary Academy Plymouth
• High Street Primary Academy Plymouth
• Pilgrim Primary Academy Plymouth
• Millbay Academy Plymouth
• Courtlands School Plymouth

What is Drake Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Drake Primary Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was Drake Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Drake Primary Academy was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Drake Primary Academy have?

Drake Primary Academy has 136 pupils on roll.

What age range does Drake Primary Academy cover?

Drake Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Drake Primary Academy?

Drake Primary Academy is at 1 Johnston Terrace Ope, Keyham, Plymouth, Devon, PL2 2EN.