Knowle Primary School

Knowle Primary School is performing well, demonstrating a strong standard of education across various domains. The school has a rigorous approach to identifying and supporting pupils' needs, particularly those with special educational needs, ensuring strong progress from low starting points. Significant achievements in national assessments indicate that leaders are effectively addressing the barriers to learning for students, including disadvantaged pupils. The warm and inclusive environment fosters a sense of belonging among students, contributing to their emotional and academic development. However, there remains a focus on improving attendance rates and addressing specific gaps in foundational knowledge such as handwriting and number formation.

Strengths

• Strong partnerships with parents and carers.
• Well-designed curriculum that addresses low starting points.
• Rigorous inclusion practices that ensure early identification of needs.
• Proactive strategies to improve attendance and reduce absences.
• Effective provision for disadvantaged pupils leading to successful outcomes.
• Comprehensive personal development programme promoting spiritual and cultural awareness.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent identification of gaps in pupils’ foundational knowledge.
• Some pupils showing gaps in handwriting and number formation.
• Need for further improvement in sustained attendance.

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 Knowle Primary School attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 24.5% 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, 1.4% of pupils at Knowle Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Knowle Primary School had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.3% 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, 21.5% of pupils at Knowle Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 Knowle Primary School received £8,561 and spent £8,257 for each of its 277 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £271,000 (£978 per pupil).

Across all 18 schools of Learning Academies Trust, income was £7,222 and spending £6,990 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

Knowle Primary School is part of Learning Academies Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• Shakespeare Primary School Plymouth
• Woodfield Primary School Plymouth
• Plaistow Hill Primary and Nursery School Plymouth
• Victoria Road Primary Plymouth
• Mayflower Academy Plymouth
• Ford Primary School Plymouth
• Hyde Park Junior School Plymouth
• Widewell Primary Academy Plymouth
• Hyde Park Infants' School Plymouth
• Mount Street Primary School Plymouth

What is Knowle Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Knowle Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in March 2026.

When was Knowle Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Knowle Primary School was last inspected in March 2026.

How many pupils does Knowle Primary School have?

Knowle Primary School has 275 pupils on roll.

What age range does Knowle Primary School cover?

Knowle Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Knowle Primary School?

Knowle Primary School is at Ringmore Way, West Park, Plymouth, Devon, PL5 3QG.