Woolacombe School

Woolacombe School demonstrates good overall effectiveness with some outstanding features, especially in personal development. The school thrives in creating a positive, nurturing environment where pupils feel happy, safe, and valued, resulting in high attendance and strong engagement. The ambitious curriculum and high expectations from staff support the successful learning of pupils, starting from the early years. However, the school faces challenges in ensuring all students, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), receive the precise support they need to build knowledge effectively.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, safe, and proud of their school.
• High attendance rates due to positive pupil engagement.
• Strong emphasis on personal development and enrichment opportunities.
• Ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum.
• Effective teaching strategies that promote successful learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils with SEND do not receive the necessary support.
• Gaps in prior knowledge among students due to new curriculum implementation.

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 Woolacombe School attended 93.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.8% 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 Woolacombe 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 Woolacombe School had 19.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.6% 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, 12.5% of pupils at Woolacombe School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.2% 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 Woolacombe School received £7,537 and spent £8,056 for each of its 192 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £27,000 (-£141 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Alumnis Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,834 and spending £8,144 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 North Devon · Devon local authority: places and applications

Woolacombe School is part of Alumnis Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Combe Martin Primary School Ilfracombe
• Bampton Church of England Primary School Tiverton
• Webber's Church of England Primary School Wellington
• Burlescombe Church of England Primary School Tiverton

What is Woolacombe School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Woolacombe School is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Woolacombe School last inspected by Ofsted?

Woolacombe School was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Woolacombe School have?

Woolacombe School has 216 pupils on roll.

What age range does Woolacombe School cover?

Woolacombe School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Woolacombe School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Woolacombe School?

Woolacombe School is at Beach Road, Woolacombe, Devon, EX34 7BT.