Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery

Mary Dean’s C of E Primary School and Nursery is a smaller-than-average Church of England primary that converted to academy status and joined The First Federation Trust in October 2023. This was its first section 5 inspection, so no overall effectiveness grade was given; the predecessor school had been judged good. Inspectors found a school where pupils enjoy attending, behaviour and attitudes are good, personal development is good and early years provision is good, but the quality of education and leadership and management require improvement. Strengths include a broad programme of clubs and experiences, positive recent changes to the behaviour policy, strong early years provision and well-implemented phonics. Pupils with SEND are accurately identified and supported through better-tailored plans, and safeguarding is effective. The trust understands the school’s strengths and weaknesses and has acted quickly to support curriculum design. However, the curriculum is not yet implemented consistently. In many subjects, including English, important content is not clearly identified, work does not match the curriculum’s ambition, and pupils struggle to recall prior learning. Staff subject knowledge and training impact are not secure in some subjects, and leaders do not check implementation rigorously enough, so pupils’ experience varies too much.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy coming to school and take part in a broad range of clubs and activities.
• Pupils have a voice in the clubs on offer and are proud of local sporting achievements.
• Behaviour and attitudes are good: pupils know the rules, show respect and learn and play well together.
• Recent changes to the behaviour policy are having a positive impact.
• The school is developing effective support for pupils who struggle to manage their behaviour.
• Early years provision is high quality, giving children a strong start and preparing them well for Year 1.
• Phonics is taught consistently well, with effective catch-up support and books matched to pupils’ sounds.
• Pupils with SEND have their needs accurately identified and better-tailored learning plans.
• Personal development is good: pupils learn about healthy relationships, difference, cultures and faiths.
• The trust has a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and has acted swiftly.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• The curriculum is not fully implemented as intended, so pupils do not learn or achieve as well as they should.
• Expectations of pupils are not high enough.
• In many subjects, including English, important curriculum content is not clearly identified.
• Work given to pupils does not match the aims and ambition of the curriculum.
• Teaching does not consistently help pupils build on what they already know.
• In many subjects, curriculum programmes are new or in their infancy and not securely implemented.
• Staff lack the subject and pedagogical knowledge needed in some subjects.
• Training and professional development are not checked for impact, and in some subjects are not having the intended effect.
• Leaders do not hold staff to account effectively or check curriculum implementation rigorously enough.
• Pupils’ experience of the curriculum is too varied across subjects, year groups and teams.
• Most pupils cannot remember previous years’ learning.

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 Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.7% 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, 1.3% of pupils at Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery 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 Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery had 21.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 27.3% 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, 19.2% of pupils at Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery 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 Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery received £6,443 and spent £6,565 for each of its 302 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £84,000 (£277 per pupil).

Across all 29 schools of The First Federation Trust, income was £7,461 and spending £7,535 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

Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery is part of The First Federation Trust, which runs 29 schools. The nearest others:

• St Budeaux CofE Primary Academy Plymouth
• Bere Alston Primary Academy Yelverton
• Whitchurch Community Primary School Tavistock
• Newton Ferrers Church of England Primary School Newton Ferrers Plymouth
• Aveton Gifford CofE Primary School Kingsbridge
• Salcombe Church of England Primary School Salcombe
• Blackpool Church of England Primary School Newton Abbot
• Chudleigh Knighton Church of England Primary School Newton Abbot
• Westcliff Primary Academy Dawlish
• Gatehouse Primary Academy Dawlish

What is Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery have?

Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery has 281 pupils on roll.

What age range does Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery cover?

Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 27% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery?

Mary Dean's CofE Primary School and Nursery is at Mary Dean Avenue, Tamerton Foliot, Plymouth, Devon, PL5 4LS.