South Molton United CofE Primary School

South Molton United CofE Primary School is an inclusive, welcoming 228-pupil Church of England primary in The Harbour Schools Partnership Trust. It has a higher-than-average proportion of pupils with SEN support and is located in an area of above-average deprivation. Inspectors found the school performing securely overall: safeguarding is met, and attendance, behaviour, curriculum, early years, inclusion, leadership and personal development are all at the expected standard. Pupils feel safe, behave well and are proud of their school, and leaders have managed leadership changes and curriculum improvements carefully with strong trust and governance support. Strengths include an ambitious curriculum, secure phonics and early reading, effective inclusion and pastoral support, and a wide range of opportunities that develop pupils' character. Children in the early years settle quickly and are well prepared for Year 1. Attendance is now broadly in line with the national average, and disadvantaged pupils are increasingly supported to attend and progress from their starting points. The main area for improvement is achievement. Results in national tests at the end of Year 6 are below average, and many pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, have gaps in writing and number knowledge. In some wider curriculum subjects, work is not adapted precisely enough for these pupils, which slows progress. Leaders should strengthen the teaching of foundational writing and early number skills and ensure adaptations in the wider curriculum are consistently precise so that all pupils achieve at least in line with national averages.

Strengths

• Inclusive, welcoming school where pupils feel safe and behave well.
• Pupils are proud to belong, attend well, and incidents of bullying are rare.
• Early years provision gives children a strong start and prepares them well for Year 1.
• Ambitious and coherent curriculum with a strong focus on early reading, writing and mathematics.
• Secure phonics teaching means increasing numbers of pupils read confidently at an early stage.
• Effective inclusion systems identify needs promptly and support disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Personal development and pastoral support are highly effective and central to pupils' wellbeing.
• Wide, inclusive range of clubs, trips, leadership roles and sporting opportunities.
• Strong leadership, governance and trust support, with staff proud and well supported.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective and create an open culture.

Areas for Improvement

• National test results at the end of Year 6 are below average in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Many pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, have gaps in basic writing and number knowledge.
• Adaptations in some wider curriculum subjects are not precise enough for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes in writing and mathematics are below national averages, with large performance gaps.
• Teaching of foundational writing and early number skills needs further strengthening.
• Behaviour approaches are generally clear but still embedding consistently across the school.

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 South Molton United CofE Primary School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.6% 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, 2.2% of pupils at South Molton United CofE 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 South Molton United CofE Primary School had 19.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.4% 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, 23.4% of pupils at South Molton United CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.5% 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 South Molton United CofE Primary School received £6,716 and spent £7,245 for each of its 228 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £144,000 (£629 per pupil).

Across all 35 schools of The Harbour Schools Partnership, income was £6,261 and spending £6,333 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 South Molton · Devon local authority: places and applications

South Molton United CofE Primary School is part of The Harbour Schools Partnership, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• South Molton Community Primary School South Molton
• North Molton Primary School South Molton
• Landkey Community Primary Academy Barnstaple
• Bratton Fleming Community Primary School Barnstaple
• Orchard Vale Community School Barnstaple
• Newport Community School Primary Academy Barnstaple
• Eden Park Academy Barnstaple
• The Park Community School Barnstaple
• Holywell Church of England School Barnstaple
• Ashleigh CofE Primary School Barnstaple

What is South Molton United CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for South Molton United CofE Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was South Molton United CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

South Molton United CofE Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does South Molton United CofE Primary School have?

South Molton United CofE Primary School has 222 pupils on roll.

What age range does South Molton United CofE Primary School cover?

South Molton United CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are South Molton United CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is South Molton United CofE Primary School?

South Molton United CofE Primary School is at Exeter Road, South Molton, Devon, EX36 4EN.