School Chooser

Ashleigh CofE Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademyChurch of England205 pupilsNurseryBarnstapleDevon
School Chooser Score
36
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 18 to 61
Out of 100. Better than 60% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, September 2022
Reached the expected level at 1179%England 63%
Attendance92.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families36%Far more than most schools
Places90 spare205 pupils, 295 places
Pupils per teacher21.3School workforce census

Ashleigh CofE Primary School is a converter academy in Barnstaple for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 205 pupils and room for 295. About 36 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 36 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 60% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Bevan Road, Barnstaple, EX32 8LJ01271 345149ashleighdevon.co.ukMs Antonia Lavictoire headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 27 September 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

33 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1179%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score104.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score104.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 50%50%20172018: 39%39%20182019: 32%32%20192023: 68%68%20232024: 68%68%20242025: 79%79%2025
Since 2017: +29%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure20252024202320192018†2017†DevonEngland
Pupils tested333131282838
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths79%68%68%32%39%50%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%3%3%0%0%0%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score104.0104.0103.096.0101.099.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score104.0102.0101.097.099.0100.0104.0104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score101.0100.0102.099.0101.0104.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard79%71%71%32%61%58%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard82%68%71%36%50%58%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)82%71%71%71%71%71%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.7-5.9-4.5-1.8
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.1-6.5-5.1-1.9
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged75%56%53%19%45%50%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged85%80%86%50%35%50%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

† These results are for Ashleigh CofE (VC) Primary School, the school this one replaced in July 2018. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
75%85%
Gap 10 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
72%87%
Gap 15 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places197 pupils for 315 places, 2024/25
63% full

118 places were empty (38% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 10% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (22 offers for 30 places).

EntryPlacesGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary3022all offeredLA
2025 Primary3016all offeredLA
2024 Primary30all offeredLA
2023 Primary30all offeredLA
2022 Primary45all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll205Census January 2026
Places29569% full
Pupils from low-income families37%36% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English29%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support41%83 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%8 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.07 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils14%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)34%£94,550 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls109 / 96
White British pupils60%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 24.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 27.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (36), emotional and mental health (32), Moderate learning difficulty (12), Autistic spectrum disorder (11).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll205213215217240227
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals37%41%42%48%47%41%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language29%25%18%15%16%15%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support22%21%17%17%14%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%3%3%3%4%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance92.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school23.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils15.02024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission2.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.6%7.7%8.7%9.1%6.0%5.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.9%5.0%5.6%6.6%4.4%3.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.7%2.7%3.1%2.5%1.7%1.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence23.2%22.6%28.4%33.7%20.0%13.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate15.02.31.81.31.3
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions10000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers9.4full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher21.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants10.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,236
Teachers who left in the year9%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.32024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£8,476England £7,128. Total £1.7m
Income per pupil£8,262England £7,587. Total £1.7m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,670England £3,405
Money in reserve8%Not much put by: £131k, £635 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out-£44kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£8,476spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m82112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate233 per 1,000 people156% higher than the England average
Typical house price£295,000North Devon
Nearest bus stop150 mSunset Heights, 39 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, BarnstapleAcademy320 m214No overall grade 202527Compare
Yeo Valley Primary SchoolAcademy500 m193Good 202318Compare
Eden Park AcademyAcademy950 m118Requires improvement 20236Compare
Newport Community School Primary AcademyAcademy0.7 miles469No overall grade 202528Compare
Pilton Infants' AcademyAcademy0.7 miles172No overall grade 202565Compare
Pilton Bluecoat Church of England AcademyAcademy0.8 miles261Good 202344Compare
Orchard Vale Community SchoolAcademy1.3 miles311Good 202330Compare
Sticklepath Community Primary AcademyAcademy1.4 miles448Good 202236Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Ashleigh CofE Primary School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats60%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 36 is 8 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 29 · highest 89100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 36 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 36% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 18 to 61. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
-0.06
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 33 pupils
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 4.0 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.05
DfE progress measure; 33 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.06
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.15
2024/25; 181 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
+0.02
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 33 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Ashleigh CofE Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Ashleigh CofE Primary School scores 36 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 60% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 18 to 61, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Ashleigh CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Ashleigh CofE Primary School good at its last full inspection on 27 September 2022.

How good are Ashleigh CofE Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 79% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Ashleigh CofE Primary School have?

205 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 295 places, so it is 69% full.

Is Ashleigh CofE Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 118 places were empty in 2024/25 (38% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Ashleigh CofE Primary School?

Pupils were in school 92.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Ashleigh CofE Primary School?

The average class had 27.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 14% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Bevan Road, Barnstaple, EX32 8LJ
Telephone
01271 345149
Website
www.ashleighdevon.co.uk
Headteacher
Ms Antonia Lavictoire
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Exeter
Multi-academy trust
The Harbour Schools Partnership (36 schools)
Local authority
Devon
Ward
Barnstaple with Westacott
Constituency
North Devon
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 July 2018 (academy converter)
URN
145810 · LAESTAB 8783070 · UKPRN 10068066
Formerly
Ashleigh CofE (VC) Primary School

Where these figures come from