School Chooser

Hawkchurch Church of England School

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademyChurch of England43 pupilsNurseryAxminsterDevon
School Chooser Score
5
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 2 to 14
Out of 100. Better than 16% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, March 2025
Attendance91.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families43%Far more than most schools
Places13 spare43 pupils, 56 places
Pupils per teacher14.8School workforce census
Pupils on roll43Census January 2026

Hawkchurch Church of England School is a converter academy in Axminster for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 43 pupils and room for 56. About 42 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 5 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 16% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

Hawkchurch, Axminster, EX13 5XD01297 678331hawkchurch-primary.devon.sch.ukMr Andrew Keay head of teaching & learningAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 4 March 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

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

3 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 11Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected levelOfficial name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017DevonEngland
Pupils tested391455
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths56%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score109.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score101.0104.0104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard100%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard67%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)89%

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.

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 places34 pupils for 56 places, 2024/25
61% full

22 places were empty (39% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 21% since 2021/22.

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 (0 offers for 8 places).

EntryPlacesGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary80all offeredLA
2025 Primary86all offeredLA
2024 Primary8all offeredLA
2023 Primary8all offeredLA
2022 Primary8all 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 roll43Census January 2026
Places5677% full
Pupils from low-income families42%43% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English5%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support35%15 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%2 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)46%£24,800 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls26 / 17
White British pupils88%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (4), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Other difficulty or disability (3), emotional and mental health (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Physical disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll433941283441
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals42%36%37%32%12%27%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language5%5%0%0%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support36%2%14%9%12%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans8%2%0%0%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance91.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school19.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence8.8%5.4%6.7%4.4%3.1%4.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence6.8%4.3%5.7%3.6%2.5%2.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.0%1.1%1.0%0.8%0.7%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence19.4%13.3%19.2%15.4%10.0%9.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.02.40.02.90.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers2.8full-time equivalent, 4 people
Pupils per teacher14.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants0.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£44,754
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.12023/24

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£10,872England £7,128. Total £424k
Income per pupil£11,231England £7,587. Total £438k
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,590England £3,405
Money in reserve2%Very little put by: £11k, £273 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£14kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£10,872spent 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 m612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate61 per 1,000 people33% lower than the England average
Typical house price£334,495East Devon
Nearest bus stop140 mHawkchurch Cross, 2 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
Marshwood CofE Primary AcademyAcademy2.2 miles43Requires improvement 20242Compare
All Saints Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy2.7 miles84No overall grade 202541Compare
Thorncombe, St Mary's Church of England Primary AcademyAcademy2.8 miles34Requires improvement 20230Compare
Axminster Community Primary AcademyAcademy2.9 miles297No overall grade 202513Compare
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, AxminsterAcademy3.0 miles136Not inspected11Compare
St Andrew's CofE Primary AcademyAcademy3.4 miles120Requires improvement 20241Compare
Tatworth Primary SchoolAcademy3.5 miles196Good 202248Compare
Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary AcademyAcademy4.2 miles197Good 202477Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Hawkchurch Church of England School with the 45 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 45 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats16%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 5 is 19 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 25 · highest 95100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 5 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 5% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 2 to 14. 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 years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 1.5 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.68
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.29
2024/25; 31 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
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 Hawkchurch Church of England School a good school?

The figures are weak. Hawkchurch Church of England School scores 5 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 16% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 2 to 14, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Hawkchurch Church of England School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Hawkchurch Church of England School not judged at its last full inspection on 4 March 2025.

How many pupils does Hawkchurch Church of England School have?

43 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 56 places, so it is 77% full.

Is Hawkchurch Church of England School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 22 places were empty in 2024/25 (39% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Hawkchurch Church of England School?

Pupils were in school 91.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 19% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

Contact and details

Address
Hawkchurch, Axminster, EX13 5XD
Telephone
01297 678331
Website
www.hawkchurch-primary.devon.sch.uk
Head of Teaching & Learning
Mr Andrew Keay
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Salisbury
Multi-academy trust
The First Federation Trust (29 schools)
Local authority
Devon
Ward
Yarty
Constituency
Honiton and Sidmouth
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2016 (academy converter)
URN
143187 · LAESTAB 8783012 · UKPRN 10057835
Formerly
Hawkchurch Church of England School

Where these figures come from