School Chooser

Marldon Church of England Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedChurch of England216 pupilsDevon
School Chooser Score
80
Above
similar schools
Likely range 55 to 92, so it could be “well above”
Out of 100. Better than 79% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
Reached the expected level at 1180%England 63%
Attendance95.5%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families14%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull216 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher26.7School workforce census
Pupils on roll216Census January 2026

Marldon Church of England Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary aided) in Paignton for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 216 pupils, 6 more than it has places for. About 14 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 80 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 79% of the 50 schools most like it.

Marldon Cross Hill, Marldon, Paignton, TQ3 1PD01803 557797marldon-primary.devon.sch.ukMr Martin Harding executive headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1180%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level7%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 71%71%20172018: 80%80%20182019: 89%89%20192023: 74%74%20232024: 81%81%20242025: 80%80%2025
Since 2017: +9%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017DevonEngland
Pupils tested303131273024
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths80%81%74%89%80%71%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths7%10%13%22%7%0%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0107.0107.0109.0106.0106.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0108.0107.0111.0108.0105.0104.0104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0107.0105.0110.0107.0106.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard87%94%77%93%90%83%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard80%84%81%96%93%92%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)83%94%87%93%80%75%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.2+2.1-0.3+2.1
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.1+3.3+1.8+0.5
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged38%67%67%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged95%86%83%

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.

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. None of the gaps is 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
38%95%
Gap 57 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
85%76%
Gap 9 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%7%
Gap 7 ptsEngland 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.

Full211 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
101% full

The school is full, with 1 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same 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 (30 offers for 30 places).

EntryPlacesGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary3030all offeredLA
2025 Primary3030all offeredLA
2024 Primary30all offeredLA
2023 Primary30all offeredLA
2022 Primary30all 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 roll216Census January 2026
Places210103% full
Pupils from low-income families14%14% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English1%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support18%38 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%9 pupils with a plan
Average class size30.97 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils57%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)13%£43,400 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls116 / 100
White British pupils96%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.3 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 31.3 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (21), emotional and mental health (18), Specific learning difficulty (4), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1), Physical disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll216210212205211209
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals14%15%17%17%17%15%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language1%1%1%1%2%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%15%17%13%15%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%2%2%3%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.5%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school6.6%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.6%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.5%4.2%4.1%6.6%2.7%3.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.8%3.5%3.6%5.4%2.3%2.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.6%0.7%0.5%1.3%0.4%0.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence6.6%7.6%7.2%16.8%7.4%1.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.01.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff

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

Teachers8.1full-time equivalent, 14 people
Pupils per teacher26.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£57,400
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.22024/25

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m4712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate37 per 1,000 people59% lower than the England average
Typical house price£365,000South Hams
Nearest bus stop50 mSchool, 16 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
Kings Ash AcademyAcademy1.2 miles293Good 202131Compare
Oldway Primary SchoolAcademy1.8 miles598Good 202432Compare
Sacred Heart Catholic SchoolAcademy1.8 miles208Good 202358Compare
Collaton St Mary Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy1.9 miles199Good 202260Compare
Preston Primary SchoolAcademy1.9 miles325Good 202350Compare
Sherwell Valley Primary SchoolCouncil2.1 miles694Good 202460Compare
Hayes SchoolAcademy2.1 miles340No overall grade 202491Compare
Curledge Street AcademyAcademy2.2 miles439Good 202374Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Marldon Church of England Primary School with the 48 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 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats79%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 80 is 17 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 63 · highest 98100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Marldon Church of England Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Shaldon Primary SchoolAcademy7.0 miles229No overall grade 202498Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 80 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 80% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 55 to 92. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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%above
+0.15
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 30 pupils
Ofsted inspection0%no data
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.06
DfE progress measure; 30 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.03
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.09
2024/25; 183 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.12
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 30 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 Marldon Church of England Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Marldon Church of England Primary School scores 80 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 79% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 55 to 92, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

How good are Marldon Church of England Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 80% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 7% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Marldon Church of England Primary School have?

216 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 103% full.

Is Marldon Church of England Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 1 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at Marldon Church of England Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 7% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Marldon Church of England Primary School?

The average class had 30.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 57% 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
Marldon Cross Hill, Marldon, Paignton, TQ3 1PD
Telephone
01803 557797
Website
www.marldon-primary.devon.sch.uk
Executive Headteacher
Mr Martin Harding
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Exeter
Local authority
Devon
Ward
Marldon & Littlehempston
Constituency
South Devon
Setting
Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
URN
113465 · LAESTAB 8783607 · UKPRN 10073820

Where these figures come from