School Chooser

Newton Ferrers Church of England Primary School

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademyChurch of England125 pupilsNurseryDevon
School Chooser Score
80
Above
similar schools
Likely range 55 to 92, so it could be “well above”
Out of 100. Better than 64% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, February 2024
Reached the expected level at 1182%England 63%
Attendance95.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families9%Far fewer than most schools
Places29 spare125 pupils, 154 places
Pupils per teacher22.1School workforce census

Newton Ferrers Church of England Primary School is a converter academy in Newton Ferrers Plymouth for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 125 pupils and room for 154. About 9 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 64% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Newton Ferrers, Dillons the Green, Newton Ferrers Plymouth, PL8 1AS01752 872630newton-ferrers.devon.sch.ukMrs Penelope Bishop head of teaching & learningAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 27 February 2024, 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”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

17 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 1182%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level18%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score110.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score108.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 89%89%20172018: 89%89%20182019: 87%87%20192023: 67%67%20232024: 42%42%20242025: 82%82%2025
Since 2017: -7%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017DevonEngland
Pupils tested171221152818
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths82%42%67%87%89%89%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths18%0%14%27%25%28%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score110.0104.0106.0108.0109.0110.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score108.0102.0107.0108.0108.0109.0104.0104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score110.0102.0105.0107.0107.0108.0104.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard94%83%86%100%93%94%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard94%58%81%93%93%94%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)82%67%76%93%89%89%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.3+2.0+2.2+6.3
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.4+1.6+1.3+3.1

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. Every gap at this school 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 11Boys vs girls
82%83%
Gap 1 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.

Plenty of spare places108 pupils for 154 places, 2024/25
70% full

46 places were empty (30% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. 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 (11 offers for 15 places).

EntryPlacesGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary1511all offeredLA
2025 Primary1510all offeredLA
2024 Primary15all offeredLA
2023 Primary15all offeredLA
2022 Primary15all 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 roll125Census January 2026
Places15481% full
Pupils from low-income families8%9% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English1%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support17%21 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%6 pupils with a plan
Average class size26.34 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils25%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)8%£12,400 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls64 / 61
White British pupils95%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 19.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 31.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (6), Specific learning difficulty (6), language and communications needs (6), Autistic spectrum disorder (4), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (3), Physical disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll125123125126120123
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals8%11%10%11%14%11%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language1%2%2%2%1%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%12%12%12%11%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%2%2%3%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school5.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.1%4.5%4.2%6.5%2.4%3.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.6%3.8%3.7%5.4%2.0%3.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.5%0.7%0.5%1.0%0.3%0.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence5.1%11.7%7.5%11.3%3.0%7.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers5.4full-time equivalent, 8 people
Pupils per teacher22.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants3.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,055
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.22024/25

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£7,048England £7,128. Total £874k
Income per pupil£7,435England £7,587. Total £922k
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,992England £3,405
Money in reserve4%Not much put by: £34k, £277 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£48kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,048spent 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 m1712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate42 per 1,000 people54% lower than the England average
Typical house price£365,000South Hams
Nearest bus stop90 mThe Green, 9 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
Wembury Primary SchoolAcademy1.7 miles194Report card 202662Compare
St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England2.3 miles100No overall grade 202565Compare
Yealmpton Primary SchoolAcademy2.4 miles173Good 202372Compare
Elburton Primary SchoolAcademy3.2 miles470No overall grade 202495Compare
Goosewell Primary AcademyAcademy3.4 miles394Good 201957Compare
Sherford Vale School & NurseryFree school3.4 miles347Good 202335Compare
Holbeton Primary SchoolAcademy4.1 miles51Good 202260Compare
Pomphlett Primary SchoolAcademy4.2 miles404Good 202262Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Newton Ferrers Church of England 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.

Beats64%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 80 is 8 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 13 · middle 73 · highest 95100

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
+0.13
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 17 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
0.00
DfE progress measure; 17 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well above
+0.11
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.10
2024/25; 98 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.06
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 17 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 Newton Ferrers Church of England Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Newton Ferrers 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 64% 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. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is Newton Ferrers Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Newton Ferrers Church of England Primary School good at its last full inspection on 27 February 2024.

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

In summer 2025, 82% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 18% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Newton Ferrers Church of England Primary School have?

125 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 154 places, so it is 81% full.

Is Newton Ferrers Church of England Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 46 places were empty in 2024/25 (30% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Newton Ferrers Church of England Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 5% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

The average class had 26.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 25% 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
Newton Ferrers, Dillons the Green, Newton Ferrers Plymouth, PL8 1AS
Telephone
01752 872630
Website
www.newton-ferrers.devon.sch.uk
Head of Teaching & Learning
Mrs Penelope Bishop
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 Exeter
Multi-academy trust
The First Federation Trust (29 schools)
Local authority
Devon
Ward
Newton & Yealmpton
Constituency
South West Devon
Setting
Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 November 2011 (academy converter)
URN
137664 · LAESTAB 8783156 · UKPRN 10035276
Formerly
Newton Ferrers Church of England Primary School

Where these figures come from