South Molton Community Primary School
South Molton Community Primary School is a converter academy in South Molton for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 242 pupils, 2 more than it has places for. About 31 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
North Road, South Molton, EX36 3BA01769 572198southmoltonprimary.devon.sch.ukMr Tom Parkin headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 6 December 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
38 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of South Molton Community Primary School, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 38 | 36 | 43 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 63% | 31% | 70% | 60% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 0% | 5% | 7% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 104.0 | 100.0 | 105.0 | 105.8 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 105.0 | 100.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 105.0 | 100.0 | 105.0 | 104.1 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 74% | 42% | 77% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 79% | 53% | 77% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 76% | 61% | 79% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | +0.1 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -0.6 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 50% | 31% | 50% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 66% | 30% | 79% | – | – |
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 South Molton Community Primary School, the school this one replaced in April 2025. 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. 1 of the 3 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
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.
80 places were empty (25% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Devon council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.3 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (21), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (9), emotional and mental health (9), Autistic spectrum disorder (6), Moderate learning difficulty (2), Specific learning difficulty (2).
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25† | 2023/24† | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 5.2% | 6.3% | 6.3% | 6.3% | 2.5% | 3.4% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 3.9% | 4.8% | 4.8% | 5.4% | 2.2% | 2.5% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.3% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 0.9% | 0.3% | 0.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 10.8% | 16.4% | 19.3% | 18.6% | 4.4% | 5.9% | 12.8% |
† These attendance figures are for South Molton Community Primary School, the school this one replaced in April 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
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.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Molton United CofE Primary School | Academy | 0.6 miles | 222 | Requires improvement 2023 | 2 | Compare |
| North Molton Primary School | Academy | 2.6 miles | 124 | Good 2023 | 22 | Compare |
| Filleigh Community Primary School | Foundation | 3.0 miles | 61 | No overall grade 2024 | 25 | Compare |
| Bishops Nympton Primary School | Council | 3.4 miles | 80 | No overall grade 2025 | 14 | Compare |
| Kings Nympton Community Primary School | Foundation | 4.6 miles | 17 | Good 2022 | 2 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is South Molton Community Primary School a good school?
South Molton Community Primary School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in December 2023.
What is South Molton Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated South Molton Community Primary School good at its last full inspection on 6 December 2023.
How good are South Molton Community Primary School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 63% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 3% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does South Molton Community Primary School have?
242 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 240 places, so it is 101% full.
Is South Molton Community Primary School oversubscribed?
Probably not. 80 places were empty in 2024/25 (25% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at South Molton Community Primary School?
Pupils were in school 94.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at South Molton Community Primary School?
The average class had 26.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class 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
- North Road, South Molton, EX36 3BA
- Telephone
- 01769 572198
- Website
- www.southmoltonprimary.devon.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Tom Parkin
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- The Harbour Schools Partnership (36 schools)
- Local authority
- Devon
- Ward
- South Molton
- Constituency
- North Devon
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 April 2025 (academy converter)
- URN
- 150918 · LAESTAB 8782245 · UKPRN 10095214
- Formerly
- South Molton Community Primary School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.