Whimple Primary School
Whimple, Exeter, EX5 2TS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Acting Headteacher
- Mrs C A Shilston
- Federation
- Exe Valley & Moorsway Federation
- Constituency
- Exmouth and Exeter East
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 140
- Pupils on roll
- 125
- URN
- 113113
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01404822584
About this school
Whimple Primary School is a community primary school in Exeter. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 125 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 13 December 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 21 | 21 | 20 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 57% | 48% | 58% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 10% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 76% | 67% | 85% |
| Expected standard in maths | 76% | 81% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 76% | 71% | 65% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.90 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Whimple Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Devon average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 57% | 55% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 48% | 54.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 58% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 126 |
| 2023/24 | 139 |
| 2024/25 | 131 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Whimple Primary School compares
Whimple Primary School ranked 157th of 269 primary schools in Devon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 58% | 4.6% | 9.2% | 125 | — |
| Rockbeare Church of England Primary School and Pre-School | 57% | 4.1% | 18.2% | 155 | 2.2 miles |
| West Hill Primary School | 91% | 3.1% | 2.5% | 216 | 2.6 miles |
| Clyst Hydon Primary School | — | 4.7% | 17.9% | 24 | 2.7 miles |
| St Martin's CofE Primary & Nursery School | 60% | 4.3% | 22.9% | 476 | 2.9 miles |
| Plymtree Church of England Primary School | 22% | 7.2% | 25.9% | 54 | 3.5 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 9.16%
- English as an additional language
- 2.3%
- Overall absence
- 4.61%
- Persistent absence
- 6.61%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Rockbeare Church of England Primary School and Pre-School2.2 miles
Primary · Exeter
-
West Hill Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Ottery St Mary
-
Clyst Hydon Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Cullompton
-
St Martin's CofE Primary & Nursery School2.9 miles
Primary · Exeter
-
Plymtree Church of England Primary School3.5 miles
Primary · Cullompton
Other schools in Exeter
Whimple Primary School ranks 34th of the 48 ranked primary schools in Exeter.
- Alphington Primary School Primary
- Bowhill Primary School Primary
- Brampford Speke Church of England Primary School Primary
- Broadclyst Community Primary School Primary
- Cheriton Bishop Community Primary School Primary
- Christow Primary School Primary
- Clyst Heath Nursery and Community Primary School Primary
- Clyst St Mary Primary School Primary
- Cockwood Primary School Primary
- Countess Wear Primary School Primary
- Doddiscombsleigh Primary School Primary
- Dunsford Community Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Whimple Primary School teach?
- Whimple Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Exeter.
- Who is the acting headteacher of Whimple Primary School?
- The acting headteacher of Whimple Primary School is Mrs C A Shilston, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Whimple Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Whimple Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Whimple Primary School?
- Whimple Primary School has 125 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Whimple Primary School full?
- Whimple Primary School has capacity for 140 pupils and 125 on roll (89%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Whimple Primary School a faith school?
- No. Whimple Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Whimple Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Whimple Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Whimple Primary School?
- Whimple Primary School is part of the Exe Valley & Moorsway Federation federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Whimple Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 57% in 2022/23 and 58% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Whimple Primary School rank locally?
- Whimple Primary School ranked 157th of 269 primary schools in Devon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Whimple Primary School's absence rate?
- Whimple Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Whimple Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Whimple Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.