East-the-Water Community Primary School
Mines Road, Bideford, EX39 4BZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Adam Buckeridge
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Torridge and Tavistock
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 466
- Pupils on roll
- 439
- URN
- 113130
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01237475178
About this school
East-the-Water Community Primary School is a community primary school in Bideford. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 439 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 12 May 2023, 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 | 73 | 60 | 61 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 51% | 65% | 69% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 3% | 5% |
| Expected standard in reading | 58% | 78% | 74% |
| Expected standard in maths | 77% | 75% | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 64% | 73% | 70% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +3.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.90 | - | - |
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 East-the-Water Community 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 | 51% | 55% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 65% | 54.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 69% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 449 |
| 2023/24 | 455 |
| 2024/25 | 448 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How East-the-Water Community Primary School compares
East-the-Water Community Primary School ranked 88th of 269 primary schools in Devon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 69% | 4.7% | 42.4% | 439 | — |
| West Croft School | 38% | 6.5% | 42.8% | 417 | 0.9 miles |
| St Mary's CofE Primary School | 57% | 5.1% | 16.3% | 397 | 1.0 miles |
| St Margaret's Church of England Junior School | 46% | 6.9% | 23.4% | 184 | 2.2 miles |
| St George's CofE Infant and Nursery School | — | 5.3% | 17.8% | 110 | 2.3 miles |
| St Helen's Church of England School | 57% | 3.9% | 9.2% | 204 | 2.5 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)
- 42.42%
- English as an additional language
- 1.1%
- Overall absence
- 4.71%
- Persistent absence
- 11.08%
Location
Nearby schools
-
West Croft School0.9 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
St Mary's CofE Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
St Margaret's Church of England Junior School2.2 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
St George's CofE Infant and Nursery School2.3 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
St Helen's Church of England School2.5 miles
Primary · Bideford
Other schools in Bideford
East-the-Water Community Primary School ranks 5th of the 12 ranked primary schools in Bideford.
- Appledore School Primary
- Buckland Brewer Primary School Primary
- Hartland Primary School Primary
- Instow Community Primary and Pre-School Primary
- Monkleigh Primary School Primary
- Parkham Primary School Primary
- St George's CofE Infant and Nursery School Primary
- St Helen's Church of England School Primary
- St Margaret's Church of England Junior School Primary
- St Mary's CofE Primary School Primary
- West Croft School Primary
- Woolsery Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does East-the-Water Community Primary School teach?
- East-the-Water Community Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Bideford.
- Who is the headteacher of East-the-Water Community Primary School?
- The headteacher of East-the-Water Community Primary School is Mr Adam Buckeridge, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was East-the-Water Community Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected East-the-Water Community 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 East-the-Water Community Primary School?
- East-the-Water Community Primary School has 439 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is East-the-Water Community Primary School full?
- East-the-Water Community Primary School has capacity for 466 pupils and 439 on roll (94%), 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 East-the-Water Community Primary School a faith school?
- No. East-the-Water Community Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does East-the-Water Community Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records East-the-Water Community Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have East-the-Water Community Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 51% in 2022/23 and 69% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does East-the-Water Community Primary School rank locally?
- East-the-Water Community Primary School ranked 88th of 269 primary schools in Devon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is East-the-Water Community Primary School's absence rate?
- East-the-Water Community Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are East-the-Water Community Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, East-the-Water Community 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.