Southmead School
Wrafton Road, Braunton, EX33 2BU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- Braunton Learning Co-operative
- Headteacher
- Mr Nicholas Plumb
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- North Devon
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 341
- URN
- 113139
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01271812448
About this school
Southmead School is a foundation primary school in Braunton. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 341 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Southmead School, and its latest judgement is set out 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 14 March 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 | 56 | 60 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 68% | 72% | 72% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 5% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 80% | 80% | 87% |
| Expected standard in maths | 91% | 92% | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 91% | 80% | 82% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| 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 Southmead 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 | 68% | 55% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 72% | 54.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 72% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 383 |
| 2023/24 | 368 |
| 2024/25 | 364 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Southmead School compares
Southmead School ranked 68th of 269 primary schools in Devon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 72% | 4.5% | 17.9% | 341 | — |
| Caen Community Primary School | 55% | 4.8% | 10.4% | 328 | 0.5 miles |
| Kingsacre Primary School | 88% | 4.1% | 10.3% | 177 | 0.8 miles |
| Fremington Primary School | 46% | 5.9% | 18.8% | 309 | 2.6 miles |
| Georgeham Church of England Primary School | 46% | 5.1% | 9.9% | 76 | 3.0 miles |
| Instow Community Primary and Pre-School | 72% | 4.2% | 10.1% | 136 | 3.1 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)
- 17.86%
- English as an additional language
- 15.7%
- Overall absence
- 4.47%
- Persistent absence
- 8.28%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Caen Community Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Braunton
-
Kingsacre Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Braunton
-
Fremington Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Barnstaple
-
Georgeham Church of England Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Braunton
-
Instow Community Primary and Pre-School3.1 miles
Primary · Bideford
Other schools in Braunton
- Caen Community Primary School Primary
- Georgeham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Kingsacre Primary School Primary
- Braunton Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Southmead School teach?
- Southmead School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Braunton.
- Who is the headteacher of Southmead School?
- The headteacher of Southmead School is Mr Nicholas Plumb, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Southmead School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Southmead 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 many pupils are at Southmead School?
- Southmead School has 341 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Southmead School full?
- Southmead School has capacity for 420 pupils and 341 on roll (81%), 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 Southmead School a faith school?
- No. Southmead School has no designated religious character.
- Does Southmead School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Southmead School as having nursery classes.
- Is Southmead School part of an academy trust?
- Southmead School is part of Braunton Learning Co-operative. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Southmead School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 68% in 2022/23 and 72% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Southmead School compare with other schools in Devon?
- Southmead School ranked 68th of 269 primary schools in Devon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Southmead School's absence rate?
- Southmead School's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Southmead School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Southmead 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.