Woolsery Primary School
Woolsery, Bideford, EX39 5QS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- Atlantic Coast Co-Operative Trust
- Headteacher
- Mr Matt Cole
- Federation
- Village Schools Partnership
- Constituency
- Torridge and Tavistock
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 140
- Pupils on roll
- 108
- URN
- 113176
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01237431307
About this school
Woolsery Primary School is a foundation primary school in Bideford. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 108 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Woolsery Primary 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 16 | 24 | 26 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 31% | 38% | 38% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 50% | 67% | 65% |
| Expected standard in maths | 38% | 50% | 62% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 44% | 71% | 46% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 101.0 | 103.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 100.0 | 101.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -3.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -6.50 | - | - |
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 Woolsery 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 | 31% | 55% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 38% | 54.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 38% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 121 |
| 2023/24 | 122 |
| 2024/25 | 115 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Woolsery Primary School compares
Woolsery Primary School ranked 241st of 269 primary schools in Devon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 10% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 38% | 4% | 10.4% | 108 | — |
| Parkham Primary School | 50% | 4.3% | 13.5% | 55 | 3.5 miles |
| Bradworthy Primary Academy | 74% | 4.7% | 22.8% | 185 | 4.3 miles |
| Hartland Primary School | 79% | 4% | 12.9% | 106 | 4.9 miles |
| Buckland Brewer Primary School | 33% | 4.7% | 31.4% | 49 | 5.6 miles |
| St Helen's Church of England School | 57% | 3.9% | 9.2% | 204 | 6.7 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)
- 10.43%
- English as an additional language
- 5.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.01%
- Persistent absence
- 7.48%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Parkham Primary School3.5 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
Bradworthy Primary Academy4.3 miles
Primary · Holsworthy
-
Hartland Primary School4.9 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
Buckland Brewer Primary School5.6 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
St Helen's Church of England School6.7 miles
Primary · Bideford
Other schools in Bideford
Woolsery Primary School ranks 11th of the 12 ranked primary schools in Bideford.
- Appledore School Primary
- Buckland Brewer Primary School Primary
- East-the-Water Community 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
Common questions
- What ages does Woolsery Primary School teach?
- Woolsery Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Bideford.
- Who is the headteacher of Woolsery Primary School?
- The headteacher of Woolsery Primary School is Mr Matt Cole, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Woolsery Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Woolsery 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 many pupils are at Woolsery Primary School?
- Woolsery Primary School has 108 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Woolsery Primary School full?
- Woolsery Primary School has capacity for 140 pupils and 108 on roll (77%), 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 Woolsery Primary School a faith school?
- No. Woolsery Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Woolsery Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Woolsery Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Woolsery Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Woolsery Primary School is part of Atlantic Coast Co-Operative Trust. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Woolsery Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 31% in 2022/23 and 38% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Woolsery Primary School compare with other schools in Devon?
- Woolsery Primary School ranked 241st of 269 primary schools in Devon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 10% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Woolsery Primary School's absence rate?
- Woolsery Primary School's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Woolsery Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Woolsery 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.