Payhembury Church of England Primary School
Payhembury, Exeter, EX14 3HT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Executive Headteacher
- Mrs Penny Hammett
- Diocese
- Diocese of Exeter
- Federation
- FORT
- Constituency
- Honiton and Sidmouth
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 93
- URN
- 113360
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01404841291
About this school
Payhembury Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Exeter. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 93 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Payhembury Church of England 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 14 December 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 | 17 | 15 | 17 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 76% | 67% | 76% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 12% |
| Expected standard in reading | 88% | 80% | 94% |
| Expected standard in maths | 82% | 80% | 94% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 88% | 93% | 100% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 109.0 | 111.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.80 | - | - |
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 Payhembury Church of England 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 | 76% | 55% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 67% | 54.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 76% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 103 |
| 2023/24 | 104 |
| 2024/25 | 100 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Payhembury Church of England Primary School compares
Payhembury Church of England Primary School ranked 45th of 269 primary schools in Devon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 80% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 76% | 3.1% | 3% | 93 | — |
| Feniton Church of England Primary School | 66% | 3.4% | 12.7% | 220 | 1.6 miles |
| Broadhembury Church of England Primary School | — | 7.9% | 42.9% | 23 | 2.1 miles |
| Plymtree Church of England Primary School | 22% | 7.2% | 25.9% | 54 | 2.2 miles |
| Awliscombe Church of England Primary School | 67% | 3.7% | 13% | 90 | 2.9 miles |
| Clyst Hydon Primary School | — | 4.7% | 17.9% | 24 | 3.2 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)
- 3%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 3.09%
- Persistent absence
- 3.3%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Feniton Church of England Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Honiton
-
Broadhembury Church of England Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Honiton
-
Plymtree Church of England Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Cullompton
-
Awliscombe Church of England Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Honiton
-
Clyst Hydon Primary School3.2 miles
Primary · Cullompton
Other schools in Exeter
Payhembury Church of England Primary School ranks 6th 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 ages does Payhembury Church of England Primary School teach?
- Payhembury Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Exeter.
- Who is the executive headteacher of Payhembury Church of England Primary School?
- The executive headteacher of Payhembury Church of England Primary School is Mrs Penny Hammett, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Payhembury Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Payhembury Church of England 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 Payhembury Church of England Primary School?
- Payhembury Church of England Primary School has 93 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Payhembury Church of England Primary School full?
- Payhembury Church of England Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 93 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 Payhembury Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Payhembury Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Exeter.
- Does Payhembury Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Payhembury Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Payhembury Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Payhembury Church of England Primary School is part of the FORT federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Payhembury Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 76% in 2022/23 and 76% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Payhembury Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Devon?
- Payhembury Church of England Primary School ranked 45th of 269 primary schools in Devon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 80% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Payhembury Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Payhembury Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Payhembury Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Payhembury Church of England 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.