Swimbridge Church of England Primary School
Barnstaple Hill, Barnstaple, EX32 0PJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Acting Headteacher
- Mr Dan Polak
- Diocese
- Diocese of Exeter
- Constituency
- North Devon
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 79
- URN
- 113455
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01271830437
About this school
Swimbridge Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Barnstaple. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 79 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Swimbridge 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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 | 11 | 17 | 13 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 73% | 47% | 69% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 12% | 15% |
| Expected standard in reading | 82% | 88% | 85% |
| Expected standard in maths | 82% | 53% | 85% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% | 59% | 85% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 111.0 | 109.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 102.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.00 | - | - |
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 Swimbridge 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 | 73% | 55% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 47% | 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 | 4.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 88 |
| 2023/24 | 86 |
| 2024/25 | 83 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Swimbridge Church of England Primary School compares
Swimbridge Church of England Primary School ranked 85th 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 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 69% | 5.1% | 18.1% | 79 | — |
| Landkey Community Primary Academy | 57% | 5.9% | 13.2% | 178 | 1.7 miles |
| Orchard Vale Community School | 51% | 4.3% | 25% | 311 | 2.7 miles |
| Goodleigh Church of England Primary School | 67% | 5.5% | 20.8% | 90 | 2.8 miles |
| Bishops Tawton Primary School | 54% | 3.7% | 8.2% | 161 | 3.2 miles |
| Newport Community School Primary Academy | 52% | 5% | 19.5% | 469 | 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)
- 18.07%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 5.14%
- Persistent absence
- 6.94%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Landkey Community Primary Academy1.7 miles
Primary · Barnstaple
-
Orchard Vale Community School2.7 miles
Primary · Barnstaple
-
Goodleigh Church of England Primary School2.8 miles
Primary · Barnstaple
-
Bishops Tawton Primary School3.2 miles
Primary · Barnstaple
-
Newport Community School Primary Academy3.2 miles
Primary · Barnstaple
Other schools in Barnstaple
Swimbridge Church of England Primary School ranks 4th of the 20 ranked primary schools in Barnstaple.
- Ashleigh CofE Primary School Primary
- Bishops Tawton Primary School Primary
- Bratton Fleming Community Primary School Primary
- Brayford Academy Primary
- Eden Park Academy Primary
- Filleigh Community Primary School Primary
- Fremington Primary School Primary
- Goodleigh Church of England Primary School Primary
- Holywell Church of England School Primary
- Horwood and Newton Tracey Community Primary School Primary
- Kentisbury Primary School Primary
- Landkey Community Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Swimbridge Church of England Primary School teach?
- Swimbridge Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Barnstaple.
- Who is the acting headteacher of Swimbridge Church of England Primary School?
- The acting headteacher of Swimbridge Church of England Primary School is Mr Dan Polak, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Swimbridge Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Swimbridge 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 Swimbridge Church of England Primary School?
- Swimbridge Church of England Primary School has 79 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Swimbridge Church of England Primary School full?
- Swimbridge Church of England Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 79 on roll (75%), 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 Swimbridge Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Swimbridge Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Exeter.
- Does Swimbridge Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Swimbridge Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Swimbridge 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 73% 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 Swimbridge Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Devon?
- Swimbridge Church of England Primary School ranked 85th 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 56% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Swimbridge Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Swimbridge Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Swimbridge Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Swimbridge 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.