Exford Church of England First School
Exford, Minehead, TA24 7PP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Alison Blackmore
- Diocese
- Diocese of Bath and Wells
- Federation
- The Moorland Federation
- Constituency
- Tiverton and Minehead
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 60
- Pupils on roll
- 13
- URN
- 123756
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01643831365
About this school
Exford Church of England First School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Minehead. It teaches children aged 4 to 9 and has 13 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Exford Church of England First 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 28 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.
Trends over time
How Exford Church of England First 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 11.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 29 |
| 2023/24 | 26 |
| 2024/25 | 12 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Exford Church of England First School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 5.5% | 25% | 13 | — |
| Cutcombe Church of England First School | — | 7.8% | 8.1% | 30 | 4.4 miles |
| St Dubricius Church of England VA School | — | 5.6% | 10.8% | 90 | 5.5 miles |
| Timberscombe Church of England First School | — | 6% | 21.4% | 28 | 6.6 miles |
| East Anstey Primary School | — | 5.1% | 5.6% | 35 | 7.6 miles |
| Dulverton Junior School | 59% | 11.6% | 34.1% | 37 | 7.7 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)
- 25%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 5.51%
- Persistent absence
- 13.33%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Cutcombe Church of England First School4.4 miles
Primary · Minehead
-
St Dubricius Church of England VA School5.5 miles
Primary · Minehead
-
Timberscombe Church of England First School6.6 miles
Primary · Minehead
-
East Anstey Primary School7.6 miles
Primary · Tiverton
-
Dulverton Junior School7.7 miles
Primary · Dulverton
Other schools in Minehead
- Cutcombe Church of England First School Primary
- Dunster First School Primary
- Minehead First School Primary
- St Dubricius Church of England VA School Primary
- St Michael's Church of England First School Primary
- Timberscombe Church of England First School Primary
- Minehead Middle School Middle deemed secondary
- West Somerset College Secondary
- Aurora Foxes Other types
Common questions
- What ages does Exford Church of England First School teach?
- Exford Church of England First School teaches children aged 4 to 9. It is a primary school in Minehead.
- Who is the headteacher of Exford Church of England First School?
- The headteacher of Exford Church of England First School is Mrs Alison Blackmore, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Exford Church of England First School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Exford Church of England First 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 Exford Church of England First School?
- Exford Church of England First School has 13 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 9.
- Is Exford Church of England First School full?
- Exford Church of England First School has capacity for 60 pupils and 13 on roll (22%), 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 Exford Church of England First School a faith school?
- Yes. Exford Church of England First School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.
- Does Exford Church of England First School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Exford Church of England First School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Exford Church of England First School part of an academy trust?
- Exford Church of England First School is part of the The Moorland Federation federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Exford Church of England First School's absence rate?
- Exford Church of England First School's overall absence rate is 5.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Exford Church of England First School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Exford Church of England First School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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 30 June 2026.