Minehead First School
Townsend Road, Minehead, TA24 5RG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- BEACON EDUCATION MAT LTD
- Headteacher
- Mrs Gemma Chapman
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- West Somerset Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Tiverton and Minehead
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 326
- Pupils on roll
- 286
- URN
- 142800
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01643702938
About this school
Minehead First School is a primary academy in Minehead. It teaches children aged 2 to 9 and has 286 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Minehead 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
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
Trends over time
How Minehead 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 | 7.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 298 |
| 2023/24 | 292 |
| 2024/25 | 308 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Minehead First School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 33% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 6.3% | 20.6% | 286 | — |
| St Michael's Church of England First School | — | 5% | 13.7% | 148 | 0.3 miles |
| Dunster First School | — | 7.8% | 18.5% | 86 | 1.9 miles |
| Timberscombe Church of England First School | — | 6% | 21.4% | 28 | 2.5 miles |
| St Dubricius Church of England VA School | — | 5.6% | 10.8% | 90 | 5.1 miles |
| Cutcombe Church of England First School | — | 7.8% | 8.1% | 30 | 5.1 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)
- 20.64%
- English as an additional language
- 10.4%
- Overall absence
- 6.3%
- Persistent absence
- 17.65%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Michael's Church of England First School0.3 miles
Primary · Minehead
-
Dunster First School1.9 miles
Primary · Minehead
-
Timberscombe Church of England First School2.5 miles
Primary · Minehead
-
St Dubricius Church of England VA School5.1 miles
Primary · Minehead
-
Cutcombe Church of England First School5.1 miles
Primary · Minehead
Other schools in Minehead
- Cutcombe Church of England First School Primary
- Dunster First School Primary
- Exford Church of England 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 Minehead First School teach?
- Minehead First School teaches children aged 2 to 9. It is a primary school in Minehead.
- Who is the headteacher of Minehead First School?
- The headteacher of Minehead First School is Mrs Gemma Chapman, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Minehead First School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Minehead 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 Minehead First School?
- Minehead First School has 286 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 9.
- Is Minehead First School full?
- Minehead First School has capacity for 326 pupils and 286 on roll (88%), 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 Minehead First School a faith school?
- No. Minehead First School has no designated religious character.
- Does Minehead First School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Minehead First School as having nursery classes.
- Is Minehead First School part of an academy trust?
- Minehead First School is part of BEACON EDUCATION MAT LTD. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Minehead First School's absence rate?
- Minehead First School's overall absence rate is 6.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Minehead 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 Minehead 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 2 July 2026.