Ford Primary School
Cambridge Road, Ford, Plymouth, PL2 1PU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- LEARNING ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr David Sammels
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Learning Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 171
- URN
- 145652
- Local authority
- Plymouth
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01752567661
About this school
Ford Primary School is a primary academy in Plymouth. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 171 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Ford 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
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. 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 | 29 | 26 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 59% | 42% | 66% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 4% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 69% | 46% | 72% |
| Expected standard in maths | 76% | 65% | 69% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 76% | 58% | 66% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 101.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 101.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.40 | - | - |
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 Ford 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 | Plymouth average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 59% | 54.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 42% | 58.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 66% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 203 |
| 2023/24 | 214 |
| 2024/25 | 192 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Ford Primary School compares
Ford Primary School ranked 29th of 66 primary schools in Plymouth for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 16% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 66% | 8% | 48.6% | 171 | — |
| College Road Primary School | 58% | 4.8% | 18.8% | 204 | 0.4 miles |
| Keyham Barton Catholic Primary School | 61% | 6% | 32.4% | 145 | 0.5 miles |
| Drake Primary Academy | 55% | 6.5% | 43.3% | 136 | 0.5 miles |
| Morice Town Primary Academy | 57% | 7.4% | 42.4% | 177 | 0.6 miles |
| Mayflower Academy | 84% | 7% | 41.2% | 441 | 0.6 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)
- 48.59%
- English as an additional language
- 19.8%
- Overall absence
- 8.03%
- Persistent absence
- 21.18%
Location
Nearby schools
-
College Road Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Keyham Barton Catholic Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Drake Primary Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Morice Town Primary Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Mayflower Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Plymouth
Other schools in Plymouth
Ford Primary School ranks 34th of the 72 ranked primary schools in Plymouth.
- Austin Farm Academy Primary
- Beechwood Primary Academy Primary
- Bickleigh Down Church of England Primary School Primary
- Boringdon Primary School Primary
- Chaddlewood Primary School Primary
- College Road Primary School Primary
- Compton CofE Primary School Primary
- Drake Primary Academy Primary
- Eggbuckland Vale Primary School Primary
- Elburton Primary School Primary
- Ernesettle Community School Primary
- Glen Park Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Ford Primary School teach?
- Ford Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Plymouth.
- Who is the headteacher of Ford Primary School?
- The headteacher of Ford Primary School is Mr David Sammels, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Ford Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ford 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 Ford Primary School?
- Ford Primary School has 171 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Ford Primary School full?
- Ford Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 171 on roll (81%), 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 Ford Primary School a faith school?
- No. Ford Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Ford Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Ford Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Ford Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Ford Primary School is part of LEARNING ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Ford Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 59% in 2022/23 and 66% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Ford Primary School compare with other schools in Plymouth?
- Ford Primary School ranked 29th of 66 primary schools in Plymouth for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 16% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Ford Primary School's absence rate?
- Ford Primary School's overall absence rate is 8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Ford Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Ford 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 10 July 2026.