Woolacombe School
Beach Road, Woolacombe, EX34 7BT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- ALUMNIS MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Gail Holmes
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Alumnis Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- North Devon
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 216
- URN
- 145765
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01271870551
About this school
Woolacombe School is a primary academy in Woolacombe. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 216 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Woolacombe 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
- Outstanding
- 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 | 30 | 20 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 55% | 63% | 70% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 7% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 69% | 87% | 90% |
| Expected standard in maths | 62% | 80% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 69% | 87% | 75% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 108.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.60 | - | - |
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 Woolacombe 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 | 55% | 55% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 63% | 54.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 70% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 233 |
| 2023/24 | 231 |
| 2024/25 | 208 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Woolacombe School compares
Woolacombe School ranked 83rd of 269 primary schools in Devon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 26% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 70% | 7% | 12.5% | 216 | — |
| Georgeham Church of England Primary School | 46% | 5.1% | 9.9% | 76 | 2.4 miles |
| West Down School | — | — | — | 95 | 3.4 miles |
| Ilfracombe Infant and Nursery School | — | 7.3% | 27.8% | 207 | 4.1 miles |
| Ilfracombe Church of England Junior School | 37% | 5.7% | 33.4% | 326 | 4.3 miles |
| Kingsacre Primary School | 88% | 4.1% | 10.3% | 177 | 4.5 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)
- 12.5%
- English as an additional language
- 2.4%
- Overall absence
- 6.95%
- Persistent absence
- 16.77%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Georgeham Church of England Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Braunton
-
West Down School3.4 miles
Primary · Ilfracombe
-
Ilfracombe Infant and Nursery School4.1 miles
Primary · Ilfracombe
-
Ilfracombe Church of England Junior School4.3 miles
Primary · Ilfracombe
-
Kingsacre Primary School4.5 miles
Primary · Braunton
Common questions
- What ages does Woolacombe School teach?
- Woolacombe School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Woolacombe.
- Who is the headteacher of Woolacombe School?
- The headteacher of Woolacombe School is Mrs Gail Holmes, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Woolacombe School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Woolacombe 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 Woolacombe School?
- Woolacombe School has 216 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Woolacombe School full?
- Woolacombe School has capacity for 210 pupils and 216 on roll (103%), so it is at or above 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 Woolacombe School a faith school?
- No. Woolacombe School has no designated religious character.
- Does Woolacombe School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Woolacombe School as having nursery classes.
- Is Woolacombe School part of an academy trust?
- Woolacombe School is part of ALUMNIS MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Woolacombe School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 55% in 2022/23 and 70% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Woolacombe School compare with other schools in Devon?
- Woolacombe School ranked 83rd of 269 primary schools in Devon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 26% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Woolacombe School's absence rate?
- Woolacombe School's overall absence rate is 7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Woolacombe School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Woolacombe 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 2 July 2026.