Shirwell Community Primary School

North Devon · EX31 4JT

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 25 pupils, 24% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted and results

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 48% on SEN support Behaviour 4.6% absence rate Staff 47.2% turnover Financials £14,000 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Shirwell Community Primary School

General Information

Address: School Lane, Shirwell, Barnstaple, EX31 4JT – View on map
Phone: 01271850295
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Ms Kelly McKeague
Age range: 4-11 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

25 pupils out of 56 places Plenty of room

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 6
% eligible for free school meals: 24.0%
English as an additional language: 0% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 47.2% a year (North Devon 16.8%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 41% moved to another school, 59% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (one year, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Devon: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 8 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 6 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 1 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Devon (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 4.6%
Persistently absent pupils: 5.3%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 48.0%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 8.0%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 6 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 5 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil
Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

An Ofsted rating for this school hasn't been added yet.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 13% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 0% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 43 percentage points below the North Devon average (56%)
3-year average (expected standard): 41%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 38% · Writing 25% · Maths 50% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 38%
Average test scores: reading 98, maths 97
Based on: 8 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolNorth Devon averageEngland↘ Falling Down 44 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 43 percentage points below the North Devon average (56%).

Year 6 SATs: 37th of 37 junior and primary schools in the area

=34East Worlington Primary School33%
#36Filleigh Community Primary School20%
#37Shirwell Community Primary School13%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

=1Kingsacre Primary School88%
=1Witheridge Church of England Primary Academy88%
#3Umberleigh Primary Academy86%
#4Ashleigh CofE Primary School79%
#5Horwood and Newton Tracey Community Primary School77%
#6Parracombe Church of England Primary School75%
=7Instow Community Primary and Pre-School72%
=7Southmead School72%
=9Combe Martin Primary School70%
=9Woolacombe School70%
#11Swimbridge Church of England Primary School69%
=12Goodleigh Church of England Primary School67%
=12Lynton Church of England Primary School67%
#14North Molton Primary School65%
#15Pilton Bluecoat Church of England Academy63%
#16Sticklepath Community Primary Academy60%
#17Landkey Community Primary Academy57%
#18Caen Community Primary School55%
=19Bishops Tawton Primary School54%
=19Eden Park Academy54%
=21Newport Community School Primary Academy52%
=21South Molton United CofE Primary School52%
#23Orchard Vale Community School51%
=24Kentisbury Primary School50%
=24Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Barnstaple50%
=26Fremington Primary School46%
=26Georgeham Church of England Primary School46%
=28Chulmleigh Primary School45%
=28Holywell Church of England School45%
#30Yeo Valley Primary School43%
#31Rackenford Church of England Primary School42%
#32Bishops Nympton Primary School40%
#33Ilfracombe Church of England Junior School37%
=34Bratton Fleming Community Primary School33%
=34East Worlington Primary School33%
#36Filleigh Community Primary School20%
#37Shirwell Community Primary School13%

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Spending per pupil: £14,000 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

1st of 36 primary schools in North Devon for spending per pupil

#1Shirwell Community Primary School£14,000
#2Bratton Fleming Community Primary School£11,721
#3Holywell Church of England School£11,012

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Shirwell Community Primary School£14,000
#2Bratton Fleming Community Primary School£11,721
#3Holywell Church of England School£11,012
#4Brayford Academy£10,828
#5Kentisbury Primary School£10,349
#6Georgeham Church of England Primary School£9,143
#7East Anstey Primary School£9,085
#8East Worlington Primary School£8,965
#9Ashleigh CofE Primary School£8,476
#10Umberleigh Primary Academy£7,792
#11Swimbridge Church of England Primary School£7,601
#12Bishops Tawton Primary School£7,383
#13Horwood and Newton Tracey Community Primary School£7,313
#14South Molton United CofE Primary School£7,031
#15Kingsacre Primary School£6,952
#16Goodleigh Church of England Primary School£6,893
#17Witheridge Church of England Primary Academy£6,864
#18Southmead School£6,848
#19West Down School£6,802
#20Orchard Vale Community School£6,744
#21Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Barnstaple£6,664
#22Caen Community Primary School£6,616
#23Instow Community Primary and Pre-School£6,544
#24Woolacombe School£6,302
#25Combe Martin Primary School£6,000
#26Chulmleigh Primary School£5,529
#27Marwood School£4,186
#28Eden Park Academy£4,155
#29Landkey Community Primary Academy£3,833
#30North Molton Primary School£3,789
#31Sticklepath Community Primary Academy£3,463
#32Newport Community School Primary Academy£3,451
#33Fremington Primary School£2,976
#34South Molton Community Primary School£2,974
#35Roundswell Community Primary Academy£2,644
#36Yeo Valley Primary School£54

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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