South Tawton Primary School

West Devon · EX20 2LG

General information Primary School · 2-11 years Who goes here 201 pupils, 14.2% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 13.4% on SEN support Behaviour 4.6% absence rate Staff 33.6% turnover Financials £4,957 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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South Tawton Primary School

General Information

Address: Tawton Lane, South Zeal, Okehampton, EX20 2LG – View on map
Phone: 01837840242
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Emma Goodwin
Age range: 2-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 34 families put it first for 30 places – 11 for every 10 places. 88% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 11
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

201 pupils out of 210 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 23
% eligible for free school meals: 14.2%
Pupil mix: 0 in 10 (less mixed than the West Devon average)
English as an additional language: 0% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 33.6% a year (West Devon 29.8%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 37% moved to another school, 63% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, 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.

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: 10.9%
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: 13.4%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 0.5%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 17 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 4 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 2 pupils
Physical disability: 2 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 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

Good 2022 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 58% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 8% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 3 percentage points above the West Devon average (56%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (3-year average 52% against an expected 64%)
3-year average (expected standard): 52%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 81% · Writing 65% · Maths 69% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 65%
Average test scores: reading 105, maths 104
Based on: 26 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 schoolWest Devon averageEngland↘ Falling Down 13 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 3 percentage points above the West Devon average (56%).

Year 6 SATs: 10th of 20 junior and primary schools in the area

#8Bridestowe Primary School62%
#9Meavy Church of England Primary School59%
#10South Tawton Primary School58%
#11North Tawton Community Primary School and Nursery56%
#12Okehampton Primary School and Foundation Unit55%

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

#1Chagford Church of England Primary School87%
#2Gulworthy Primary Academy85%
#3Lamerton CofE Primary Academy83%
#4St Andrew's Church of England Academy75%
#5Mary Tavy and Brentor Community Primary School69%
#6Horrabridge Primary & Nursery School68%
#7Whitchurch Community Primary School66%
#8Bridestowe Primary School62%
#9Meavy Church of England Primary School59%
#10South Tawton Primary School58%
#11North Tawton Community Primary School and Nursery56%
#12Okehampton Primary School and Foundation Unit55%
#13Tavistock Primary & Nursery School54%
=14Lifton Community Academy52%
=14St Peter's Church of England Junior School52%
#16Hatherleigh Community Primary School41%
#17St James Church of England Primary and Nursery School37%
#18Bere Alston Primary Academy28%
#19Lew Trenchard Church of England Primary School19%
#20Princetown Community Primary School17%

View full Ofsted inspection report

19th of 24 primary schools in West Devon for Ofsted rating

#17Okehampton Primary School and Foundation UnitGood
#18Princetown Community Primary SchoolGood
#19South Tawton Primary SchoolGood
#20Spreyton SchoolGood
#21St Andrew's Church of England AcademyGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Mary Tavy and Brentor Community Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Bere Alston Primary AcademyGood
#3Boasley Cross Community Primary SchoolGood
#4Bridestowe Primary SchoolGood
#5Chagford Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#6Exbourne Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#7Hatherleigh Community Primary SchoolGood
#8Highampton Community Primary SchoolGood
#9Horrabridge Primary & Nursery SchoolGood
#10Lady Modiford's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#11Lew Trenchard Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#12Lydford Primary SchoolGood
#13Meavy Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#14Milton Abbot Primary SchoolGood
#15North Tawton Community Primary School and NurseryGood
#16Northlew and Ashbury Parochial Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#17Okehampton Primary School and Foundation UnitGood
#18Princetown Community Primary SchoolGood
#19South Tawton Primary SchoolGood
#20Spreyton SchoolGood
#21St Andrew's Church of England AcademyGood
#22St James Church of England Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#23Tavistock Primary & Nursery SchoolGood
#24Whitchurch Community Primary SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £4,957 (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.

26th of 26 primary schools in West Devon for spending per pupil

#24Meavy Church of England Primary School£5,667
#25St James Church of England Primary and Nursery School£5,394
#26South Tawton Primary School£4,957

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

#1Lady Modiford's Church of England Primary School£20,250
#2Northlew and Ashbury Parochial Church of England Primary School£12,000
#3Lydford Primary School£11,462
#4Exbourne Church of England Primary School£11,226
#5Princetown Community Primary School£9,063
#6Highampton Community Primary School£8,741
#7Bere Alston Primary Academy£8,382
#8Lamerton CofE Primary Academy£8,240
#9Gulworthy Primary Academy£7,986
#10Milton Abbot Primary School£7,730
#11Lew Trenchard Church of England Primary School£7,556
#12Horrabridge Primary & Nursery School£7,517
#13Tavistock Primary & Nursery School£7,190
#14Boasley Cross Community Primary School£6,895
#15Lifton Community Academy£6,893
#16St Andrew's Church of England Academy£6,854
#17Mary Tavy and Brentor Community Primary School£6,739
#18Bridestowe Primary School£6,416
#19Hatherleigh Community Primary School£6,107
#20Whitchurch Community Primary School£5,945
#21Okehampton Primary School and Foundation Unit£5,913
#22North Tawton Community Primary School and Nursery£5,762
#23Chagford Church of England Primary School£5,740
#24Meavy Church of England Primary School£5,667
#25St James Church of England Primary and Nursery School£5,394
#26South Tawton Primary School£4,957

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

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