Totnes St John's Church of England Primary School

South Hams · TQ9 5TZ

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 163 pupils, 37.4% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 27% on SEN support Behaviour 8.9% absence rate Staff 22.4% turnover Financials £7,751 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Totnes St John's Church of England Primary School

General Information

Address: Pathfields, Totnes, TQ9 5TZ – View on map
Phone: 01803864695
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Rachel Patterson-Azzopardi
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 29 families put it first for 29 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. 2 of the 29 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

163 pupils out of 230 places Plenty of room

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 61
% eligible for free school meals: 37.4%
Pupil mix: 2 in 10 (more mixed than the South Hams average)
English as an additional language: 5% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 22.4% a year (South Hams 19.8%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 52% moved to another school, 48% 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. 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: 8.9%
Persistently absent pupils: 23.2%
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: 27.0%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 7.4%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 19 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 15 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 2 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 2 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 3 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Severe learning difficulty: 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 2023 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: 95% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 16% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 26 percentage points above the South Hams average (69%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well above (3-year average 79% against an expected 58%)
3-year average (expected standard): 79%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 95% · Writing 95% · Maths 95% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 95%
Average test scores: reading 113, maths 110
Based on: 19 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 schoolSouth Hams averageEngland↗ Improving Up 25 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 26 percentage points above the South Hams average (69%).

Year 6 SATs: 2nd of 40 junior and primary schools in the area

#1St Mary's Church of England Primary School100%
#2Totnes St John's Church of England Primary School95%
#3Berry Pomeroy Parochial CofE Primary School91%
#4Thurlestone All Saints Church of England Academy89%

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

#1St Mary's Church of England Primary School100%
#2Totnes St John's Church of England Primary School95%
#3Berry Pomeroy Parochial CofE Primary School91%
#4Thurlestone All Saints Church of England Academy89%
#5Holbeton Primary School88%
#6Stowford School86%
=7Landscove Church of England Primary School85%
=7The Grove School85%
#9Newton Ferrers Church of England Primary School82%
#10Marldon Church of England Primary School80%
=11Aveton Gifford CofE Primary School79%
=11Ermington Primary School79%
=11Stokenham Area Primary School79%
=11Yealmpton Primary School79%
#15Bickleigh Down Church of England Primary School78%
=16Sparkwell All Saints Primary School73%
=16Stoke Fleming Community Primary School73%
#18Dartington Church of England Academy72%
#19Modbury Primary School71%
#20Dartmouth Academy70%
=21Harbertonford Church of England Primary School67%
=21Loddiswell Primary School67%
#23Wembury Primary School64%
=24West Alvington Church of England Academy63%
=24Woodlands Park Primary School63%
#26Kingsbridge Primary School61%
#27East Allington Primary School60%
#28Sherford Vale School & Nursery59%
#29Charleton Church of England Academy57%
#30Cornwood Church of England Primary School56%
#31Salcombe Church of England Primary School53%
=32Blackawton Primary School50%
=32Malborough with South Huish Church of England Primary School50%
#34South Brent Primary School48%
#35Stoke Gabriel Primary School47%
#36St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Primary School, Dartmouth44%
#37Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School38%
#38Manor Primary School, Ivybridge33%
#39Ugborough Primary School30%
#40The Erme Primary School13%

View full Ofsted inspection report

26th of 31 primary schools in South Hams for Ofsted rating

#24The Grove SchoolGood
#25Thurlestone All Saints Church of England AcademyGood
#26Totnes St John's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#27Ugborough Primary SchoolGood
#28West Alvington 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

#1Manor Primary School, IvybridgeOutstanding
#2Bickleigh Down Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#3Blackawton Primary SchoolGood
#4Charleton Church of England AcademyGood
#5Dartington Church of England AcademyGood
#6East Allington Primary SchoolGood
#7Ermington Primary SchoolGood
#8Harbertonford Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#9Holbeton Primary SchoolGood
#10Landscove Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#11Loddiswell Primary SchoolGood
#12Malborough with South Huish Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#13Marldon Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#14Modbury Primary SchoolGood
#15Newton Ferrers Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#16Salcombe Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#17Sherford Vale School & NurseryGood
#18South Brent Primary SchoolGood
#19St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Primary School, DartmouthGood
#20Stoke Fleming Community Primary SchoolGood
#21Stoke Gabriel Primary SchoolGood
#22Stokenham Area Primary SchoolGood
#23Stowford SchoolGood
#24The Grove SchoolGood
#25Thurlestone All Saints Church of England AcademyGood
#26Totnes St John's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#27Ugborough Primary SchoolGood
#28West Alvington Church of England AcademyGood
#29Yealmpton Primary SchoolGood
#30Cornwood Church of England Primary SchoolRequires improvement
#31Kingsbridge Primary SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,751 (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.

9th of 33 primary schools in South Hams for spending per pupil

#7Blackawton Primary School£7,792
#8Manor Primary School, Ivybridge£7,771
#9Totnes St John's Church of England Primary School£7,751
#10St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Primary School, Dartmouth£7,722
#11Stoke Gabriel Primary School£7,314

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

#1Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School£10,179
#2Charleton Church of England Academy£9,940
#3Cornwood Church of England Primary School£9,818
#4Holbeton Primary School£9,507
#5West Alvington Church of England Academy£9,034
#6Ermington Primary School£8,102
#7Blackawton Primary School£7,792
#8Manor Primary School, Ivybridge£7,771
#9Totnes St John's Church of England Primary School£7,751
#10St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Primary School, Dartmouth£7,722
#11Stoke Gabriel Primary School£7,314
#12South Brent Primary School£7,239
#13Sparkwell All Saints Primary School£7,080
#14Berry Pomeroy Parochial CofE Primary School£7,071
#15Newton Ferrers Church of England Primary School£7,048
#16East Allington Primary School£6,908
#17Stokenham Area Primary School£6,862
#18Yealmpton Primary School£6,743
#19Ugborough Primary School£6,735
#20Aveton Gifford CofE Primary School£6,733
#21Salcombe Church of England Primary School£6,559
#22Landscove Church of England Primary School£6,517
#23Sherford Vale School & Nursery£6,210
#24Dartington Church of England Academy£6,195
#25Wembury Primary School£6,074
#26Woodlands Park Primary School£5,877
#27The Grove School£5,874
#28Harbertonford Church of England Primary School£5,874
#29Thurlestone All Saints Church of England Academy£5,817
#30Stowford School£5,773
#31Bickleigh Down Church of England Primary School£5,748
#32Stoke Fleming Community Primary School£5,620
#33Kingsbridge Primary School£5,269

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

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