Exford Church of England First School

About Exford Church of England First School

Exford Church of England First School is a tiny primary in Somerset, with just 12 pupils on roll against a capacity of 60, and its headline metrics tell a story of a school that is very much an outlier. The local authority average for Key Stage 2 attainment sits at 59, but Exford does not publish KS2 results in the data, so direct comparison is impossible. What is clear is that the school’s size is its defining feature: it is one of the smallest state primaries in the area, and its oversubscription ratio of exactly 1 (two applications for two places in the 2025/26 admissions round) suggests it is not a pressured choice for most local families. The school is a Church of England first school, taking children from age 4 to 9, and its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023 graded it Good overall, with leadership and management also rated Good. This is a significant improvement from its previous inspection in 2010, when it was rated Requires Improvement overall, with early years provision scoring 2 and leadership and management scoring 3.

Academically, the picture is limited because the data does not include Progress 8 or KS2 SATs scores for Exford, so we cannot compare its outcomes to the LA average of 59. The Ofsted inspection in 2023 was an ungraded visit that confirmed the school remains Good, but it did not provide fresh graded judgements for quality of education, behaviour, or early years. The previous graded inspection in 2013 rated overall effectiveness as Good, with leadership and management also Good. Given the school’s tiny cohort, any published exam results would be statistically unreliable, which may explain their absence. The school’s religious character as Church of England is likely woven into its daily life, and the presence of a chapel on site supports this. For parents focused on measurable academic performance, the lack of data is a significant gap, but the Ofsted trajectory from Requires Improvement to Good across two inspections indicates steady improvement under headteacher Alison Blackmore.

Practical context is where Exford really stands out. The school offers an impressive range of facilities for its size, including a gymnasium, sports hall, ICT suite, art studios, music rooms, playing fields, a sensory room, forest school, and a chapel. Sports on offer include cross country, rounders, gymnastics, netball, dance, and tennis, while clubs range from drama and choir to chess, eco club, film club, and coding. The school has a specific SEND provision for speech, language, and communication needs. With only 16.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the intake is not particularly disadvantaged compared to some local schools. This is a school that will suit families who value a very small, close-knit environment where every child is known individually, and who are comfortable with the lack of academic benchmarking. It is not oversubscribed, so admission is straightforward, and the first school model means children move on at age 9, typically to a middle school.

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