Marldon Church of England Primary School

About Marldon Church of England Primary School

Marldon Church of England Primary School sits within the Devon local authority, a mixed state primary for children aged 4 to 11. In the South Hams area, it ranks 5th out of 35 primary schools, placing it comfortably in the top 10% locally. Its closest peers by ranking score include Stockland Church of England Primary Academy and Upottery Primary School, both of which top the list, followed by Berry Pomeroy Parochial CofE Primary School. The school is fully subscribed at its capacity of 210 pupils, and for the 2025/26 intake it received 71 applications for just 29 places, with 28 offers going to first-preference families. That oversubscription ratio of 2.45 to 1 tells you this is a popular choice among local parents. The school has a Church of England religious character and is led by headteacher Martin Harding. In its most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in November 2024, the school was rated Good overall, with leadership and management, early years provision, and behaviour all judged Good. That marks a clear improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2015, when it was rated Requires Improvement.

Academically, Marldon performs well above the Devon local authority average. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 81% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a LA average of 57%. In reading, 94% met the expected standard and 32% reached the higher standard; in writing, 94% met the expected standard and 23% reached the higher standard; in maths, 84% met the expected standard and 45% reached the higher standard. The average scaled scores were 107 in reading and 108 in maths. Nationally, the school ranks in the top 10% of all primary schools on the combined expected standard metric, and in the South West region it sits at 113th out of 1469 schools. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 92% of the 37 respondents would recommend the school, and 95% said their child is happy there. Strong majorities also agreed that pupils feel safe and that the school has high expectations for their child.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, dining hall, outdoor playground, playing fields, music rooms and a chapel. Sports provision covers tennis, dance, athletics, cricket, football, netball and rounders, and there are clubs for science, chess, coding and art. For children with additional needs, Marldon has SEND support in place for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school is oversubscribed, so families applying will need to be aware of the high demand. With its strong academic outcomes, clear improvement trajectory from its previous Ofsted rating, and a parent body that reports high levels of satisfaction, Marldon is a strong fit for families in the South Hams area who want a Church of England primary with a proven track record and a full roll.

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