Shaugh Prior Primary School

About Shaugh Prior Primary School

Shaugh Prior Primary School’s most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2024 did not assign an overall effectiveness grade, but the breakdown is stark: the quality of education and leadership and management were both rated Inadequate, while behaviour and attitudes and personal development were judged as Requires improvement. This is a significant downgrade from the school’s previous inspection, which had rated it Requires improvement overall. The most informative exam metric available is the Key Stage 2 results, though the data does not provide a specific score for the school. For context, the Devon local authority average for pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at KS2 is 57 per cent. With just 29 pupils on roll against a capacity of 56, this is a very small village primary where even a handful of children can swing results dramatically, making direct comparison with the LA average difficult.

Academic outcomes at Shaugh Prior are not available in the form of a specific Progress 8 or KS2 SATs score, so it is impossible to say whether the school met or fell short of the Devon average of 57 per cent. What is clear from the Ofsted breakdown is that inspectors had serious concerns about the quality of what pupils are taught and how the school is run. The leadership and management grade of Inadequate suggests that headteacher Leanne Penhallurick and the governing body face significant challenges in turning things around, especially given that the previous inspection had already flagged leadership as Requires improvement. Parents, however, paint a different picture: 89 per cent would recommend the school, and 94 per cent agree or strongly agree that their child is happy there. In the Parent View survey, 100 per cent of respondents agreed that the school gives SEND children the support they need, and 94 per cent agreed that the school has high expectations for their child.

On the practical side, Shaugh Prior offers a range of facilities including a sports hall, playing fields, an ICT suite, art studios, music rooms, a forest school and a chapel. The school provides support for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, social, emotional and mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. For the 2025/26 admissions round, the school was oversubscribed: it received six applications for four places, with a first-preference ratio of 1.5 applicants per place. All four first-preference applicants were offered a spot. This is a school that clearly matters deeply to its local community, but the Ofsted findings mean parents considering it should visit, ask about the improvement plan, and satisfy themselves that the leadership issues are being addressed. It will suit families who value a small, rural setting and are prepared to be actively involved in the school’s recovery.

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