South Brent Primary School

About South Brent Primary School

South Brent Primary School holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained consistently across its two most recent inspections, the latest of which took place in 2023. The school’s most telling academic metric is its Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard score, where 56% of pupils met the benchmark in the 2023/24 academic year. This places the school just one percentage point below the Devon local authority average of 57%, a tight margin that suggests broadly typical attainment for the area. Within the South Hams district, the school ranks 23rd out of 35 primary schools on this measure, putting it in the bottom half of its immediate local peers. Nationally, it sits around the 67th percentile, meaning roughly a third of primary schools across England outperform it on this combined measure. The school’s Ofsted report notes that behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision are all Good, with leadership and management also rated Good.

Digging deeper into the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, the picture is mixed. Reading is a relative strength: 81% of pupils reached the expected standard and 44% achieved the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 109. Maths follows at 78% expected and 30% higher, with an average score of 106. Writing lags behind, with only 63% reaching the expected standard and just 7% achieving the higher mark. The combined expected standard figure of 56% is pulled down by this writing performance. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is unclear how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. The school’s overall ranking score of 56 places it in the bottom 50% nationally, and within Devon it ranks 136th out of 309 primary schools. For context, the top-performing schools in the local authority, such as Stockland Church of England Primary Academy and Upottery Primary School, achieve perfect ranking scores of 100.

South Brent Primary is a relatively small school with 176 pupils against a capacity of 293, so there is room for growth. It is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 27 applications for 18 places, with all 18 first-preference applicants offered a spot. The school offers a broad range of facilities including a library, music rooms, a sensory room, forest school provision, art studios, playing fields, and a chapel. Sports include athletics, netball, dance and rounders, while clubs cover drama, choir, science and eco club. The school supports a wide range of special educational needs, including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 21% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a moderately disadvantaged intake. This is a solid, well-regarded village primary that suits families seeking a Good-rated school with strong reading outcomes and a supportive SEND framework, though those prioritising top-tier academic results may want to look at higher-performing peers in the area.

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