St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Primary School, Dartmouth

About St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Primary School, Dartmouth

St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Primary School in Dartmouth sits well below the Devon local authority average for Key Stage 2 outcomes, with just 38% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the LA average of 57%. That gap of 19 percentage points is significant and places the school in the bottom half of primary schools nationally, ranking 218th out of 309 similar schools in Devon. The picture is more mixed when you look at individual subjects: 81% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, which is strong, and the average reading score of 105 is solid. But maths tells a different story — only 56% reached the expected standard, and no pupils achieved the higher standard in maths, compared with 31% who did so in reading. Writing also lags behind, with just 50% at the expected level. So while reading outcomes are respectable, the school's overall performance is pulled down by weaker maths and writing results.

In its most recent graded inspection in 2010, the school was rated Good overall, and an ungraded inspection in 2023 confirmed that it remains Good. The early years provision, leadership and management, and overall effectiveness were all judged Good in the 2010 inspection. There are no Progress 8 scores available for this primary school, so it's not possible to measure how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points. The school is small, with just 79 pupils on roll against a capacity of 87, and 24.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is above the national average. The headteacher is Liz Hamilton. The school's ranking in the South Hams local authority area is 31st out of 35 schools, placing it in the bottom 88th percentile locally.

The school offers a range of facilities including a sensory room, forest school, chapel, art studios and a dining hall. Sports provision covers tennis, football, rounders, cross country and cricket, and there are clubs for drama, gardening and eco activities. The school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. For the 2025/26 admissions cycle, the school was oversubscribed with 10 applications for 5 places, and all 5 first preference applicants were offered a place, giving a 2:1 oversubscription ratio. This is a Roman Catholic primary that will suit families who prioritise a small, faith-based setting with strong reading outcomes and a forest school programme, but who are aware that maths and writing results are below the local average.

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