The Topsham School

About The Topsham School

The Topsham School is a state primary in Exeter, Devon, currently educating 196 pupils against a capacity of 210, so it is operating just below its maximum. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 13.3%, a figure that places it slightly above the national average for primary schools, suggesting a modestly above-average level of disadvantage in its intake. Demand for places is strong: for the 2025/26 academic year, the school received 54 applications for 23 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.35. Of those applications, 22 were first-preference choices, and 22 first-preference offers were made, indicating that almost every family who put it top got in, but that competition for the remaining places was fierce. The school is mixed, non-religious, and serves ages 3 to 11, with nursery provision available. Headteacher Maria White leads a school that has held a Good Ofsted rating since at least 2012, with its most recent ungraded inspection in November 2022 confirming it remains Good.

Academically, the school performs solidly at Key Stage 2. In the 2023/24 results, 67% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is ten percentage points above the Devon local authority average of 57%. The school ranks 8th out of 17 primary schools in Exeter on this metric, placing it in the top half of the city. Individual subject scores are strong: the average reading score was 107, and maths averaged 103, both above the national benchmark of 100. At the higher standard, 40% of pupils achieved in reading, 23% in writing, and 7% in maths. Nationally, the school sits in the 38th percentile, and within the South West region it ranks 469th out of 1,469 primaries. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to starting points, but the attainment figures are clearly above the local norm.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a dining hall, gymnasium, sensory room, library, playing fields, art studios, ICT suite and a chapel. Sports provision covers netball, gymnastics, athletics, football and cross country, while clubs extend to gardening, coding, choir, chess, drama and book club. For children with additional needs, the school has designated SEND provision for social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school is oversubscribed, so families applying from outside the immediate catchment should be aware that first-preference applications were all successful in the most recent round, but total applications more than doubled the available places. This is a well-regarded local primary that suits families who want a non-faith, mixed setting with strong core results, a good range of enrichment, and a clear track record of meeting demand from the local community.

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