Umberleigh Primary Academy

About Umberleigh Primary Academy

Umberleigh Primary Academy holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across both its most recent inspections, including an ungraded visit in 2023 that confirmed the school 'remains Good'. The most telling academic metric comes from the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results: 56% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That figure sits just one percentage point below the Devon local authority average of 57%, placing the school in the middle of the pack locally. In North Devon specifically, Umberleigh ranks 16th out of 31 primary schools on this measure, putting it in the bottom half of its immediate area. Nationally, it falls within the bottom 50% of all primary schools. The school's reading and maths average scores are 105 and 104 respectively, both slightly above the national benchmark of 100, suggesting solid foundations even if the combined expected standard rate leaves room for improvement.

Digging deeper into the Ofsted breakdown, the early years provision was rated Outstanding in the 2023 inspection, a notable upgrade from the Good (grade 3) it received in 2007. Leadership and management, as well as overall effectiveness, remain Good. At Key Stage 2, individual subject results show a mixed picture: 67% of pupils reached the expected standard in maths, compared with 56% in both reading and writing. Higher standard attainment is low across the board, with 11% achieving higher in reading and none in writing or maths. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is difficult to judge how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points. The school is small, with 83 pupils against a capacity of 56, and 19.7% of children are eligible for free school meals, which is slightly above the national average and may partly explain the modest headline results.

The school offers a nursery provision for children from age two, and its facilities include a library, playing fields, a gymnasium, a sensory room and a chapel. SEND support is well-documented, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorder and social, emotional and mental health challenges. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 12 applications for 10 places, with all 10 first-preference families receiving offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.2. Extra-curricular options are varied, with clubs spanning drama, art, film, eco, gardening and chess, plus sports including football, cricket, swimming and athletics. This is a small, community-focused primary that suits families who value a broad range of activities and strong early years provision, and who are comfortable with a school that performs around the local average academically.

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