Weston Mill Community Primary Academy

About Weston Mill Community Primary Academy

Weston Mill Community Primary Academy is a state primary school in Plymouth, a local authority where nine out of 69 primary schools currently hold an Outstanding Ofsted rating. The school itself ranks 64th out of 65 primary schools in the LA based on the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2, placing it in the bottom 50 nationally. The top-performing peers in the area are Tor Bridge Primary School, Elburton Primary School and Hooe Primary Academy, all of which sit significantly higher in the rankings. Headteacher Emma Lenszner leads a mixed-gender school for children aged 2 to 11, with a current roll of 207 pupils against a capacity of 420. Half of the school's pupils are eligible for free school meals, a figure that is notably high and reflects the community it serves. The school does not have a religious character and offers nursery provision.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2024, Weston Mill was judged to require improvement overall, with the quality of education, personal development, and behaviour and attitudes all rated as requires improvement. However, early years provision was rated Good, and leadership and management also requires improvement. The previous inspection in 2012 had rated the school Good overall. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, just 26% of pupils achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, compared with the Plymouth LA average of 63%. In reading, 52% reached the expected standard and 16% reached the higher standard; in maths, 32% met the expected standard and 10% reached the higher standard. Writing saw 65% at the expected standard but no pupils at the higher standard. Progress scores were not available for any subject.

The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 academic year, with 46 applications for 25 places and 23 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.84. Facilities include a sports hall, playing fields, music rooms, a forest school, library, gymnasium, dining hall and chapel. Sports on offer include rounders, football, gymnastics, cricket and netball, while clubs include chess, art, science and coding. The school provides support for pupils with moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment and physical disability. Parent View responses from 18 respondents between September 2024 and September 2025 show that 72% would recommend the school, though views on behaviour and dealing with concerns were more mixed. This school may suit families who value its early years provision and wide range of facilities, but who are aware that academic outcomes are currently well below the local average.

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