SCHOOL PROFILE

Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Barnstaple

Primary Academy converter URN 140739
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 218 Published school capacity
Capacity used 98.2% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 2 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

4 March 2025
Latest published outcome Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Roman Catholic
Local authority Devon
Trust PLYMOUTH CAST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 214 214 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 111 51.9% of pupils
Male pupils 103 48.1% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

25.7%
0.9 pts above England
School 25.7%
North Devon 23.2%
South West 20.1%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

15.4%
4.9 pts below England
School 15.4%
North Devon 4.1%
South West 10.7%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
North Devon 0.7%
South West 1.5%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
66.4%
142
African
14.0%
30
Indian
6.1%
13
Any other White background
5.1%
11
Any other ethnic group
4.2%
9
Any other Asian background
0.9%
2
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 20.6% 44 of 214 pupils
0.3 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 20.6%
North Devon 22.2%
South West 21.7%
England 20.8%
SEN support 17.8% 38 pupils
England 14.8% 3.0 pts above
EHC plans 2.8% 6 pupils
England 6.0% 3.2 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 16
Social, emotional & mental health 14
Specific learning difficulty 9
Autistic spectrum disorder 5

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

50.0% 10.4 pts below England
School 50.0%
North Devon 54.9%
South West 58.4%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

69.0%

4.8 pts below England

School 69.0%
North Devon 74.5%
South West 73.1%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

75.0%

4.7 pts above England

School 75.0%
North Devon 63.7%
South West 69.4%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

59.0%

13.0 pts below England

School 59.0%
North Devon 69.0%
South West 70.5%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

4.97%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

1.24 pts lower than England
School 4.97%
North Devon 6.27%
South West 6.20%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

11.35%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

4.46 pts lower than England
School 11.35%
North Devon 15.50%
South West 15.08%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

0.00%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.80 pts lower than England
School 0.00%
North Devon 1.46%
South West 1.90%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

98.2% 10.0 pts above England
Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Barnstaple
98.2%
North Devon
82.7%
South West
84.2%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information