Tavistock Primary & Nursery School
Tavistock, PL19 8BX · Devon · primary school
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166th of 279 primary schools in Devon we can score, 309 in total — the rest without enough published data. Local and same-phase on purpose: a national table mostly measures who attends.
Its results hold up when the comparison narrows to schools whose pupils have similar backgrounds — 3.2/10 against 2,240 of them, against 2.9/10 nationally. So this is not simply a reflection of who attends. Both figures are results only, without the inspection grade. A lower figure here means a stronger comparison group, not a weaker school.
How this is worked out
| Measure | Percentile | Weight | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expected standard (RWM) 2024/25 | 54.0 · 26 | 40% | 1.03 |
| Ofsted | 52 | 35% | 1.82 |
| Higher standard (RWM) 2024/25 | 4.0 · 35 | 25% | 0.88 |
Each measure is read as a position among comparable schools, so a school in the middle of the country scores 5. Full method.
Tavistock Primary & Nursery School overview
How it's doing
In 2024/25, 54.0% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, compared to the national median of 64%. The higher standard was reached by 4.0%, against a national median of 7%. Ofsted rated the school Good in September 2024. Its results are much the same when the comparison narrows to schools whose pupils have similar backgrounds, so the gap is not explained by intake (3.2 out of 10 against similar schools, 2.9 out of 10 against all schools).
Beyond the classroom
Pupils participate in football, rugby, netball, cross country, and swimming, alongside arts activities such as the Christmas Tree Festival, Sustainability Sunflower Art, and Paint the Town: Spring Garlands.
Getting in
The published school roll is 321 pupils against a stated capacity of 420. These whole-school figures do not establish entry-year vacancies or the likelihood of an offer. Confirm entry-year availability and admissions criteria with the school or local authority.
Worth asking on a visit
How does the school support pupils who are below the expected standard in maths? What specific strategies are used to raise attainment in writing?
What Ofsted said about Tavistock Primary & Nursery School
Overview
This ungraded inspection confirms the school remains ‘good’, though evidence suggests a graded inspection might yield a lower judgement. The school is navigating leadership changes and implementing an ‘ambitious curriculum’ alongside new behaviour management strategies. While improvements are ‘starting to make a difference’, they are currently ‘in the early stages’, meaning the curriculum does yet fully support all pupils in building knowledge securely.
Strengths
- Staff build ‘positive relationships’ with pupils, knowing them and their families well.
- The curriculum is designed to sequence knowledge, incorporating local heritage and ‘reading for pleasure’ initiatives like ‘browsing sessions’.
- Pupils value extra-curricular opportunities, including clubs and residential visits, and appreciate leadership roles such as house captains.
- Regular ‘professional development meetings’ strengthen staff subject knowledge, aiding teaching in areas like mathematics.
- Safeguarding arrangements are ‘effective’, with an open culture that puts pupils’ interests first.
Areas to improve
- Some pupils, including those with SEND, do not receive sufficient support to learn to read quickly enough, hindering their progress across the curriculum.
- Staff do not consistently apply the behaviour policy, leading to ‘low-level disruption’ and inconsistent management of challenging behaviour.
- Leaders and governors do not monitor key data, such as behaviour and safeguarding records, with enough rigour to identify trends and inform necessary adaptations.
Safeguarding
The report states that ‘the arrangements for safeguarding are effective’, though minor improvements are needed to ensure record keeping accurately reflects policy to enable precise monitoring of patterns over time.
Results over time
Expected standard (reading, writing, maths), the years we hold.
| Year | Expected standard (reading, writing, maths) |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 50% |
| 2023/24 | 60% |
| 2024/25 | 54% |
| England | 64% |
Source: DfE Explore Education Statistics. “England” is the median of the 14,326 state schools in England we hold a 2024/25 figure for — a school-level median, not the DfE's pupil-weighted national figure.
Your offer chance
—Based on official applications/offers, distance and catchment where we have it. Bands only — never a percentage.
Sibling, faith, looked-after and other criteria can override distance. Always confirm with the school or local authority.
Next dates
- Primary (Reception) application deadline15 Jan 2027
- Primary National Offer Day16 Apr 2027
- Primary (Reception) application deadline15 Jan 2028
- Primary National Offer Day17 Apr 2028
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