Schools near Barnstaple
29 open schools in Barnstaple, Devon · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · see all Devon schools · grammar schools in Barnstaple
Barnstaple has 29 state schools: 24 primary, 2 secondary, part of Devon's wider catchment. 27 have a published Ofsted rating, and 18 of those are rated Good or Outstanding.
Undersubscribed schools rated Good or Outstanding
These schools didn't fill on first preference in the latest admissions year, despite an Ofsted rating of Good or Outstanding — worth a look if you're chasing the same handful of famous names everyone else applies to.
How places are allocated in Devon
Primary schools: Devon's own term is 'relevant area' (equivalent to catchment); catchment maps are published per school by the council. (source)
Most schools use the local authority's default scheme rather than a school-specific catchment map — see each school's page for its own designated/catchment area where one is published.
Devon entrance test format
Colyton Grammar School uses papers from Quest Assessments: maths and English questions based solely on the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum — no verbal or non-verbal reasoning. The full test session runs about two and a half hours including breaks, sat at the school in mid-September of Year 6. Register directly on the school's website during its Year 5 registration window; results arrive in October before the 31 October application deadline.
Key dates
| Entry year | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 2028 | Application deadline | 2027-10-31 |
| Sept 2028 | Primary application deadline | 2028-01-15 |
| Sept 2028 | Offer day | 2028-03-01 |
| Sept 2028 | Primary offer day | 2028-04-17 |
| Sept 2027 | Registration closes | 2026-07-31 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Test date | 2026-09-12 |
| Sept 2027 | Results released | 2026-10-21 |
| Sept 2027 | Application deadline | 2026-10-31 |
| Sept 2027 | Primary application deadline | 2027-01-15 |
| Sept 2027 | Offer day | 2027-03-01 |
| Sept 2027 | Primary offer day | 2027-04-16 |
| Sept 2026 | Application deadline | 2025-10-31 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Primary application deadline | 2026-01-15 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Offer day | 2026-03-02 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Primary offer day | 2026-04-16 (passed) |
Out-of-area applications
Devon's only grammar school is Colyton Grammar School (mixed, east Devon) — note that Plymouth and Torbay are separate unitary authorities with their own grammar schools and their own tests. Colyton runs its own entrance test with registration direct via the school's website during its registration window in Year 5. Children living outside Devon can register — the school draws from east Devon, Somerset and Dorset. Apply via your home LA's Common Application Form by 31 October. Check the school's oversubscription criteria for distance/priority-area effects when oversubscribed.
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