Bow Community Primary School, Crediton
Bow Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Crediton. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 9 schools in Crediton with published results, and 12,428th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 102% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Devon (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Bow Community Primary School in detail
Bow Community Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "It is my absolute pleasure to welcome you to Bow Community Primary School. Our aim is to support and nurture all children, so they thrive during their time at Bow Community Primary School and are prepared socially, emotionally and academically for their next steps in education. We strive to be an inclusive school, which is happy and safe."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include drama and Lego.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils at Bow Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 55% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Devon and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (67% in reading, 57% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Bow Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 21 families put Bow Community Primary School as their first choice and 28 named it as one of their preferences, for 21 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Bow Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Bow Community Primary School are Spreyton School (3.2 miles, Good); Copplestone Primary School (3.2 miles, Good, 77% reading, 46% maths); North Tawton Community Primary School and Nursery (3.5 miles, Good, 72% reading, 83% maths); and Yeoford Community Primary School (4.1 miles, Good, 60% reading, 60% maths).
Bow Community Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 2 schools.
Spreyton SchoolCopplestone Primary SchoolNorth Tawton Community Primary School and NurseryYeoford Community Primary School
What parents say
36 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Bow Community Primary School (as of September 2025): 92% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (83%).
Who goes there
0.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 16 pupils (12%) received SEN support and 10 (7.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Bow Community Primary School had 10 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Morchard Road Rail Station, about 2.9 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Square (nw-bound), 340 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 3 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Devon (16).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Bow Community Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 1.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Bow Community Primary School excels at creating a warm, supportive environment where pupils develop resilience and confidence. The school has made excellent improvements to early reading and provides outstanding support for pupils with additional needs. Pupils benefit from enriching experiences like swimming in the school pool, educational visits to Parliament and museums, and opportunities to take on real leadership roles.
Key Strengths
- Strengthened early reading programme with children in Reception learning sounds more quickly than before
- Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs - staff understand pupils' difficulties well and provide effective tailored support
- Strong relationships between staff and pupils, with almost all pupils attending regularly
- Positive attitudes toward learning with pupils taking pride in their work
- Rich range of experiences including swimming, visits to museums and Parliament, and community involvement
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching in some subjects lacks sufficient rigour and activities do not focus pupils on learning the most important ideas
- Gaps in pupils' knowledge from earlier learning are not consistently identified and addressed through checks on learning
- Some unsettled behaviour in key stage 2 occasionally disrupts learning for pupils
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with pupils taught how to keep themselves safe online and around animals.
Extracurricular Activities
Swimming lessons in outdoor school pool, carol singing in the village, house captains roles, litter-picking duties, visits to local museums, visits to Houses of Parliament, money-raising activities for good causes
Bow Community Primary School has made significant progress since its previous inspection and is now rated Good. The school nurtures pupils' resilience and independence while providing strong pastoral care and support for families.
At a Glance
19.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
36 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 70% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 55% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 67% to 55% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.6
Avg class size
27.0
Infant (KS1)
27.0
KS2
5
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Bow Community Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Bow Community Primary School.
- Bow Bears Pre School CIOAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Bow Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Bow Community Primary School is in Devon; for families living there:
- Devon's school travel policy: Free school transport
- How to apply: Apply for free school transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Devon is 3 (the median across 426 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Bow Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Bow Community Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Bow Community Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Bow Community Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Bow Community Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Devon, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Bow Community Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Devon got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
102%
Over capacity
143 pupils
140 places
3 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Crediton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Crediton
Across Devon council
Places available
9,014
Applications
6,494
Got 1st preference
96.5%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Devon council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
16
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
19.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
133
Total Pupils
72
Boys
61
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
13.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,453
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,730
Per pupil
£912k
Total funding
£44k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
8.7%
Persistent absence
126
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Bow Community Primary School
What are SATs results like at Bow Community Primary School?
Of the pupils at Bow Community Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 70% reached the expected standard in reading and 55% did so in maths.
What is Bow Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Bow Community Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2023, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Bow Community Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Bow Community Primary School is oversubscribed, Devon allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Bow Community Primary School?
Bow Community Primary School was full in 2025, at 102% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Bow Community Primary School?
Classes at Bow Community Primary School average 26.6 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Bow Community Primary School?
Bow Community Primary School has around 133 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Bow Community Primary School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at Bow Community Primary School in 2024/25. 8.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Bow Community Primary School?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Bow Community Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Bow Community Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Bow Bears Pre School CIO (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Bow Community Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Devon is 3 (the median across 426 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Bow Community Primary School?
Bow Community Primary School is at Station Road, Bow, Crediton, Devon, EX17 6HU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)