Combe Martin Primary School, Ilfracombe
Combe Martin Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Ilfracombe, part of Alumnis Multi-Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 23rd-highest of the 269 schools in Devon with published results, and 1,154th of 14,452 across England. It was 54% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Devon (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Combe Martin Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 96% of Year 6 pupils at Combe Martin Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 87% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Devon and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 81% in reading and 81% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Combe Martin Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 9 families put Combe Martin Primary School as their first choice and 13 named it as one of their preferences, for 9 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 Combe Martin Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Combe Martin Primary School are Berrynarbor Church of England Primary School (1.2 miles); Kentisbury Primary School (3.5 miles, Good, 63% reading, 75% maths); Ilfracombe Church of England Junior School (3.7 miles, Good, 63% reading, 60% maths); and Ilfracombe Infant and Nursery School (3.8 miles, Good).
Combe Martin Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 2 of them.
Berrynarbor Church of England Primary SchoolKentisbury Primary SchoolIlfracombe Church of England Junior SchoolIlfracombe Infant and Nursery School
The trust
Combe Martin Primary School is one of 6 schools run by Alumnis Multi-Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
34 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Combe Martin Primary School (as of September 2025): 82% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 73% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (91%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (59%).
Who goes there
34.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 3.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
Combe Martin Primary School had 9 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Combe Martin Primary School.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Libra Gardens (se-bound), 100 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Combe Martin Primary School issued 19 suspensions, 12.9 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); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2012, 14 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school creates a happy, welcoming environment where pupils develop positive attitudes to learning and strong character virtues like resilience. Staff build nurturing relationships with all pupils and provide excellent pastoral support. The school enriches learning through diverse trips and experiences, such as beach safety days and visits from local professionals.
Key Strengths
- Strong behaviour and attitudes with positive pupil relationships and nurturing environment
- Wide range of enriching trips and experiences that enhance learning
- Good promotion of reading and support for pupils with SEND to learn alongside their peers
- Effective safeguarding arrangements
- Support for pupils to be active citizens through leadership roles and community involvement
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching of the curriculum is variable and does not consistently meet the ambitious curriculum expectations
- Early years provision lacks clarity about what children should learn, hindering their progress
- Assessment checks are not effective at identifying knowledge gaps, leaving some pupils with unaddressed gaps
- Children in Reception are not learning to read well enough due to insufficient practice and support with phonics
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with leaders creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Choir, gardening club, beach cleans, pupil leadership roles, before and after-school club
Combe Martin Primary School is a happy and welcoming school where pupils take pride in attending, but the quality of education requires improvement because teaching does not yet consistently meet the ambitions of the curriculum being developed.
At a Glance
34.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
34 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 improved from 81% to 96% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 81% to 87% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 70% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.5
Avg class size
24.0
Infant (KS1)
31.0
KS2
4
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 Combe Martin Primary School
Before and after school care
Combe Martin Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Devon
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Combe Martin Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Combe Martin 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
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Combe Martin Primary School
Will you get a place at Combe Martin Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Combe Martin Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Combe Martin Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Combe Martin 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 Combe Martin Primary School for 2019 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
54%
Available places
113 pupils
208 places
95 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Ilfracombe
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ilfracombe
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(3)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
16
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
15.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
137
Total Pupils
78
Boys
59
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
15.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,147
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,483
Per pupil
£797k
Total funding
£52k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.9%
Overall absence
14.8%
Persistent absence
108
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Combe Martin Primary School
What are SATs results like at Combe Martin Primary School?
Of the pupils at Combe Martin Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 96% reached the expected standard in reading and 87% did so in maths.
What is Combe Martin Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Combe Martin Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Combe Martin Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Combe Martin 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 Combe Martin Primary School?
Combe Martin Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 54% of its 208 places.
How big are the classes at Combe Martin Primary School?
Classes at Combe Martin Primary School average 27.5 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 Combe Martin Primary School?
Combe Martin Primary School has around 137 pupils on roll. 34% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Combe Martin Primary School?
5.9% of sessions were missed at Combe Martin Primary School in 2024/25. 14.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Combe Martin Primary School?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Combe Martin 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 Combe Martin Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Combe Martin Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Combe Martin Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Combe Martin Primary School?
Combe Martin Primary School is at Hangman Path, Combe Martin, Ilfracombe, Devon, EX34 0DF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)