Cotford St Luke Primary School, Taunton
Cotford St Luke Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Taunton. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 30th-highest of the 36 schools in Taunton with published results, and 12,253rd of 14,452 across England. It was 73% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Somerset (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Cotford St Luke Primary School in detail
Cotford St Luke Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Cotford St Luke Primary School has approximately 210 children at present, and is the main school for the village of Cotford St Luke and environs. Our school has gone from strength to strength since being established in 2003."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils at Cotford St Luke Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 58% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 71% in Somerset and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 74% in reading and 63% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Cotford St Luke Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 22 families put Cotford St Luke Primary School as their first choice and 38 named it as one of their preferences, for 22 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 Cotford St Luke Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cotford St Luke Primary School are Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC Primary (1.3 miles, Good, 80% reading, 60% maths); Bishops Lydeard Church School (1.6 miles, Good, 69% reading, 42% maths); Norton Fitzwarren Church School (1.9 miles, Good, 81% reading, 64% maths); and Staplegrove Church School (2.7 miles, Good, 73% reading, 77% maths).
Cotford St Luke Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Oake, Bradford and Nynehead VC PrimaryBishops Lydeard Church SchoolNorton Fitzwarren Church SchoolStaplegrove Church School
What parents say
31 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Cotford St Luke Primary School (as of September 2025): 90% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 86% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (94%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (81%).
Who goes there
15.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 8 pupils (4%) received SEN support and 4 (2%) 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 autism.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Bishops Lydeard (West Somerset Railway), about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cotford St Luke School (w-bound), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 10 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Somerset (22).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Cotford St Luke Primary School issued 27 suspensions, 11.7 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; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; 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 April 2018, 8 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 January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Cotford St Luke excels at helping children love reading and become fluent readers from an early age. The school provides a wonderful range of educational visits, clubs and trips that enrich children's learning and build their confidence and independence. Parents praise the caring, nurturing environment where staff build positive relationships with pupils.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with well-trained staff helping pupils become confident and fluent readers from Nursery onwards
- Excellent wider personal development, including online safety, understanding of protected characteristics, and career aspirations
- Wide extra-curricular offer including clubs, trips, and residential experiences that broaden pupils' horizons
- Positive staff relationships with pupils and supportive school culture
- Quick identification and support for pupils with SEND
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching does not check pupils' understanding carefully enough, leaving knowledge gaps unaddressed
- Inconsistent application of behaviour expectations and consequences across the school
- Record-keeping for behaviour and safeguarding incidents is not detailed enough
- Poor outdoor provision in Reception Year limits children's gross motor skill development
- Governors lack sufficient expertise to provide robust oversight and challenge
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with a safeguarding team that acts promptly and liaisons with external agencies to support vulnerable pupils, though record-keeping and recording of incidents could be more robust.
Extracurricular Activities
Gymnastics, archery, chess, dodgeball, museum visits, theatre trips, pantomimes, residential trips, peer mediator roles, school council
Cotford St Luke is a friendly school where pupils feel happy and enjoy learning, but the quality of education requires improvement as many pupils are not developing the necessary knowledge and skills for their next steps.
At a Glance
15.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
31 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 declined from 74% to 69% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 63% to 58% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 69% to 56% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.1
Avg class size
26.3
Infant (KS1)
24.4
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Cotford St Luke Primary School
New Website
15 Jul 2026
Reception and KS1 Enjoy a Wonderful Day at Court Farm
8 Jul 2026
Year 3 and 4 Visit Noah's Ark Zoo Farm
8 Jun 2026
Sports Day 2026 🏅🏃♂️
5 Jun 2026
Fledglings and Oak Class Enjoy an Amazing Visit from Exmoor Zoo! 🕷️
3 Jun 2026
Year 6 Enjoy Fantastic Residential at PGL Barton Hall 🏕️
20 May 2026
From Cotford St Luke Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Cotford St Luke Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Cotford St Luke Primary School.
- Cotford St Luke Primary School Holiday ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cotford St Luke Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cotford St Luke Primary School is in Somerset; for families living there:
Apply to Somerset for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- 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, 0 serious and 1 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 Somerset is 3 (the median across 307 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 Cotford St Luke Primary School
Will you get a place at Cotford St Luke Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cotford St Luke Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cotford St Luke Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cotford St Luke Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Somerset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Cotford St Luke Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Somerset 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
73%
Available places
220 pupils
300 places
80 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Taunton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Taunton
Across Somerset council
Places available
6,414
Applications
4,928
Got 1st preference
95.0%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Somerset council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(10)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
8
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
6.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
201
Total Pupils
92
Boys
109
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
18.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,644
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,354
Per pupil
£1371k
Total funding
£50k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.4%
Overall absence
17.5%
Persistent absence
206
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Cotford St Luke Primary School
What are SATs results like at Cotford St Luke Primary School?
Of the pupils at Cotford St Luke Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 69% reached the expected standard in reading and 58% did so in maths.
What is Cotford St Luke Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Cotford St Luke Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Cotford St Luke Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Cotford St Luke Primary School is oversubscribed, Somerset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Cotford St Luke Primary School?
Cotford St Luke Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 73% of its 300 places.
How big are the classes at Cotford St Luke Primary School?
Classes at Cotford St Luke Primary School average 25.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Cotford St Luke Primary School?
Cotford St Luke Primary School has around 201 pupils on roll. 15% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cotford St Luke Primary School?
6.4% of sessions were missed at Cotford St Luke Primary School in 2024/25. 17.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cotford St Luke Primary School?
Apply through Somerset's coordinated admissions process, naming Cotford St Luke 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 Cotford St Luke Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Cotford St Luke Primary School Holiday Club (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 Cotford St Luke 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, 0 serious and 1 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 Somerset is 3 (the median across 307 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cotford St Luke Primary School?
Cotford St Luke Primary School is at Bethell Mead, Cotford St Luke, Taunton, Somerset, TA4 1HZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)