Goosewell Primary Academy, Plymouth
Goosewell Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Plymouth, part of Reach South Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 25th-highest of the 73 schools in Plymouth with published results, and 5,775th of 14,452 across England. It was 64% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- 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 Plymouth (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Goosewell Primary Academy in detail
Goosewell Primary Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Goosewell Primary Academy is a lively and vibrant school where children are enthusiastic and motivated to achieve endless possibilities. The children are at the heart of every decision we make to ensure that they are happy, confident and that the opportunities provided for them, are relevant to their needs both now and in their futures."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils at Goosewell Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 74% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Plymouth and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (82% in reading, 79% in maths).
Getting a place at Goosewell Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 52 families put Goosewell Primary Academy as their first choice and 103 named it as one of their preferences, for 58 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Goosewell Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Goosewell Primary Academy are Pomphlett Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 69% reading, 69% maths); Elburton Primary School (0.8 miles, Outstanding, 85% reading, 89% maths); Oreston Community Academy (1.1 miles, Good, 69% reading, 64% maths); and Morley Meadow Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 80% reading, 80% maths).
Goosewell Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Pomphlett Primary SchoolElburton Primary SchoolOreston Community AcademyMorley Meadow Primary School
The trust
Goosewell Primary Academy is one of 20 schools run by Reach South Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
105 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Goosewell Primary Academy (as of September 2025): 91% would recommend the school, 92% say their child is happy there and 62% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (94%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (62%).
Who goes there
11.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 4.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Goosewell Primary Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 10 places, 10 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Plymouth Rail Station, about 3.1 miles away in a straight line.
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Plymstock Bowling Club (w-bound), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 49 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Plymouth (196).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Goosewell Primary Academy issued 3 suspensions, 0.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Goosewell Primary Academy are Coombe Dean School (0.3 miles) and Plymstock School (0.5 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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 December 2019, 6 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
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is an inclusive school where children feel they belong and thrive. The school is excellent at teaching reading and has strong behaviour expectations with pupils showing real courtesy and kindness to each other. Parents will appreciate that the school supports all families, including military families, and gives pupils many opportunities to develop as responsible citizens through leadership roles and charitable work.
Key Strengths
- Strong teaching of reading with expert staff who quickly identify pupils falling behind and provide targeted support
- Well-designed curriculum that helps pupils build knowledge sequentially in many subjects
- Positive behaviour and strong relationships - pupils are polite, kind and enjoy playing together across all ages
- Wide range of enrichment opportunities including leadership roles, charitable work and celebration of diversity
- Effective support for pupils with special educational needs who achieve well
Areas for Improvement
- Assessment practices in some subjects are not effectively checking for and correcting misconceptions
- Teaching sometimes moves on to new concepts before pupils have learned the intended content well enough
- Need to refine how teachers use assessment to help pupils build knowledge cumulatively across subjects
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear procedures and a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Rise to greatness award programme, head student and leadership roles, house captains, field gun club, Armed Forces Day celebrations, charity support work, masked reader scheme
Goosewell Primary Academy has maintained good standards since its previous inspection. The school is an inclusive and happy place where pupils demonstrate high expectations for behaviour and achievement.
At a Glance
11.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
105 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 82% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 79% to 74% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 78% to 74% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.6
Avg class size
25.2
Infant (KS1)
24.3
KS2
16
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Goosewell Primary Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Goosewell Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Goosewell Primary Academy is in Plymouth; for families living there:
Apply to Plymouth for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 14
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 10 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 on a bicycle.
2 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 Plymouth is 22 (the median across 107 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 Goosewell Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Goosewell Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Goosewell Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Goosewell Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Goosewell Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Plymouth, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Goosewell Primary Academy for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Plymouth 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
64%
Available places
405 pupils
630 places
225 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Plymouth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Plymouth
Across Plymouth council
Places available
3,035
Applications
2,294
Got 1st preference
93.5%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Plymouth council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
60
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
19.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Goosewell Primary Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 10 places, 10 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
394
Total Pupils
197
Boys
197
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
23
Teachers
17.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,028
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£2199k
Total funding
£86k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.1%
Overall absence
12.1%
Persistent absence
381
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Goosewell Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Goosewell Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Goosewell Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Goosewell Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 86% reached the expected standard in reading and 74% did so in maths.
What is Goosewell Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Goosewell Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Goosewell Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Goosewell Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Plymouth allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Goosewell Primary Academy?
Goosewell Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 64% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Goosewell Primary Academy?
Classes at Goosewell Primary Academy average 24.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Goosewell Primary Academy?
Goosewell Primary Academy has around 394 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Goosewell Primary Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Goosewell Primary Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 10 places, 10 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Goosewell Primary Academy?
5.1% of sessions were missed at Goosewell Primary Academy in 2024/25. 12.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Goosewell Primary Academy?
Apply through Plymouth's coordinated admissions process, naming Goosewell Primary Academy 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.
How many road collisions happen near Goosewell Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 10 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 on a bicycle. 2 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 Plymouth is 22 (the median across 107 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Goosewell Primary Academy?
Goosewell Primary Academy is at Goosewell Road, Plymstock, Plymouth, Devon, PL9 9HD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)