Instow Community Primary and Pre-School, Bideford
Instow Community Primary and Pre-School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Bideford, part of Atlantic Coast Co-Operative Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2011. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 4th-highest of the 12 schools in Bideford with published results, and 3,012th of 14,452 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2011)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
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
Instow Community Primary and Pre-School in detail
Instow Community Primary and Pre-School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Instow Community Primary and Pre-School . As Headteacher, I am proud to lead a school where we believe that every child has the potential to 'Aim High' and achieve their very best."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils at Instow Community Primary and Pre-School reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Devon and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 78% in reading and 67% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Instow Community Primary and Pre-School
For September 2026 entry, 16 families put Instow Community Primary and Pre-School as their first choice and 30 named it as one of their preferences, for 17 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 Instow Community Primary and Pre-School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Instow Community Primary and Pre-School are Appledore School (1.4 miles, Good, 89% reading, 89% maths); Fremington Primary School (1.9 miles, 62% reading, 52% maths); St George's CofE Infant and Nursery School (2.3 miles); and St Margaret's Church of England Junior School (2.4 miles, 65% reading, 60% maths).
Instow Community Primary and Pre-School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Appledore SchoolFremington Primary SchoolSt George's CofE Infant and Nursery SchoolSt Margaret's Church of England Junior School
The trust
Instow Community Primary and Pre-School is one of 6 schools run by Atlantic Coast Co-Operative Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
11% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 20 pupils (14.7%) received SEN support and 3 (2.2%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Instow Community Primary and Pre-School.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Rectory Lane (sw-bound), 300 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 6 crimes within a mile of the school, most often public order offences, violence and sexual offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Devon (16).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Instow Community Primary and Pre-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; 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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from November 2011, 14 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2011 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
11.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 78% to 89% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 67% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 67% to 72% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.2
Avg class size
25.0
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Instow Community Primary and Pre-School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Instow Community Primary and Pre-School.
- Little Butterflies After School ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Ferry Terminals
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Instow Community Primary and Pre-School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Instow Community Primary and Pre-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.
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 Instow Community Primary and Pre-School
Will you get a place at Instow Community Primary and Pre-School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Instow Community Primary and Pre-School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Instow Community Primary and Pre-School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Instow Community Primary and Pre-School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Devon, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Instow Community Primary and Pre-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
96%
Near capacity
134 pupils
140 places
6 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bideford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bideford
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(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
20
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
16.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
136
Total Pupils
69
Boys
67
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,927
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,348
Per pupil
£816k
Total funding
£21k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.2%
Overall absence
7.4%
Persistent absence
121
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Instow Community Primary and Pre-School
What are SATs results like at Instow Community Primary and Pre-School?
Of the pupils at Instow Community Primary and Pre-School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 89% reached the expected standard in reading and 83% did so in maths.
What is Instow Community Primary and Pre-School's Ofsted rating?
Instow Community Primary and Pre-School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2011, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Instow Community Primary and Pre-School?
No fixed boundary. When Instow Community Primary and Pre-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 Instow Community Primary and Pre-School?
Instow Community Primary and Pre-School was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Instow Community Primary and Pre-School?
Classes at Instow Community Primary and Pre-School average 27.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Instow Community Primary and Pre-School?
Instow Community Primary and Pre-School has around 136 pupils on roll. 11% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Instow Community Primary and Pre-School?
4.2% of sessions were missed at Instow Community Primary and Pre-School in 2024/25. 7.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Instow Community Primary and Pre-School?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Instow Community Primary and Pre-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 Instow Community Primary and Pre-School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Little Butterflies After School 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 Instow Community Primary and Pre-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. 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 Instow Community Primary and Pre-School?
Instow Community Primary and Pre-School is at Rectory Lane, Instow, Bideford, Devon, EX39 4LU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)