Lipson Vale Primary School, Plymouth
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Lipson Vale excels at creating a welcoming 'family' environment where pupils feel they belong and are happy. The school provides a carefully planned curriculum with particularly strong support for children who find learning difficult, helping them catch up quickly. Parents value the relationships staff build with families and recognise the positive progress their children make, with excellent enrichment activities including residential trips, museum visits and music clubs.
Key Strengths
- Well-sequenced curriculum from early years to Year 6 that helps pupils build knowledge progressively
- Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils, including a nurture room providing bespoke learning
- Strong personal development programme with enriching trips, clubs including orchestra and choir, and teaching of health, wellbeing and safety
- Early identification of pupil needs and effective interventions, particularly in phonics support
- Leaders have deep understanding of their community and make pupil-focused decisions
Areas for Improvement
- Not enough pupils reach higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics
- Behaviour management is inconsistent across the school with some staff having low expectations
- Leaders lack sufficient oversight of how staff manage behaviour and its impact on learning
- Early years learning activities sometimes lack precise aims, preventing some children developing needed skills
- Some staff do not apply behaviour management training accurately
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders and governors fulfil their responsibilities, have created an open safeguarding culture, and pupils are made safer and feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
School orchestra, choir, eco-councillor roles, lunchtime peer mentor roles, school council, clubs
Lipson Vale Primary School is an expected standard primary school where pupils progress well through reading, writing and mathematics curriculums with improving attainment over time. The school has a strong curriculum, effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, and a well-developed personal development programme.
At a Glance
24.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 69%. Maths has improved from 60% to 67%. Writing has remained stable at around 79%.
Class Sizes
28.6
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
29.0
KS2
14
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
94%
Near capacity
393 pupils
420 capacity
27 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Plymouth
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Plymouth
Admissions Demand - Plymouth
Places available
3,262
Applications
2,358
Got 1st preference
96.8%
Got preferred school
99.6%
Primary admissions across Plymouth (2025/26)
Inspection History(108)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.90652%
Overall absence
12.43094%
Persistent absence
362
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Lipson Vale Primary School
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