Marwood School, Barnstaple
Marwood School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Barnstaple, part of The Harbour Schools Partnership. It was 71% full in 2025.
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
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
Marwood School in detail
Results
Marwood School has no published results of its own yet. Before it took its current form in 2025, under its previous registration (URN 113161), 94% of its Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 94% in maths in the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments.
Getting a place at Marwood School
For September 2026 entry, 12 families put Marwood School as their first choice and 16 named it as one of their preferences, for 13 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Marwood School are Shirwell Community Primary School (2.7 miles, 38% reading, 50% maths); Pilton Bluecoat Church of England Academy (3 miles, Good, 77% reading, 71% maths); Pilton Infants' Academy (3 miles); and West Down School (3.1 miles).
Shirwell Community Primary SchoolPilton Bluecoat Church of England AcademyPilton Infants' AcademyWest Down School
The trust
Marwood School is one of 36 schools run by The Harbour Schools Partnership, an academy trust.
Who goes there
1.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 16 pupils (22.2%) received SEN support and 1 (1.4%) 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 a moderate learning difficulty.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Marwood School.
1 bus stop is within a five-minute walk; the closest is Milltown Hill (adjacent), 390 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 3 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Devon (16).
Sources: DfE school performance data; GIAS establishment links; 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
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
Marwood School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in April 2025. Before that, as Marwood School (URN 113161), it was rated Requires Improvement in September 2022.
At a Glance
1.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
24.0
Avg class size
28.0
KS2
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
Results at Marwood School before it took its current form in 2025 (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25Published under the school's previous registration (URN 113161). There are no figures for it in its current form yet, so these are shown separately.
KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 77% to 94% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 69% to 94% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 69% to 78% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Marwood School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Marwood School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Marwood 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)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
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 Marwood School
Will you get a place at Marwood School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Marwood School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Marwood School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Marwood School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Devon, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Marwood School for 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
71%
Available places
84 pupils
119 places
35 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Barnstaple
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Barnstaple
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
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
16
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
23.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
72
Total Pupils
47
Boys
25
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
5
Teachers
14.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,605
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,932
Per pupil
£617k
Total funding
£6k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Absence at Marwood School before it took its current form in 20252024/25
Published under the school's previous registration (URN 113161). There are no figures for it in its current form yet, so these are shown separately.
4.4%
Overall absence
8.2%
Persistent absence
85
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Marwood School
Are there exam results for Marwood School?
Marwood School has no published results of its own yet. Before it took its current form in 2025, under its previous registration (URN 113161), 94% of its Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 94% in maths in the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments.
What is Marwood School's Ofsted rating?
Marwood School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in April 2025. Before that, as Marwood School (URN 113161), it was rated Requires Improvement in September 2022.
What is the catchment area for Marwood School?
No fixed boundary. When Marwood 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 Marwood School?
Marwood School was not full in 2025: it ran at 71% of its 119 places.
How big are the classes at Marwood School?
Classes at Marwood School average 24 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Marwood School?
Marwood School has around 72 pupils on roll. 1% are eligible for free school meals.
How do I apply to Marwood School?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Marwood 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.
How many road collisions happen near Marwood School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Devon is 3 (the median across 426 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Marwood School?
Marwood School is at Whiddon, Muddiford, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 4HF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)