Membury Primary Academy, Axminster
Membury Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Axminster, part of The First Federation Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2025 did not change this grade. It was 25% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Capacity
- 25% full
- Attendance
- In line with England
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 26 Oct 2026
Membury Primary Academy in detail
Membury Primary Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a small school at the heart of our village community in rural East Devon where we create close, supportive relationships. We know all children and families individually and have high expectations of behaviour and attainment."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include multi-sports and drama.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Membury Primary Academy
Across Devon, 96% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
Admissions history and your chances at Membury Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Membury Primary Academy are Stockland Church of England Primary Academy (2.1 miles, Good, 90% reading, 90% maths); All Saints Church of England Primary School (2.1 miles, Requires improvement, 90% reading, 70% maths); St Andrew's CofE Primary Academy (2.3 miles, 67% reading, 50% maths); and Kilmington Primary School (3.2 miles, Requires improvement, 88% reading, 50% maths).
Stockland Church of England Primary AcademyAll Saints Church of England Primary SchoolSt Andrew's CofE Primary AcademyKilmington Primary School
The trust
Membury Primary Academy is one of 29 schools run by The First Federation Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
12 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Membury Primary Academy (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (83%).
Who goes there
0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 3 pupils (37.5%) received SEN support and 2 (25%) 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.
Staffing
Membury Primary Academy had 3 teachers in 2026, one for every 3 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Axminster Rail Station, about 3.1 miles away in a straight line.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 0 crimes within a mile of the school. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Devon (16).
Suspensions and exclusions
Membury Primary Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: 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; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from April 2015, 11 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
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Membury is a warm and welcoming small school where children behave well, get on with each other, and benefit from excellent reading instruction. The school is ambitious for every pupil and offers lots of enrichment opportunities to broaden their horizons, from sports and music to working with children from other schools. Staff are skilled and supportive, and the school looks after pupils with additional needs particularly well.
Key Strengths
- Excellent reading instruction with staff who have strong subject knowledge and help pupils enjoy books and stories
- Well-structured curriculum in core subjects that helps staff know what pupils need to learn at each stage
- Strong support for pupils with SEND and those joining mid-year, helping them settle and meet school expectations
- Ambitious personal development offer with a broad range of clubs and community engagement
- Effective leadership and trust support working to improve the school
Areas for Improvement
- Some curriculum areas are not clearly defined, leading to lessons covering too much content and slowing learning for some pupils
- Pupils are not always given the skills and knowledge needed to work independently, which limits their ability to complete challenging tasks confidently
- Curriculum delivery can be overwhelming due to teaching multiple subjects to mixed-age class without clear identification of important knowledge
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Weekly sports activities, construction club, computing with coding challenges, musical instrument lessons, community visitor programmes, links with other schools
Membury Primary Academy is a small, friendly school where pupils behave well and experience an improved curriculum that helps them learn effectively. The school is ambitious for all pupils and provides strong support for their personal development.
At a Glance
25.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
12 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
8.0
Avg class size
1
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Membury Primary Academy
Free school transport
Check free transport to Membury Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Membury Primary Academy 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 Membury Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Membury Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Membury Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Membury Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Membury Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Devon, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Membury Primary Academy for 2016 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
25%
Available places
10 pupils
40 places
30 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Axminster
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Axminster
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.
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
3
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
62.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
8
Total Pupils
6
Boys
2
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
3
Teachers
2.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£43,652
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£27,374
Per pupil
£262k
Total funding
£2k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.0%
Overall absence
36.4%
Persistent absence
11
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Membury Primary Academy
What is Membury Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Membury Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Membury Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Membury Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Devon allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Membury Primary Academy?
Membury Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 25% of its 40 places.
How big are the classes at Membury Primary Academy?
Classes at Membury Primary Academy average 8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Membury Primary Academy?
Membury Primary Academy has around 8 pupils on roll. 25% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Membury Primary Academy?
5% of sessions were missed at Membury Primary Academy in 2024/25. 36.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Membury Primary Academy?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Membury 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 Membury Primary Academy?
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 Membury Primary Academy?
Membury Primary Academy is at Membury, Axminster, Devon, EX13 7AF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)