Roundswell Community Primary Academy, Barnstaple
Roundswell Community Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Barnstaple, part of The Harbour Schools Partnership. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2023. It was 63% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- 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 27 Oct 2026
Roundswell Community Primary Academy in detail
Roundswell Community Primary Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Teaching is the best job in the world and the world of learning has never been more exciting! At Roundswell Community Primary Academy we believe - really, truly believe - that every child can succeed and excel through hard work, perseverance and commitment and it is our job, best served in partnership with parents, to enable this to happen."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Roundswell Community Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 43 families put Roundswell Community Primary Academy as their first choice and 65 named it as one of their preferences, for 43 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Roundswell Community Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Roundswell Community Primary Academy are Sticklepath Community Primary Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 80% reading, 75% maths); Fremington Primary School (1.4 miles, 62% reading, 52% maths); Holywell Church of England School (1.8 miles, Good, 82% reading, 73% maths); and Pilton Bluecoat Church of England Academy (1.9 miles, Good, 77% reading, 71% maths).
Sticklepath Community Primary AcademyFremington Primary SchoolHolywell Church of England SchoolPilton Bluecoat Church of England Academy
The trust
Roundswell Community Primary Academy is one of 36 schools run by The Harbour Schools Partnership, an academy trust.
Who goes there
2.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 26 pupils (7.5%) received SEN support and 12 (3.5%) 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 autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Barnstaple Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Swallowfield (s-bound), 110 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Roundswell Community Primary Academy issued 25 suspensions, 8.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
25.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
24.6
Avg class size
26.8
Infant (KS1)
28.0
KS2
14
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Roundswell Community Primary Academy
Newsletter 6th March 2026
12 May 2026
Newsletter 13th March 2026
12 May 2026
Newsletter 20th March 2026
12 May 2026
Newsletter 27th March 2026
12 May 2026
Newsletter 2nd April 2026
12 May 2026
Newsletter 24th April 2026
12 May 2026
From Roundswell Community Primary Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Roundswell Community Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Roundswell Community Primary Academy.
- Little Butterflies Roundswell ASCAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Roundswell Community Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Roundswell Community 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)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 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 Roundswell Community Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Roundswell Community Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Roundswell Community Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Roundswell Community Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Roundswell Community 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 Roundswell Community Primary Academy for 2021 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
63%
Available places
263 pupils
420 places
157 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
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
26
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
11.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
345
Total Pupils
179
Boys
166
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
23.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,555
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£1727k
Total funding
£73k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.1%
Overall absence
16.3%
Persistent absence
208
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
Roundswell Community Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Roundswell Community Primary Academy
What is Roundswell Community Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Roundswell Community Primary Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2023.
What is the catchment area for Roundswell Community Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Roundswell Community 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 Roundswell Community Primary Academy?
Roundswell Community Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 63% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Roundswell Community Primary Academy?
Classes at Roundswell Community Primary Academy average 24.6 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Roundswell Community Primary Academy?
Roundswell Community Primary Academy has around 345 pupils on roll. 26% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Roundswell Community Primary Academy?
6.1% of sessions were missed at Roundswell Community Primary Academy in 2024/25. 16.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Roundswell Community Primary Academy?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Roundswell Community 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.
Does Roundswell Community Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Little Butterflies Roundswell ASC (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 Roundswell Community Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 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 Roundswell Community Primary Academy?
Roundswell Community Primary Academy is at Roundswell School, Claypits Road, Roundswell, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 3WJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)