Shirwell Community Primary School, Barnstaple
Shirwell Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Barnstaple, part of The Harbour Schools Partnership. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 19th-highest of the 20 schools in Barnstaple with published results, and 14,209th of 14,452 across England. It was 61% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Devon (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Shirwell Community Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils at Shirwell Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 50% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Devon and 77% and 75% across England.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Shirwell Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 2 families put Shirwell Community Primary School as their first choice and 3 named it as one of their preferences, for 2 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 Shirwell Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Shirwell Community Primary School are Goodleigh Church of England Primary School (1.9 miles, Good, 94% reading, 78% maths); Marwood School (2.7 miles); Orchard Vale Community School (2.8 miles, Good, 77% reading, 72% maths); and Yeo Valley Primary School (2.9 miles, Good, 50% reading, 61% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Shirwell Community Primary School.
Goodleigh Church of England Primary SchoolMarwood SchoolOrchard Vale Community SchoolYeo Valley Primary School
The trust
Shirwell Community Primary School is one of 36 schools run by The Harbour Schools Partnership, an academy trust.
Who goes there
0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 12 pupils (48%) received SEN support and 2 (8%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Staffing
Shirwell Community Primary School had 3 teachers in 2026, one for every 11 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Barnstaple Rail Station, about 3.7 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Shirwell Cross (ne-bound), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1 crime within a mile of the school, most often criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Devon (16).
Suspensions and exclusions
Shirwell Community Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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; DfE school workforce census; 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
Shirwell Community Primary School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in April 2024. Before that, as Shirwell Community Primary School (URN 113167), it was rated Good in March 2015.
At a Glance
24.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
2024/25 academic year
Class Sizes
12.5
Avg class size
19.0
KS2
2
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Shirwell Community Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Shirwell Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Shirwell Community Primary 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
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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 Shirwell Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Shirwell Community Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Shirwell Community Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Shirwell Community Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Shirwell Community Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Devon, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Shirwell Community Primary School for 2025 and 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
61%
Available places
34 pupils
56 places
22 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
12
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
56.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
25
Total Pupils
10
Boys
15
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
3
Teachers
8.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,007
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£9,609
Per pupil
£430k
Total funding
£8k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.6%
Overall absence
5.3%
Persistent absence
38
Enrolments
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Shirwell Community Primary School
What are SATs results like at Shirwell Community Primary School?
Of the pupils at Shirwell Community Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 38% reached the expected standard in reading and 50% did so in maths.
What is Shirwell Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Shirwell Community Primary School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in April 2024. Before that, as Shirwell Community Primary School (URN 113167), it was rated Good in March 2015.
What is the catchment area for Shirwell Community Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Shirwell Community Primary 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 Shirwell Community Primary School?
Shirwell Community Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 61% of its 56 places.
How big are the classes at Shirwell Community Primary School?
Classes at Shirwell Community Primary School average 12.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Shirwell Community Primary School?
Shirwell Community Primary School has around 25 pupils on roll. 24% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Shirwell Community Primary School?
4.6% of sessions were missed at Shirwell Community Primary School in 2024/25. 5.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Shirwell Community Primary School?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Shirwell Community Primary 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 Shirwell Community Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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 Shirwell Community Primary School?
Shirwell Community Primary School is at School Lane, Shirwell, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 4JT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)