St Thomas Primary School, Exeter
St Thomas Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Exeter, part of Exeter Learning Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 42nd-highest of the 48 schools in Exeter with published results, and 11,322nd of 14,452 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- 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
St Thomas Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils at St Thomas Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 57% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Devon and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 70% in reading and 70% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Thomas Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 29 families put St Thomas Primary School as their first choice and 66 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 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 St Thomas Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Thomas Primary School are Montgomery Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 76% reading, 69% maths); Bowhill Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 73% reading, 72% maths); St David's CofE Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 80% reading, 60% maths); and St Gabriel's CofE Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 79% reading, 83% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than St Thomas Primary School.
Montgomery Primary SchoolBowhill Primary SchoolSt David's CofE Primary SchoolSt Gabriel's CofE Primary School
The trust
St Thomas Primary School is one of 4 schools run by Exeter Learning Academy 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.
Who goes there
37.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (57%), Black (10%) and other ethnic groups (7%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Exeter St Thomas Rail Station, about 230 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Precinct (ne-bound), 220 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 558 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Devon (16), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Thomas Primary School issued 14 suspensions, 7.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Thomas Primary School are West Exe School (0.6 miles), Atkinson Secure Children's Home (0.9 miles) and Isca Academy (1.4 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; 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
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
24.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 70% to 77% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 70% to 57% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.5
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
27.3
KS2
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Thomas Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Thomas Primary School.
- Premier Camps @ St ThomasAt the school · Not yet graded
- Cygnet Theatre - Theatretrain Summer School810m away · Not yet graded
- West Exe School - Theatretrain940m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Thomas Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Thomas 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
- 50
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 50 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 7 serious and 42 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
11 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 St Thomas Primary School
Will you get a place at St Thomas Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Thomas Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Thomas Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Thomas 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 St Thomas Primary School for 2017 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
96%
Near capacity
196 pupils
204 places
8 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Exeter
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Exeter
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(3)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
32
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
20.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
193
Total Pupils
91
Boys
102
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
19.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,032
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,551
Per pupil
£1227k
Total funding
£68k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
10.2%
Persistent absence
177
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
St Thomas Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Thomas Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Thomas Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Thomas Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% reached the expected standard in reading and 57% did so in maths.
What is St Thomas Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Thomas Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2023.
What is the catchment area for St Thomas Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Thomas 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 St Thomas Primary School?
St Thomas Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Thomas Primary School?
Classes at St Thomas Primary School average 27.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Thomas Primary School?
St Thomas Primary School has around 193 pupils on roll. 24% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Thomas Primary School?
4.4% of sessions were missed at St Thomas Primary School in 2024/25. 10.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Thomas Primary School?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming St Thomas 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.
Does St Thomas Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Premier Camps @ St Thomas (registered, not yet graded). There are 2 more within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near St Thomas Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 50 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 7 serious and 42 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 11 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 St Thomas Primary School?
St Thomas Primary School is at Union Street, Exeter, Devon, EX2 9BB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)