Tavistock Primary & Nursery School, Tavistock
Tavistock Primary & Nursery School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Tavistock, part of Tavistock Co-Operative Learning Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 6 schools in Tavistock with published results, and 9,595th of 14,452 across England. It was 73% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
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
Tavistock Primary & Nursery School in detail
Tavistock Primary & Nursery School in its own words
In its own words: "We are proud to be a community school in the heart of Tavistock using our privileged location to support our learning. We encourage children to take an active role in and love where they live through our established links with businesses and community leaders."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:40am and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils at Tavistock Primary & Nursery School reached the expected standard in reading and 72% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Devon and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (72% in reading, 74% in maths).
Getting a place at Tavistock Primary & Nursery School
For September 2026 entry, 21 families put Tavistock Primary & Nursery School as their first choice and 28 named it as one of their preferences, for 21 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 Tavistock Primary & Nursery School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Tavistock Primary & Nursery School are St Rumon's Church of England Infants School (0.6 miles, Good); St Peter's Church of England Junior School (0.7 miles, Good, 65% reading, 68% maths); Whitchurch Community Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 78% reading, 69% maths); and Gulworthy Primary Academy (1.9 miles, 85% reading, 85% maths).
Tavistock Primary & Nursery School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
St Rumon's Church of England Infants SchoolSt Peter's Church of England Junior SchoolWhitchurch Community Primary SchoolGulworthy Primary Academy
The trust
Tavistock Primary & Nursery School is one of 2 schools run by Tavistock Co-Operative Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
9.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 99 pupils (30.8%) received SEN support and 10 (3.1%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Gunnislake Rail Station, about 3.5 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is School (se-bound), 20 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 56 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. 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, Tavistock Primary & Nursery School issued 14 suspensions, 3.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from November 2019, 6 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
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
The school has navigated through a period of leadership changes. During this transition, the school has worked on developing an ambitious curriculum alongside the management of pupils' behaviour. These actions are starting to make a difference. However, these improvements are in the early stages. Consequently, the curriculum does not yet support all pupils to build their knowledge well enough. Bullying is well understood by pupils. Most pupils feel their worries are dealt with. However, for some pupils and parents, bullying remains a concern.
The school's values of 'resilience, self-belief, responsibility, understanding self, co-operation and risk taking' are central to the vision at Tavistock Primary School and Nursery. Staff take time to build positive relationships with pupils to help them to be successful. The school knows pupils and their families well.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has designed a curriculum that sequences the knowledge it wants pupils to know and remember. This starts in the early years. The school has considered the significance of the local area. For example, in history, pupils regularly learn about the heritage of Tavistock. The school are continuing to work on the precise knowledge they want pupils to know and remember so that pupils revisit their previous learning more often to help all pupils to build their knowledge more securely.
The promotion of reading for pleasure is a priority for the school. 'Books for life' have been carefully selected to ensure pupils are exposed to a wide variety of books. Pupils share their enjoyment of 'browsing sessions' where they view books that cover a range of genres. Pupils take pleasure in recording their favourites in their reading journals along with their book reviews. Children learn to read when they start in Reception Year. Staff receive training to strengthen their subject knowledge. This helps pupils to grasp the basics of reading. However, some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are not getting all the support they need to learn to read quickly enough. As a result, they find their learning across the curriculum more challenging.
From Ofsted's July 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2019 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
32.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 72% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 72% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 66% to 59% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.4
Avg class size
25.0
Infant (KS1)
25.9
KS2
12
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Tavistock Primary & Nursery School
Before and after school care
Tavistock Primary & Nursery School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Devon
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Tavistock Primary & Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Tavistock Primary & Nursery 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
- 17
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 15 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
4 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 Tavistock Primary & Nursery School
Will you get a place at Tavistock Primary & Nursery School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Tavistock Primary & Nursery School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Tavistock Primary & Nursery School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Tavistock Primary & Nursery School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Devon, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Tavistock Primary & Nursery School for 2014 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
73%
Available places
306 pupils
420 places
114 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Tavistock
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Tavistock
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(7)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
99
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
34.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
321
Total Pupils
153
Boys
168
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
18
Teachers
17.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,501
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,283
Per pupil
£1950k
Total funding
£133k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.5%
Overall absence
16.3%
Persistent absence
301
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
Tavistock Primary & Nursery School
Questions parents ask about Tavistock Primary & Nursery School
What are SATs results like at Tavistock Primary & Nursery School?
Of the pupils at Tavistock Primary & Nursery School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 72% reached the expected standard in reading and 72% did so in maths.
What is Tavistock Primary & Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
Tavistock Primary & Nursery School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Tavistock Primary & Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When Tavistock Primary & Nursery 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 Tavistock Primary & Nursery School?
Tavistock Primary & Nursery School was not full in 2025: it ran at 73% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Tavistock Primary & Nursery School?
Classes at Tavistock Primary & Nursery School average 25.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Tavistock Primary & Nursery School?
Tavistock Primary & Nursery School has around 321 pupils on roll. 32% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Tavistock Primary & Nursery School?
6.5% of sessions were missed at Tavistock Primary & Nursery School in 2024/25. 16.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Tavistock Primary & Nursery School?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Tavistock Primary & Nursery 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 Tavistock Primary & Nursery School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Tavistock Primary & Nursery School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Tavistock Primary & Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 15 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 4 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 Tavistock Primary & Nursery School?
Tavistock Primary & Nursery School is at Plymouth Road, Tavistock, Devon, PL19 8BX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)