The Duchy School Bradninch, Exeter
The Duchy School Bradninch is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Exeter, part of The Harbour Schools Partnership. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 10th-highest of the 48 schools in Exeter with published results, and 1,876th of 14,452 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2015)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- 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
The Duchy School Bradninch in detail
Results
In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils at The Duchy School Bradninch reached the expected standard in reading and 93% 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 (90% in reading, 93% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at The Duchy School Bradninch
For September 2026 entry, 31 families put The Duchy School Bradninch as their first choice and 46 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 2 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at The Duchy School Bradninch
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Duchy School Bradninch are Silverton Church of England Primary School (2.2 miles, Good, 78% reading, 67% maths); Willowbank Primary School (2.6 miles, Good, 68% reading, 62% maths); Clyst Hydon Primary School (2.8 miles, Good); and St Andrew's Primary School (2.9 miles, Good, 84% reading, 81% maths).
The Duchy School Bradninch's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Silverton Church of England Primary SchoolWillowbank Primary SchoolClyst Hydon Primary SchoolSt Andrew's Primary School
The trust
The Duchy School Bradninch is one of 36 schools run by The Harbour Schools Partnership, an academy trust.
What parents say
135 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Duchy School Bradninch (as of September 2025): 99% would recommend the school, 99% say their child is happy there and 81% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (81%).
Who goes there
4.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of The Duchy School Bradninch.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Westfield (s-bound), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 8 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Devon (16).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Duchy School Bradninch issued 4 suspensions, 2 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; Ofsted Parent View; 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
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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 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
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The Duchy School excels at helping every child develop as a whole person - academically, emotionally and socially. Teachers use an impressive curriculum with 'knowledge buttons' that help children build understanding step by step, and they provide expert support so all pupils, including those with additional needs, can succeed. Parents praise the school highly for combining strong education with wonderful care for children's overall development.
Key Strengths
- Highly ambitious, well-designed curriculum with excellent progression in knowledge and skills - pupils make strong connections between learning areas
- Exceptional support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, with individualised approaches ensuring they achieve the best outcomes
- Outstanding behaviour and attitudes, with pupils understanding and living the school's values of curiosity, respect, equality, ambition, tenacity and empathy
- Wide range of enriching clubs and activities that engage all pupils
- High-quality approach to reading with strong phonics teaching and engaging story time
Areas for Improvement
- Early years writing provision needs sharper focus on letter formation and transcription skills to help children become fluent writers more quickly
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Photography, tag-rugby, eco club, quidditch, singing, musical instruments, performances, school council, sports leaders, librarian groups
The Duchy School Bradninch is an exceptional primary school where pupils thrive academically, socially and emotionally. The school has been judged outstanding across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
At a Glance
16.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
135 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 90% to 85% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 93% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 93% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.6
Avg class size
31.0
Infant (KS1)
30.3
KS2
5
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with The Duchy School Bradninch
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Duchy School Bradninch from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Duchy School Bradninch 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 The Duchy School Bradninch
Will you get a place at The Duchy School Bradninch? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Duchy School Bradninch's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Duchy School Bradninch:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Duchy School Bradninch.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Devon, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Duchy School Bradninch 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
96%
Near capacity
201 pupils
210 places
9 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
27
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
17.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
207
Total Pupils
95
Boys
112
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
18.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,648
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,054
Per pupil
£1144k
Total funding
£44k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.2%
Overall absence
11.1%
Persistent absence
180
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about The Duchy School Bradninch
What are SATs results like at The Duchy School Bradninch?
Of the pupils at The Duchy School Bradninch who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 85% reached the expected standard in reading and 93% did so in maths.
What is The Duchy School Bradninch's Ofsted rating?
The Duchy School Bradninch's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2015, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for The Duchy School Bradninch?
No fixed boundary. When The Duchy School Bradninch is oversubscribed, Devon allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Duchy School Bradninch?
The Duchy School Bradninch was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at The Duchy School Bradninch?
Classes at The Duchy School Bradninch average 30.6 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 The Duchy School Bradninch?
The Duchy School Bradninch has around 207 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Duchy School Bradninch?
5.2% of sessions were missed at The Duchy School Bradninch in 2024/25. 11.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Duchy School Bradninch?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming The Duchy School Bradninch 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 The Duchy School Bradninch?
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 The Duchy School Bradninch?
The Duchy School Bradninch is at Bowley Meadow, Townlands, Exeter, Devon, EX5 4RF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)