Whimple Primary School, Exeter
Whimple Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Exeter. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 14th-highest of the 48 schools in Exeter with published results, and 4,602nd of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- 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
Whimple Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils at Whimple Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 80% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Devon and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 67% in reading and 81% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Whimple Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 13 families put Whimple Primary School as their first choice and 38 named it as one of their preferences, for 19 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Whimple Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Whimple Primary School are Rockbeare Church of England Primary School and Pre-School (2.2 miles, Good, 79% reading, 57% maths); West Hill Primary School (2.6 miles, Good, 100% reading, 97% maths); Clyst Hydon Primary School (2.7 miles, Good); and St Martin's CofE Primary & Nursery School (2.9 miles, 80% reading, 72% maths).
Whimple Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Rockbeare Church of England Primary School and Pre-SchoolWest Hill Primary SchoolClyst Hydon Primary SchoolSt Martin's CofE Primary & Nursery School
Who goes there
5.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
Whimple Primary School had 10 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Whimple Rail Station, about 120 metres away (roughly a 1-minute walk).
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Station Road (w-bound), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 3 crimes within a mile of the school, most often burglary, public order offences and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Devon (16).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Whimple Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.8 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; 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
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from November 2013, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2013 inspection - down from Outstanding.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
5.6%
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 67% to 85% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 80% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 68% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.0
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
23.3
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Whimple Primary School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Whimple Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Whimple 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
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 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 Whimple Primary School
Will you get a place at Whimple Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Whimple Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Whimple Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Whimple 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 Whimple Primary 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
99%
Near capacity
137 pupils
139 places
2 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(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
19
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
18.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
125
Total Pupils
61
Boys
64
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
12.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,835
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,627
Per pupil
£812k
Total funding
£18k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.6%
Overall absence
6.6%
Persistent absence
121
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Whimple Primary School
What are SATs results like at Whimple Primary School?
Of the pupils at Whimple Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 85% reached the expected standard in reading and 80% did so in maths.
What is Whimple Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Whimple Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Whimple Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Whimple 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 Whimple Primary School?
Whimple Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Whimple Primary School?
Classes at Whimple Primary School average 25 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Whimple Primary School?
Whimple Primary School has around 125 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Whimple Primary School?
4.6% of sessions were missed at Whimple Primary School in 2024/25. 6.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Whimple Primary School?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Whimple 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 Whimple Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 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 Whimple Primary School?
Whimple Primary School is at Whimple, Exeter, Devon, EX5 2TS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)