Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School, Exeter
Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 7 in Exeter, part of The Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2023 did not change this grade. It was 53% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
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
Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School in detail
Getting a place at Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School
For September 2026 entry, 32 families put Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School as their first choice and 46 named it as one of their preferences, for 36 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 Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School are Whipton Barton Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 80% reading, 78% maths); Willowbrook School (0.4 miles, 64% reading, 64% maths); St Nicholas Catholic Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 66% reading, 64% maths); and St Michael's Church of England Primary Academy (0.7 miles, Outstanding, 88% reading, 75% maths).
Whipton Barton Junior SchoolWillowbrook SchoolSt Nicholas Catholic Primary SchoolSt Michael's Church of England Primary Academy
The trust
Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School is one of 18 schools run by The Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
46.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 43 pupils (21.1%) received SEN support and 3 (1.5%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School had 12 teachers in 2026, one for every 12 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Polsloe Bridge Rail Station, about 620 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Rennes House (n-bound), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 264 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. 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, Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School issued 1 suspension, 0.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School are St James School (0.5 miles), St Luke's Church of England School (0.6 miles) and St Peter's Church of England Aided School (0.9 miles).
St James SchoolSt Luke's Church of England SchoolSt Peter's Church of England Aided School
Sources: 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; 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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from March 2013, 13 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 March 2013 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
46.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
24.7
Avg class size
22.7
Infant (KS1)
7
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School
Before and after school care
Whipton Barton Infants and 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
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School.
- Wraparound @ Whipton BartonAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Whipton Barton Infants and 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
- 23
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 23 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 18 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 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 Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School
Will you get a place at Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Whipton Barton Infants and 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 Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School for 2020 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
53%
Available places
142 pupils
270 places
128 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(2)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
43
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
22.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
204
Total Pupils
107
Boys
97
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,384
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,296
Per pupil
£1067k
Total funding
£88k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.2%
Overall absence
23.9%
Persistent absence
113
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
Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School
Questions parents ask about Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School
What is Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When Whipton Barton Infants and 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 Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School?
Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School was not full in 2025: it ran at 53% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School?
Classes at Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School average 24.7 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School?
Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School has around 204 pupils on roll. 47% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School?
7.2% of sessions were missed at Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School in 2024/25. 23.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Whipton Barton Infants and 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 Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Whipton Barton Infants and 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. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Wraparound @ Whipton Barton (registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 23 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 18 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 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 Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School?
Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School is at Whipton Barton Infant and Nursery School, Hiil Lane, Exeter, Devon, EX1 3JP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)