Widewell Primary Academy, Plymouth

Ofsted's report card from its 31 March 2026 inspection grades Widewell Primary Academy on 7 areas: 2 strong standard and 5 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Leaders make attendance a clear and consistent priority."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders ensure that support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is well led and that all staff across the school understand and implement it well."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils make appropriate progress through a well-sequenced curriculum that helps them build knowledge and skills over time."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have a clear and accurate understanding of teaching across the school."

Early years - Expected standard. "Leaders place a strong focus on the early years."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have a clear and accurate understanding of the school's strengths and the areas that need further development."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Pupils show a strong and confident understanding of the school's 'DREAM' values that encourage pupils to be determined, resilient, enquiring, aspirational and mindful."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that all staff understand their role in improving the foundational skills, including writing, so that pupils' foundational knowledge is consistently developed and reinforced across the curriculum"; "Leaders should ensure pupils develop detailed knowledge and skills and produce high-quality work across the wider curriculum"; "Leaders should ensure that all pupils develop secure and detailed knowledge across the personal, social and health education curriculum".

In its own words: "At Widewell we welcome all and believe everyone matters. All schools have their own distinctive 'feel' which makes each one unique. We believe that the 'special feel' at Widewell Primary Academy is linked with our positive, caring but challenging learning environment."

The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care until 5:30pm.

In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils at Widewell Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 70% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Plymouth and 77% and 75% across England.

Results fell from 77% in reading and 80% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 41 families put Widewell Primary Academy as their first choice and 81 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.4 first choices for every place. 12 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state primary schools to Widewell Primary Academy are Oakwood Primary Academy (0.3 miles, Good, 59% reading, 59% maths); Bickleigh Down Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 88% reading, 92% maths); Beechwood Primary Academy (0.8 miles, Good, 42% reading, 58% maths); and Thornbury Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 67% reading, 63% maths).

Widewell Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

Widewell Primary Academy is one of 18 schools run by Learning Academies Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

64 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Widewell Primary Academy (as of April 2026): 92% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 43% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (43%).

15.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 11.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 26 pupils (11.4%) received SEN support and 4 (1.8%) 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.

Widewell Primary Academy had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Bere Ferrers Rail Station, about 3.2 miles away in a straight line.

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hedingham Gardens (n-bound), 140 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Widewell Primary Academy stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 114 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Plymouth (196).

Widewell Primary Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.

The secondary schools closest to Widewell Primary Academy are Notre Dame RC School (0.9 miles) and Tor Bridge High (1.6 miles).