Bowhill Primary School
Buddle Lane, St Thomas, Exeter, EX4 1JTOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Bowhill Primary School is a primary school in Exeter for ages 5 to 11. It is one of the 416 schools in Devon. It ranks 35th of 47 primary schools in Exeter. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in November 2016.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 23 November 2016, report published 12 January 2017
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 13 May 2025
Bowhill Primary School is a happy, welcoming and inclusive place to be. Pupils are respectful and courteous. They take pride in holding doors open and greeting others with a smile. Staff take time to build positive relationships with pupils to help them to feel well cared for. This is one of the many aspects of the school that parents and carers speak highly of. The school, alongside the trust, are determined for pupils to be successful in all that they do. The school has high expectations of what pupils can achieve through its well- designed, ambitious curriculum. Pupils live up to these and typically learn the curriculum well. They show positive attitudes both in lessons and around the school. This begins in the early years where children know securely what is expected of them, preparing them well for the move into Year 1. Pupils partake in a range of experiences that extend beyond the academic. They value the many clubs they can attend to develop their interests and to widen their friendship groups, such as chess and gymnastics club. Pupils talk fondly about the residentials they attend to try new activities, such as weaselling.
What the school should improve
- Across the wider curriculum, the school's expectations of pupils' written work are not consistently high enough. As a result, the quality of some pupils' written work is variable in these subjects and weaknesses in their handwriting, spelling and punctuation are sometimes not addressed. The trust should ensure that expectations of pupils' written work are consistently high across the curriculum, and that misconceptions or gaps in writing skills are addressed in a timely and consistent way.
- The checks the school makes on how well pupils are learning the curriculum are underdeveloped. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge that persist and so do not build a secure body of knowledge based on what they already know and remember. The trust should ensure staff have the expertise to identify any knowledge gaps and make appropriate adaptations to learning tasks to address these areas.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
71 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
451 pupils on roll, with places for 525
Schools near Bowhill Primary School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery Primary School | 0.3 miles | Ofsted judgements: Good | 56% met the expected standard |
| St Thomas Primary School | 0.4 miles | Ofsted: Good | 43% met the expected standard |
| St Gabriel's CofE Primary School | 0.4 miles | Ofsted: Good | 75% met the expected standard |
| St David's CofE Primary School | 0.8 miles | Ofsted judgements: Requires improvement to good | 60% met the expected standard |
| Ide Primary School | 0.9 miles | Ofsted: Good | 60% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Academy converter
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- EXETER LEARNING ACADEMY TRUST
- Age range
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Nursery classes
- No
- Headteacher
- Mrs Anna Lopez
- Phone
- 01392206585
- Address
- Buddle Lane, St Thomas, Exeter, EX4 1JT
- Local authority
- Devon
- URN
- 143193
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.