St Thomas Primary School

  • Primary
  • Academy
  • Ages 5 to 11
Ofsted: Good

Union Street, Exeter, EX2 9BBOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

St Thomas Primary School is a primary school in Exeter for ages 5 to 11. It is one of the 416 schools in Devon. It ranks 43rd of 47 primary schools in Exeter. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in February 2023.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 22 February 2023, report published 26 April 2023

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years provision
Good
Safeguarding
Met

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 22 February 2023

Pupils enjoy attending this caring school. Leaders expect every pupil to do their best. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and live up to leaders' high expectations. Pupils develop a deep understanding of how the 'Learning 4 Life' skills help them to learn well. When talking about perseverance, one pupil said, 'Making a mistake is beautiful because it helps you to learn.' If pupils have any worries, they say there are many trusted adults they can talk to. They use the worry boxes in each classroom to share their thoughts with staff. Pupils have confidence that staff will take their concerns seriously. This helps them to feel safe. Pupils found it hard to remember the last occasion of bullying. They say it happens rarely. Pupils are polite to each other. Older pupils act as peer mediators to help younger pupils make the right decisions during social times. This supports all pupils to conduct themselves well. Parents and carers are supportive of the school. They find leaders to be approachable. Parents say that leaders respond well to any concerns they raise. They appreciate the clear information they receive about their children's progress through the curriculum.

What the school should improve

  • The support pupils with SEND receive to help them to meet their learning targets is not consistently effective. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they could. Leaders need to ensure that the support all pupils with SEND receive helps them to learn the curriculum well.
  • Some foundation subject leaders do not monitor the implementation of their subject with enough precision. In these subjects, teachers do not always use assessment well enough to check pupils' prior knowledge. Pupils do not know and remember as much as they could. Leaders need to develop the role of the subject leader and the use of assessment in foundation subjects to ensure that pupils' learning builds on what they already know.

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

30 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths43%

43%, 19 percentage points below the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths0%

0%, 8 percentage points below the England average of 8%.

Reading, average scaled score105

105, 1 below the England average of 106.

Maths, average scaled score102

102, 3 below the England average of 105.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling, average scaled score103

103, 2 below the England average of 105.

Pupil numbers and mix

193 pupils on roll, with places for 208

Eligible for free school meals24.4%

24.4%, 2.1 percentage points below the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language37.3%

37.3%, 15.7 percentage points above the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support16.6%

16.6%, 1.8 percentage points above the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan3.6%

3.6%, 2.4 percentage points below the England average of 6%.

Schools near St Thomas Primary School

SchoolDistanceOfstedResults
Montgomery Primary School0.3 milesOfsted judgements: Good56% met the expected standard
Bowhill Primary School0.4 milesOfsted: Good55% met the expected standard
Exeter Cathedral School0.6 milesNo Ofsted inspectionNot published
St David's CofE Primary School0.6 milesOfsted judgements: Requires improvement to good60% met the expected standard
St Gabriel's CofE Primary School0.7 milesOfsted: Good75% 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
Mr Dan Jenkins
Address
Union Street, Exeter, EX2 9BB
Local authority
Devon
URN
143191

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.