Schools & FE · Report card

Collaton St Mary Church of England Primary School

Inspected 14 Jul 2026 · published 23 Sept 2026 · URN 145103

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Esther Best (lead), Anna Mills, Victoria Griffin

What we read, and from where

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Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
Early years verified
Expected standard
Inclusion verified
Expected standard
Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Expected standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
14 Jul 2026
Inspectors verified
Anna Mills, Esther Best, Victoria Griffin
Postcode verified
TQ3 3YA
Name on report verified
Collaton St Mary Church of England Primary
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
145103

Page 1 of 15

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourExpected
Curriculum and teachingExpected
Early yearsExpected
InclusionExpected
Leadership and governanceExpected
Personal development and wellbeingExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+60Positivemore positive than 29% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praiseambitioussuccessfullyeffectivelyclearfeel safeconfidentpositivewell prepared

Criticismconcernsgapspoorconcernlackspersistent absencestruggleabsence

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1599w+57
Leadership242w+80
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve67w+43

Strengths

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Concerns

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Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Leadership & governance33
“Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ attendance.” p.2
Curriculum13
“They check carefully children’s knowledge to ensure that the ambitious curriculum helps children to learn well across the seven areas of learning.” p.3
Progress & outcomes10
“Leaders’ evaluation of the progress these pupils make lacks some rigour.” p.3
Behaviour9
“This work has had a positive impact on improving pupils’ attendance and behaviour.” p.4
SEND & inclusion7
“Leaders have improved the support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities to reduce barriers to learning, particularly for pupils with complex needs.” p.5
Teaching & assessment7
“For example, teachers model new learning effectively, introducing new vocabulary skilfully.” p.2
Communication & language6
“For example, teachers model new learning effectively, introducing new vocabulary skilfully.” p.2
Reading & phonics5
“This includes the promotion of a love of reading as well as children discussing the new vocabulary they have learned with ‘Grandma Wise’.” p.3

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 15
Words of findings: 1,959; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 46, typical 43
Average sentence: 15 words
Next steps: 2; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 9%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 53%Leadership 8%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 2%About the inspection 35%

Full report text

School

Address: Blagdon Road, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 3YA Unique reference number (URN): 145103

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Achievement Expected standard

Pupils learn the curriculum well. This is reflected in their outcomes in national tests at the end of key stage 2. These are typically at least in line with national averages. Most pupils are well prepared for the next stage of education.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Leaders ensure that pupils gain the appropriate knowledge and skills across subjects. A focus on retrieval of prior knowledge helps most pupils to make links with what they have learned before. This is reflected in the quality of their written work and their confidence in sharing their learning across subjects.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Staff give pupils the support they need to learn to read successfully. Pupils regularly practise reading with books that match the sounds they know. Staff check how well pupils are grasping the phonics code and support those who need extra help. This ensures that pupils quickly become confident and fluent readers. This is reflected in the 2026 phonics screening check where all pupils achieved the expected standard threshold.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ attendance. They have a detailed understanding of how well pupils attend and use this to identify any patterns and trends. They work effectively with families and the local authority to support pupils to attend well. For those whose absence is a concern, leaders take a personalised approach to ensure that their attendance improves over time. This includes following the school’s policy to challenge poor attendance. As a result of the school’s work, pupils’ attendance, including those pupils in vulnerable groups, is above average and persistent absence is typically low.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have established clear behaviour systems that are shared and understood by staff. As a result, pupils behave well. They are supported to celebrate their achievements and to learn from their mistakes. Expectations across the school are clear. This begins in the early years where children stop immediately when the teacher’s tambourine signals the end of an activity. Pupils are clear about what bullying means and generally feel this is dealt with quickly.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils who struggle to manage their behaviour benefit from individualised support to better meet their needs. This work is having an impact on reducing suspensions for some pupils.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The school has a coherent and ambitious curriculum that supports pupils to build their knowledge across subjects. Leaders have thought carefully about the precise knowledge and vocabulary pupils need to know and revisit to help them learn well. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the quality of teaching across the school and use this information to develop staff expertise effectively. The curriculum is generally well taught. The school has agreed teaching approaches to help pupils to learn successfully. For example, teachers model new learning effectively, introducing new vocabulary skilfully. Generally, they use questioning well to help pupils to make links with prior learning and to support them to remember their learning through retrieval practice. Teachers use a variety of strategies to check for understanding and to identify where pupils may need more support. However, sometimes this information is not

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

used well enough to reshape future learning in response to pupils’ gaps in knowledge. This slows progress for some pupils, including some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have rightly identified the need to strengthen pupils’ writing across the school. There is a clear approach to supporting this, particularly in the development of handwriting. Pupils are given the support they need, such as appropriate scaffolding and revisiting gaps in knowledge in handwriting, to develop greater fluency.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Leaders prioritise ensuring that children in the early years get off to a positive start to their education. Staff work closely with feeder settings and parents and carers to have a clear understanding of children’s needs before they arrive. They check carefully children’s knowledge to ensure that the ambitious curriculum helps children to learn well across the seven areas of learning. Warm relationships between staff and children help them to feel safe and secure in their environment.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

The school curriculum makes clear what children should learn. Vocabulary development is at its heart to ensure that children are given the support they need to develop their communication and language, particularly those that arrive with lower starting points. This work is enacted throughout the provision with a wide range of opportunities to promote oracy. This includes the promotion of a love of reading as well as children discussing the new vocabulary they have learned with ‘Grandma Wise’.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Staff plan well-considered activities to enable children to deepen their understanding. Typically, children access these with ease and confidence. Staff skilfully use interactions to deepen children’s understanding. Children have regular opportunities to practise and revisit new learning, including in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, children are well prepared for key stage 1.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have effective systems to identify pupils’ additional needs and any barriers to learning that are generally understood. This begins in the early years where staff are clear about gaps in knowledge, such as in speech and language, through the checks they make when children arrive.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Typically, staff identify pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) early. Most of the time, these pupils benefit from appropriate adaptations to help them learn well. Pupils with significant complex needs are generally well supported with tailored interventions and bespoke curriculums. The leadership of SEND has been through a transitional period. This has been well supported by the trust who have increased leadership capacity. Leaders have quickly gained an oversight of how well pupils are supported. They have developed staff expertise to ensure that learning plans include timely, focused support. However, there is still some variance in the implementation of these plans. Sometimes, staff do not follow these with precision. Leaders’ evaluation of the progress these pupils make lacks some rigour. As a result, not all pupils gain from skilful adjustments in response to their developing needs.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders use additional funding appropriately. For example, leaders provide financial assistance to ensure that disadvantaged pupils participate fully in the trust’s enrichment programme.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s context. They are clear about the strengths of the school and where there is further work to do. Leaders have taken focused action to strengthen key aspects, such as ensuring that pupils develop accuracy in their handwriting in their written work. In addition, they have strengthened inclusion to better support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in the classroom, particularly for those with social, emotional and mental health needs. This work has had a positive impact on improving pupils’ attendance and behaviour.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have revisited the school’s vision, ‘achieving and flourishing in our Christian community’, to ensure this is lived out across the school. Staff are proud to be a part of Collaton St Mary. They value the support for their workload and the genuine care they gain from leaders to support their wellbeing. Staff appreciate the training they receive to fulfil their roles, such as training in supporting pupils with SEND.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Those responsible for governance have an accurate view of the school. Members of the ‘local advocate board’ complete focused school visits based on the trust board’s priorities. This provides the trust board with oversight of how well the school is working towards these priorities to give an accurate understanding of pupils’ experiences. In addition, those responsible for governance receive appropriate information to hold leaders to account, such as information about behaviour and safeguarding. This ensures they fulfil their statutory responsibilities.

p.4