Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #5 in Plymouth public Top 15% UK

Coombe Dean School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Kevin Dyke

corporate_fareWESTCOUNTRY SCHOOLS TRUST

location_onPlymouth, PL9 8ES

language Visit Website phone 1752406961

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2022

groups

Students

1,026

trending_up

Attainment 8

49.2

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#5 in Plymouth

#1,040 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Coombe Dean School is a Academy converter secondary school in Plymouth, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time.

article

School Summary

Coombe Dean School is an academy converter in Plymouth, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of WESTCOUNTRY SCHOOLS TRUST. The school has approximately 1,003 pupils on roll, of whom 21% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 49.2, placing the school #5 in Plymouth and #1,040 of 3,216 nationally. 48.50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 18.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 16 A-level subjects. 52.0% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 21.6% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.23 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2022. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.1× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 19.7:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 2.6 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

49.2

Grade 5+ E&M

48.50%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)18.6%

Entering EBacc47.30%

EBacc APS4.46

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.16

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc33.60%

EBacc APS4.38

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.01

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc36%

EBacc APS4.04

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.04

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc36%

EBacc APS4.37

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc37%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.02

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc31%

EBacc APS4.09

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.16

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc24%

EBacc APS3.84

explore

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)83%

Apprenticeships9%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

workspace_premium

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

+0.23

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*6.9%

Achieving A*–A21.6%

Achieving A*–B52.0%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate93.1%

A-level subjects offered16

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.06

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate95.50%

2023

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate94.20%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate91.5%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

22 March 2022

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

28 November 2018

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

26 September 2012

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

14 February 2012

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2022-03-22

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2018-11-28

Exempt School Inspection Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2012-09-26

None Legacy

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

3.2%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.2%(22 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,003 pupils. During this period, there were 32 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 3.2%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,003	32	3.2%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,008	21	2.1%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	998	36	3.6%	7.4%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	995	29	2.9%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,001	25	2.5%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,020	14	1.4%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,026	21	2.0%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,023	19	1.9%	5.9%	2
2021/22 (Summer term)	996	14	1.4%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,000	13	1.3%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	999	16	1.6%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,029	29	2.8%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,027	12	1.2%	1.0%	2
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,022	15	1.5%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,009	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,009	13	1.3%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,022	9	0.9%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,011	17	1.7%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,024	20	2.0%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,034	28	2.7%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	985	43	4.4%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	981	35	3.6%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	998	29	2.9%	3.7%	1
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,027	20	1.9%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,036	25	2.4%	3.3%	2
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,053	24	2.3%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

accessibility_new

psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Speech, Language & Communication 50 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 46 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 40 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 18 pupils

Physical Disability 8 pupils

Top Secondary Schools in Plymouth

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Devonport High School for Girls

Good

location_on Plymouth, PL2 3DL

emoji_events #1 in LA

Devonport High School for Boys

Good

location_on Plymouth, PL1 5QP

emoji_events #2 in LA

Plymouth High School for Girls

Good

location_on Plymouth, PL4 6HT

emoji_events #3 in LA

Hele's School

Good

location_on Plymouth, PL7 4LT

emoji_events #4 in LA

Plymstock School

Good

location_on Plymouth, PL9 9AZ

emoji_events #6 in LA

Marine Academy Plymouth

Good

location_on Plymouth, PL5 2AF

emoji_events #7 in LA

View all schools in Plymouth arrow_forward

Coombe Dean School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Plymouth

Devonport High School for Girls

Devonport High School for Boys

Plymouth High School for Girls

Hele's School

Plymstock School

Marine Academy Plymouth