Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #13 in Devon public Top 19% UK

South Dartmoor Community College

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

personMrs Jenny Veal

corporate_fareWESTCOUNTRY SCHOOLS TRUST

location_onAshburton, TQ13 7EW

language Visit Website phone 1364652230

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2024

groups

Students

821

trending_up

Attainment 8

47.7

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GCSE Rank

#10 in Devon

#1,265 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

South Dartmoor Community College is a Academy converter secondary school in Ashburton, serving ages 11-18. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards.

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School Summary

South Dartmoor Community College is an academy converter in Ashburton, Devon, 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 795 pupils on roll, of whom 23% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 47.7, placing the school #10 in Devon and #1,265 of 3,216 nationally. 51.70% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 20.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 21 A-level subjects. 48.9% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 25.8% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.11 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2024. The school's current overall rating is Requires improvement. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.9× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.6:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 13.1 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

47.7

Grade 5+ E&M

51.70%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)20.6%

Entering EBacc16.70%

EBacc APS4.1

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.06

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc20.00%

EBacc APS3.8

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.12

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

47.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc19%

EBacc APS4.06

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.12

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc14%

EBacc APS3.99

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc25%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.3

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc30%

EBacc APS3.72

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.29

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc52%

EBacc APS3.8

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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

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)86%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

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

Apprenticeships8%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

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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

+0.11

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*7.9%

Achieving A*–A25.8%

Achieving A*–B48.9%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate94.3%

A-level subjects offered21

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.05

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate88.40%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate94.70%

2022

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate89.8%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

24 September 2024

Inspection Report

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29 March 2022

Inspection Report

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07 March 2018

Inspection Report

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12 July 2016

Inspection Report

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13 November 2013

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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13 June 2011

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

5 Evaluations

2024-09-24

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2022-03-29

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2018-03-07

S5 Inspection Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2016-07-12

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2013-11-13

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

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

Suspension Rate

11.8%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

4.9%(39 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 795 pupils. During this period, there were 94 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 11.8%, which is above 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)	795	94	11.8%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	803	116	14.4%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	798	138	17.3%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	799	134	16.8%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	801	160	20.0%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	802	109	13.6%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	821	99	12.1%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	829	117	14.1%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	841	49	5.8%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	843	65	7.7%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	840	60	7.1%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	871	36	4.1%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	873	6	0.7%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	877	58	6.6%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,016	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,016	30	3.0%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,023	31	3.0%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,172	24	2.0%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,184	17	1.4%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,197	22	1.8%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,249	15	1.2%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,257	16	1.3%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,259	12	1.0%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,361	18	1.3%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,381	12	0.9%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,390	19	1.4%	3.1%	0

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

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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.

Specific Learning Difficulty 44 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 43 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 41 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 34 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 15 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 6 pupils

Physical Disability 4 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

92.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

88.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

22.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree37%

agree50%

disagree7%

strongly disagree2%

don't know5%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree28%

agree46%

disagree17%

strongly disagree4%

don't know5%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree46%

agree20%

disagree10%

strongly disagree3%

don't know2%

not applicable20%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes27%

no73%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree47%

agree25%

disagree19%

strongly disagree8%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree53%

agree37%

disagree2%

strongly disagree2%

don't know7%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree50%

agree36%

disagree6%

strongly disagree3%

don't know5%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree44%

agree43%

disagree8%

strongly disagree2%

don't know4%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree56%

agree40%

disagree2%

strongly disagree1%

don't know1%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree60%

agree37%

disagree3%

strongly disagree1%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree50%

agree33%

disagree8%

strongly disagree5%

don't know5%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes92%

no8%

Top Secondary Schools in Devon

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Colyton Grammar School

Outstanding

location_on Colyton, EX24 6HN

emoji_events #1 in LA

Chulmleigh Community College

Good

location_on Chulmleigh, EX18 7AA

emoji_events #2 in LA

Ivybridge Community College

Good

location_on Ivybridge, PL21 0JA

emoji_events #3 in LA

Braunton Academy

Good

location_on Braunton, EX33 2BP

emoji_events #4 in LA

St Peter's Church of England Aided School

Good

location_on Exeter, EX2 5AP

emoji_events #5 in LA

Uffculme School

Outstanding

location_on Cullompton, EX15 3AG

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Devon arrow_forward

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)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Devon

Colyton Grammar School

Chulmleigh Community College

Ivybridge Community College

Braunton Academy

St Peter's Church of England Aided School

Uffculme School