Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #12 in Devon public Top 19% UK

The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy

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

personMr Stephen Rogers

corporate_fareATHENA LEARNING TRUST

location_onIlfracombe, EX34 9JB

language Visit Website phone 1271863427

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2023

groups

Students

1,097

trending_up

Attainment 8

47.9

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GCSE Rank

#9 in Devon

#1,228 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Ilfracombe, serving ages 11-18. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards.

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School Summary

The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy is an academy sponsor led in Ilfracombe, Devon, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of ATHENA LEARNING TRUST. The school has approximately 1,011 pupils on roll, of whom 25% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 47.9, placing the school #9 in Devon and #1,228 of 3,216 nationally. 50.60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 17.0% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 14 A-level subjects. 62.9% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 32.4% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.23 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. The school's current overall rating is Requires improvement. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Requires improvement, behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement, personal development Good, and leadership and management Requires improvement.

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

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.7:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 3 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 29.5 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

47.9

Grade 5+ E&M

50.60%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)17.0%

Entering EBacc9.60%

EBacc APS4.06

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.48

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

50.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc6.90%

EBacc APS4.28

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.54

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc10%

EBacc APS3.51

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.51

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc8%

EBacc APS3.5

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc14%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.26

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc20%

EBacc APS3.57

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.37

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

40.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc27%

EBacc APS3.44

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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

86%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)73%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment9%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)12%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)78%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment10%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

86%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)76%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)13%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

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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

+0.23

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*4.8%

Achieving A*–A32.4%

Achieving A*–B62.9%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate77.4%

A-level subjects offered14

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.03

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate77.80%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2022

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate97.8%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

10 May 2023

Inspection Report

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25 April 2017

Inspection Report

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17 June 2015

Inspection Report

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05 February 2015

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2023-05-10

S5 Inspection EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Good

Leadership

Requires improvement

2017-04-25

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2015-02-05

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

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

32.1%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

10.4%(105 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,011 pupils. During this period, there were 325 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 32.1%, 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)	1,011	325	32.1%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,021	274	26.8%	7.8%	2
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,028	258	25.1%	7.4%	2
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,039	322	31.0%	7.1%	2
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,075	715	66.5%	8.2%	5
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,073	180	16.8%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,097	168	15.3%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,105	137	12.4%	5.9%	2
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,084	86	7.9%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,090	51	4.7%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,102	68	6.2%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,059	36	3.4%	3.6%	1
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,074	14	1.3%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,076	45	4.2%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,000	2	0.2%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,000	23	2.3%	3.2%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,000	30	3.0%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	957	29	3.0%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	965	19	2.0%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	965	36	3.7%	3.8%	2
2017/18 (Summer term)	939	20	2.1%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	948	14	1.5%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	960	15	1.6%	3.7%	1
2016/17 (Summer term)	942	9	1.0%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	958	18	1.9%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	966	22	2.3%	3.1%	2

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.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 61 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 51 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 40 pupils

Physical Disability 8 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 2 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 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.

56.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

65.0%Positive

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

11.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree11%

agree41%

disagree30%

strongly disagree13%

don't know5%

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

strongly agree9%

agree36%

disagree35%

strongly disagree18%

don't know2%

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

strongly agree16%

agree20%

disagree25%

strongly disagree25%

don't know2%

not applicable12%

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 agree5%

agree20%

disagree11%

strongly disagree60%

dont know4%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree24%

agree36%

disagree20%

strongly disagree8%

don't know12%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree18%

agree39%

disagree25%

strongly disagree13%

don't know5%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree18%

agree46%

disagree21%

strongly disagree13%

don't know1%

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

strongly agree14%

agree60%

disagree14%

strongly disagree5%

don't know5%

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

strongly agree29%

agree54%

disagree5%

strongly disagree6%

don't know5%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree14%

agree29%

disagree28%

strongly disagree22%

don't know7%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes47%

no53%

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

Faith Priority (Church of England)

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