St Peter's Church of England Aided School

St Peter’s Church of England Aided School is a good secondary comprehensive school where pupils are known well as individuals and are supported to belong and succeed. Inspectors found consistently effective teaching, strong pastoral care and warm relationships, with pupils typically safe, happy and behaving well. Most pupils achieve well, and the school has clear high expectations, a strong character-development offer and effective safeguarding. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it remains good across all key judgements; no overall effectiveness grade is given under current arrangements. Leaders and governors are ambitious and reflective, and the curriculum is generally well implemented, with rich reading, regular checks on learning and quick identification of SEND. Pupils benefit from many leadership opportunities, outdoor pursuits, volunteering and careers education that helps secure meaningful post-16 destinations. Attendance overall is improving and above national average, and the proportion gaining EBacc qualifications is lower than average but showing signs of change. However, some disadvantaged pupils still attend poorly and do not achieve as well as their peers. For some pupils, curriculum adaptation is too extensive, limiting access to a full body of knowledge and to subjects such as modern foreign languages or rich literature. PSHE is not consistently building detailed knowledge, including some pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values and how laws and institutions reflect them.

Strengths

• Strong commitment to knowing each pupil as an individual and creating a sense of belonging.
• Consistently effective teaching and strong pastoral care help most pupils achieve well.
• Pupils are typically safe, happy and behave very well, reflecting clear high expectations.
• Warm relationships between pupils and staff help navigate rare lapses in behaviour.
• A well-designed character programme, including leadership roles, outdoor pursuits and volunteering.
• Pupils read widely from rich texts, deepening subject knowledge and vocabulary.
• Regular, effective checks on learning identify and address gaps proactively.
• SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively, including focused literacy teaching.
• Overall attendance is improving and is higher than the national average.
• The school ensures each pupil secures a meaningful post-16 placement.
• Skilled leadership and insightful governance support constructive improvement.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Pupils show respect, kindness and accepting attitudes, and participate strongly in school and local communities.

Areas for Improvement

• Some disadvantaged pupils have low attendance, which hinders their learning and achievement.
• Disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as their peers.
• Curriculum adaptation for some pupils is too extensive and limits access to a full range of knowledge.
• Some pupils do not study a modern foreign language or as rich a body of literature as their peers.
• The proportion of pupils studying and gaining EBacc qualifications is below the national average.
• PSHE does not consistently build detailed knowledge and understanding.
• Some pupils are still developing understanding of fundamental British values and how laws and institutions reflect them.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Peter's Church of England Aided School attended 92.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 17.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 4.6% of pupils at St Peter's Church of England Aided School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Peter's Church of England Aided School had 17.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 9.6% of pupils at St Peter's Church of England Aided School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 8.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St Peter's Church of England Aided School received £8,055 and spent £8,214 for each of its 1,306 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £55,000 (£42 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Exeter · Devon local authority: places and applications

What is St Peter's Church of England Aided School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Peter's Church of England Aided School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was St Peter's Church of England Aided School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Peter's Church of England Aided School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does St Peter's Church of England Aided School have?

St Peter's Church of England Aided School has 1,305 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Peter's Church of England Aided School cover?

St Peter's Church of England Aided School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are St Peter's Church of England Aided School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 50.9, and 57% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Peter's Church of England Aided School?

St Peter's Church of England Aided School is at Quarry Lane, Heavitree, Exeter, Devon, EX2 5AP.