The King's School

The King's School is a strong secondary comprehensive where pupils and sixth-form students overwhelmingly enjoy learning. The curriculum is well designed and sequenced, teachers have strong subject knowledge, and most pupils achieve significantly above national averages in many subjects. Behaviour and personal development are exceptional, with pupils showing exemplary conduct, strong relationships and access to a rich range of leadership, enrichment and citizenship opportunities. The sixth form is exceptionally well structured, pastoral support is very strong, attendance is consistently strong, and governance, staff well-being and parental support are positive. Safeguarding is effective. However, a small group of pupils, including some disadvantaged pupils, who struggle with literacy do not achieve as well as they could. The school has not ensured that this barrier is effectively addressed across the curriculum, and assessment information is not used with precision to address gaps in pupils' literacy knowledge. In addition, the whole-school plan to promote reading for enjoyment is not consistently implemented in all year groups, particularly at key stage 4, so some pupils do not routinely read for pleasure. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014, following a period of exemption. Under the current framework, no overall effectiveness grade was given, but the school was judged good for quality of education and leadership and management, and outstanding for behaviour and attitudes, personal development and sixth-form provision.

Strengths

• High aspirations for pupils' social, emotional and academic development
• Well-sequenced curriculum enables most pupils to build on prior knowledge and achieve strongly
• Strong teacher subject knowledge and effective checking of misconceptions
• Outstanding behaviour and attitudes, with pupils highly motivated and respectful
• Exceptional personal development through trips, clubs, leadership and citizenship opportunities
• Exceptionally well-structured sixth-form curriculum with strong pastoral support and next-step guidance
• Very strong pastoral care and consistently strong attendance
• Strong governance with appropriate challenge and support
• Staff are positive about workload and well-being, and parents are overwhelmingly positive
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils who struggle with literacy, including some disadvantaged pupils, are not effectively supported across the curriculum
• Assessment information is not used precisely enough to address gaps in pupils' literacy knowledge
• The plan to promote reading for enjoyment is not consistently implemented in all year groups, particularly key stage 4

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 The King's School attended 91.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.5% 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, 2.9% of pupils at The King's School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 The King's School had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.6% 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, 10.4% of pupils at The King's School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.2% 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 2024–25 The King's School received £7,521 and spent £7,314 for each of its 1,108 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,092,000 (£986 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

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What is The King's School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The King's School is Good, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was The King's School last inspected by Ofsted?

The King's School was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does The King's School have?

The King's School has 1,097 pupils on roll.

What age range does The King's School cover?

The King's School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The King's School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 50.6, and 51% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The King's School?

The King's School is at Cadhay Lane, Ottery St Mary, Devon, EX11 1RA.