Newton Abbot College

Newton Abbot College is a secondary comprehensive academy within the Ivy Education Trust, with a mixed sixth form. Inspectors found the school performing well across all inspected areas, with effective leadership, good behaviour and attitudes, strong personal development, and a good sixth form. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the report notes that recent trust-supported changes have already begun to improve outcomes, attendance and behaviour. The school has a broad and ambitious curriculum, well-trained staff, strong support for pupils with SEND, and effective reading and careers provision. Pupils benefit from calm and orderly lessons, positive relationships, a range of extra-curricular activities, and a values curriculum that develops their understanding of safety, tolerance and modern Britain. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main areas for improvement are that pupils do not consistently have enough opportunities to discuss their learning and develop oracy, which limits debate and deeper understanding in some subjects. In addition, some recent improvements are not yet fully embedded, so leaders and governors need to monitor and review them to ensure they have the intended impact.

Strengths

• Broad and ambitious curriculum that has raised outcomes for pupils and sixth-form students
• Staff are well trained to teach the curriculum and check pupils’ understanding
• Opportunities to revisit topics help pupils recall learning well over time
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively
• Disadvantaged pupils learn as well as their peers
• Reading is encouraged through a diverse book list and support for weakest readers
• Attendance tracking and support have led to improvements and reduced persistent absence
• High expectations for conduct and clear, fair behaviour systems
• Pupils feel safe and have positive relationships with staff
• A variety of extra-curricular activities, including clubs and school productions
• Pupils feel heard and changes are made in response to their feedback
• Values curriculum develops understanding of British values, health, safety and healthy relationships
• Tolerance and respect are promoted, and bullying is not tolerated
• Impartial careers information, advice and guidance help pupils reach suitable destinations
• Staff workload and well-being have been considered during recent changes
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Sixth-form students receive support for higher education applications

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, pupils do not get sufficient opportunities to discuss their learning with others
• Limited discussion opportunities hinder pupils’ ability to debate and deepen understanding of complex issues
• Recent changes to provision are not yet fully embedded, limiting their maximum intended impact
• Ongoing improvement plans need further implementation, monitoring and review to provide assurance of impact

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 Newton Abbot College attended 90.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.4% 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, 10.1% of pupils at Newton Abbot College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Newton Abbot College had 14.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.0% 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, 16.5% of pupils at Newton Abbot College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.2% 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 Newton Abbot College received £8,060 and spent £8,004 for each of its 1,213 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £177,000 (£146 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Ivy Education Trust, income was £8,017 and spending £8,030 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Newton Abbot · Devon local authority: places and applications

Newton Abbot College is part of Ivy Education Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Teignmouth Primary School Teignmouth
• Teignmouth Community School, Exeter Road Teignmouth
• Dawlish College Dawlish
• Cockwood Primary School Exeter
• Starcross Primary School Exeter, Devon
• Kenton Primary School Exeter
• Kenn Church of England Primary School Exeter

What is Newton Abbot College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Newton Abbot College is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Newton Abbot College last inspected by Ofsted?

Newton Abbot College was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Newton Abbot College have?

Newton Abbot College has 1,108 pupils on roll.

What age range does Newton Abbot College cover?

Newton Abbot College for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Newton Abbot College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 44.9, and 38% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Newton Abbot College?

Newton Abbot College is at Old Exeter Road, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 2NF.