Isca Academy

Isca Academy is a 914-pupil secondary school within the Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust. Inspected in July 2026, the school is performing at the expected standard overall, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils achieve close to national averages in almost all subjects at the end of Year 11, including English, mathematics and science, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils achieve well from their starting points. The curriculum, teaching, inclusion, leadership and personal development are all secure, and pupils are generally well prepared for further education, training and adulthood.

Strengths

• Well-sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum that builds on pupils' prior learning
• Strong subject knowledge and effective teaching, including skilful use of talk and questioning
• Effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, who achieve well from their starting points
• Strong reading provision, including phonics support for pupils who struggle to read
• Broad and coherent personal development programme, including RSHE, citizenship and enrichment
• Extensive range of clubs, activities and excursions, with strong participation from disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND
• Well-structured careers education with valuable external input and university visits
• Pupils behave well in lessons and around school, and bullying is not seen as an issue
• Ambitious leadership with clear vision, accurate self-evaluation and timely improvement action
• Robust governance and effective use of trust and external support
• Secure safeguarding arrangements and an open culture of safeguarding
• Positive staff morale and supportive relationships between pupils and staff
• Pupils are well prepared for next steps, with increasing progression to further education or training

Areas for Improvement

• Overall attendance is below the national average
• Attendance of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND is below what is typical nationally
• Persistent absence remains well above national figures
• The number of pupils suspended is significantly above the national figure
• Support for pupils' writing across the curriculum is not consistent
• Teachers do not always use assessment information precisely to identify and address gaps or misconceptions
• The impact of recent attendance and behaviour strategies is not yet clear

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 Isca Academy attended 89.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 27.4% 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, 10.9% of pupils at Isca Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No 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 Isca Academy had 21.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.9% 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, 14.3% of pupils at Isca Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.2% 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 Isca Academy received £8,129 and spent £7,873 for each of its 916 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £624,000 (£681 per pupil).

Across all 17 schools of The Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,641 and spending £7,750 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 Exeter · Devon local authority: places and applications

Isca Academy is part of The Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• West Exe School Exeter
• Matford Brook Academy Exeter
• Whipton Barton Junior School Exeter
• Whipton Barton Infants and Nursery School Exeter
• St Luke's Church of England School Exeter
• St James School Exeter
• Exwick Heights Primary School Exeter
• Cranbrook Education Campus Exeter
• Exmouth Community College Exmouth
• Queen Elizabeth's Crediton

What is Isca Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Isca Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Isca Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Isca Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Isca Academy have?

Isca Academy has 860 pupils on roll.

What age range does Isca Academy cover?

Isca Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Isca Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 47.4, and 51% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Isca Academy?

Isca Academy is at Earl Richards Road South, Exeter, Devon, EX2 6AP.