Bideford College

Bideford College is a large secondary school and part of Athena Learning Trust. Inspectors found it generally performing at the expected standard in achievement, curriculum and teaching, personal development and wellbeing, and post-16 provision, while safeguarding standards are met. Pupils typically achieve in line with national averages, post-16 students do well, and the curriculum and wider personal development offer are mostly strong. However, the school has significant areas needing attention. Attendance is persistently well above national averages and is especially weak for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Although attitudes and behaviour are generally positive, a minority of pupils do not meet behaviour expectations, and support for pupils with barriers to learning is not having enough impact; suspensions of SEND pupils remain high. Some pupils and parents also lack confidence in how bullying is handled and communicated. Leadership and governance need attention because actions to improve outcomes for pupils facing barriers have not moved quickly enough, and governors do not hold leaders to account robustly in all areas. Leaders have a good understanding of curriculum strengths and have improved teaching and outcomes, but the next steps focus on sharper evaluation, better attendance, more consistent assessment, and building constructive parent relationships so all pupils feel they belong and thrive.

Strengths

• Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, typically achieve in line with national averages.
• Post-16 students achieve well, with some performance measures above national averages.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced in most subjects.
• Reading support is timely, appropriate and delivered by staff with strong expertise.
• Teachers generally have secure subject knowledge and present new information clearly.
• Pupils benefit from a well-cohered character curriculum covering British values, healthy relationships and safety.
• A broad extra-curricular and leadership offer develops pupils' talents, teamwork and resilience.
• Careers education, information, advice and guidance are effective, including work experience and local employer links.
• Post-16 provision is carefully planned and prepares students well for their next steps.
• Behaviour is generally good, pupils have positive attitudes to learning, and suspensions are reducing.
• Bullying incidents are usually dealt with quickly and effectively.
• Safeguarding standards are met, and trustees and governors ensure statutory responsibilities are fulfilled.
• Leaders provide effective professional learning and generally support staff wellbeing and workload.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' rates of absence are consistently significantly above the national average.
• Attendance remains low for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, with improvement at an early stage.
• Persistent absence is well above the national average.
• A minority of pupils do not meet leaders' high expectations for behaviour.
• Support for pupils with SEND or other barriers to learning has limited impact, reflected in higher suspension rates.
• Some pupils and parents lack confidence in how the school handles and communicates bullying resolutions.
• Some teaching does not pick up misconceptions or errors well enough, so pupils do not deepen understanding.
• Gaps in learning caused by absence do not close quickly enough for some pupils.
• In a few subjects, the curriculum and teaching practice are still being refined.
• Leaders do not gain sharp enough insight into the impact of some actions on pupils facing barriers.
• Leaders' work to improve attendance and behaviour for pupils with SEND or disadvantage has not been quick or effective enough.
• Poor relationships with some parents hinder trust and some pupils' sense of belonging.
• Trustees and local governors do not hold leaders strongly enough to account in some areas.
• A significant minority of pupils do not feel a strong sense of belonging.
• Pupils with high absence do not participate or thrive in the wider programme as much as other pupils.

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 Bideford College attended 88.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 29.4% 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, 10.2% of pupils at Bideford College 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 Bideford College had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.6% 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, 15.2% of pupils at Bideford College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.3% 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 Bideford College received £7,982 and spent £7,833 for each of its 1,449 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £949,000 (£655 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Athena Learning Trust, income was £8,447 and spending £8,351 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 Bideford · Devon local authority: places and applications

Bideford College is part of Athena Learning Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Atlantic Academy Bideford
• The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy Ilfracombe
• Egloskerry Primary School Launceston
• Launceston College Launceston
• Launceston Primary School Launceston
• Altarnun Primary School Launceston
• Pool Academy Redruth
• Camborne Science and International Academy Camborne

What is Bideford College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bideford College is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Bideford College last inspected by Ofsted?

Bideford College was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Bideford College have?

Bideford College has 1,455 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bideford College cover?

Bideford College for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Bideford College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.3, and 41% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Bideford College?

Bideford College is at Abbotsham Road, Bideford, Devon, EX39 3AR.