West Exe School

West Exe School is a larger-than-average secondary school in the Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust. It generally performs at the expected standard across most areas, with pupils making good progress and achieving well in examinations. Pupils with SEND and those who join with lower starting points typically achieve well, and disadvantaged pupils perform in line with national averages. The school is particularly strong in science and mathematics, and pupils secure essential skills in English and mathematics. Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe and behave well.

Strengths

• Pupils generally make good progress and are well prepared for their next stages of learning.
• Pupils with SEND and those with lower starting points usually achieve well.
• Pupils achieve particularly well in science and mathematics.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of curriculum and teaching quality and have improved teaching where needed.
• Teachers typically have strong subject knowledge and adapt teaching for pupils with SEND.
• Pupils behave well and have positive attitudes to learning; lessons are rarely disrupted.
• Bullying is dealt with effectively, and most pupils have confidence in the school.
• The school provides a wide range of extracurricular activities and a well-designed personal development programme.
• Careers education is effective and well-matched to local employment trends.
• Staff are proud to work at the school, and leaders support staff wellbeing and manage workload well.

Areas for Improvement

• A significant minority of pupils are persistently absent, particularly disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, and older pupils.
• Leaders do not consistently gain precise insights into the impact of their work, which limits the ability of trustees and local governors to hold them to account.
• Teachers do not always check pupils' understanding well enough to adapt teaching and deepen knowledge.
• Teaching sometimes does not develop the accuracy of pupils' written language as well as it could.

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 West Exe School attended 90.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.0% 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, 5.9% of pupils at West Exe 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 West Exe School had 17.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.6% 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, 11.2% of pupils at West Exe School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.0% 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 2024–25 West Exe School received £8,179 and spent £7,700 for each of its 1,238 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £843,000 (£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

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

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

What is West Exe School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for West Exe School is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was West Exe School last inspected by Ofsted?

West Exe School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does West Exe School have?

West Exe School has 1,237 pupils on roll.

What age range does West Exe School cover?

West Exe School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are West Exe School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.0, and 53% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is West Exe School?

West Exe School is at Hatherleigh Road, Exeter, EX2 9JU.