Atlantic Academy

Atlantic Academy has shown commendable progress since its establishment, reflecting a strong commitment to improving the educational outcomes for its students. The school has fostered an environment where pupils feel safe and are engaged in their learning, evidenced by their polite interactions and positive attitudes. The leadership has implemented a clearly sequenced curriculum that builds on prior learning, ensuring that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disadvantaged backgrounds, have access to quality education. However, despite these strengths, there are challenges, particularly concerning pupil attendance and reading fluency, which the school leaders are actively addressing.

Strengths

• Pupils appreciate high expectations and learn well in a respectful environment.
• Leaders have successfully implemented a broad range of subjects in the curriculum.
• Teachers effectively manage multiple subjects and adapt learning to meet pupils' needs.
• Pupils engage actively with their learning and show improvement in attitudes.
• The school has a well-planned personal, social, health and economic curriculum.

Areas for Improvement

• Too many pupils do not attend regularly, affecting their learning.
• Many pupils arrive at the school not yet fluent in reading, hindering their access to the curriculum.

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 Atlantic Academy attended 85.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 42.6% 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, 22.5% of pupils at Atlantic 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 Atlantic Academy had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.4% 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, 32.6% of pupils at Atlantic Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 8.3% 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 Atlantic Academy received £10,787 and spent £10,603 for each of its 228 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £149,000 (£654 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

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

• Bideford College 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 Atlantic Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Atlantic Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was Atlantic Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Atlantic Academy was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does Atlantic Academy have?

Atlantic Academy has 242 pupils on roll.

What age range does Atlantic Academy cover?

Atlantic Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Atlantic Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 47.8, and 58% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Atlantic Academy?

Atlantic Academy is at Bucks Cross, Bideford, Devon, EX39 5DW.