Appledore School
Richmond Road, Appledore, Bideford, EX39 1PF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- Atlantic Coast Co-Operative Trust
- Headteacher
- Mr Jeremy Cooper
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Torridge and Tavistock
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 244
- URN
- 113125
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01237474365
About this school
Appledore School is a foundation primary school in Bideford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 244 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 31 | 28 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 87% | 79% | 79% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 13% | 7% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 94% | 89% | 89% |
| Expected standard in maths | 97% | 93% | 89% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 94% | 89% | 86% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 108.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 110.0 | 107.0 | 109.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +4.50 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Appledore School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Devon average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 87% | 55% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 79% | 54.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 79% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 246 |
| 2023/24 | 240 |
| 2024/25 | 236 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Appledore School compares
Appledore School ranked 38th of 269 primary schools in Devon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 86% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 79% | 4.3% | 17.2% | 244 | — |
| St George's CofE Infant and Nursery School | — | 5.3% | 17.8% | 110 | 0.9 miles |
| St Margaret's Church of England Junior School | 46% | 6.9% | 23.4% | 184 | 1.0 miles |
| Instow Community Primary and Pre-School | 72% | 4.2% | 10.1% | 136 | 1.4 miles |
| St Mary's CofE Primary School | 57% | 5.1% | 16.3% | 397 | 1.8 miles |
| East-the-Water Community Primary School | 69% | 4.7% | 42.4% | 439 | 2.5 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 17.22%
- English as an additional language
- 0.4%
- Overall absence
- 4.31%
- Persistent absence
- 6.99%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St George's CofE Infant and Nursery School0.9 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
St Margaret's Church of England Junior School1.0 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
Instow Community Primary and Pre-School1.4 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
St Mary's CofE Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
East-the-Water Community Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Bideford
Other schools in Bideford
Appledore School ranks 3rd of the 12 ranked primary schools in Bideford.
- Buckland Brewer Primary School Primary
- East-the-Water Community Primary School Primary
- Hartland Primary School Primary
- Instow Community Primary and Pre-School Primary
- Monkleigh Primary School Primary
- Parkham Primary School Primary
- St George's CofE Infant and Nursery School Primary
- St Helen's Church of England School Primary
- St Margaret's Church of England Junior School Primary
- St Mary's CofE Primary School Primary
- West Croft School Primary
- Woolsery Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Appledore School teach?
- Appledore School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Bideford.
- Who is the headteacher of Appledore School?
- The headteacher of Appledore School is Mr Jeremy Cooper, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Appledore School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Appledore School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Appledore School?
- Appledore School has 244 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Appledore School full?
- Appledore School has capacity for 210 pupils and 244 on roll (116%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Appledore School a faith school?
- No. Appledore School has no designated religious character.
- Does Appledore School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Appledore School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Appledore School?
- Appledore School is part of Atlantic Coast Co-Operative Trust. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Appledore School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 87% in 2022/23 and 79% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Appledore School rank locally?
- Appledore School ranked 38th of 269 primary schools in Devon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 86% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Appledore School's absence rate?
- Appledore School's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Appledore School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Appledore School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.