Pilton Community College
Chaddiford Lane, Barnstaple, EX31 1RB
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE HARBOUR SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
- Headteacher
- Mr Danny Heaton
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Ventrus Limited
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, PD - Physical Disability
- Constituency
- North Devon
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,350
- Pupils on roll
- 1,165
- URN
- 136867
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01271374381
About this school
Pilton Community College is a secondary academy in Barnstaple. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,165 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Pilton Community College, and its latest judgement is set out 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
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 215 | 237 | 225 |
| Attainment 8 score | 42.3 | 41.5 | 46.4 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.28 -0.47 to -0.09 | -0.23 -0.41 to -0.04 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 33% | 33.3% | 45.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 58% | 51.5% | 67.6% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 26% | 38% | 46.2% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.1 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Pilton Community College 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 | 42.3 | 36.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 41.5 | 36.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 46.4 | 33.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 11.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 12.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 11.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,135 |
| 2023/24 | 1,145 |
| 2024/25 | 1,160 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Pilton Community College compares
Pilton Community College ranked 16th of 40 secondary schools in Devon for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 63% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 5% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 46.4 | 11.2% | 28.5% | 1,165 | — |
| The Park Community School | 46.6 | 9.7% | 24.3% | 1,408 | 1.5 miles |
| Braunton Academy | 53.7 | 8% | 14.8% | 828 | 3.9 miles |
| Bideford College | 45.7 | 11.3% | 29.6% | 1,455 | 8.2 miles |
| The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy | 47.9 | 8.8% | 25.1% | 1,016 | 8.3 miles |
| Great Torrington School | 39 | 12.5% | 25.1% | 863 | 9.6 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)
- 28.45%
- English as an additional language
- 5.9%
- Overall absence
- 11.16%
- Persistent absence
- 31.37%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Park Community School1.5 miles
Secondary · Barnstaple
-
Braunton Academy3.9 miles
Secondary · Braunton
-
Bideford College8.2 miles
Secondary · Bideford
-
The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy8.3 miles
Secondary · Ilfracombe
-
Great Torrington School9.6 miles
Secondary · Torrington
Other schools in Barnstaple
- The Park Community School Secondary
- Ashleigh CofE Primary School Primary
- Bishops Tawton Primary School Primary
- Bratton Fleming Community Primary School Primary
- Brayford Academy Primary
- Eden Park Academy Primary
- Filleigh Community Primary School Primary
- Fremington Primary School Primary
- Goodleigh Church of England Primary School Primary
- Holywell Church of England School Primary
- Horwood and Newton Tracey Community Primary School Primary
- Kentisbury Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Pilton Community College teach?
- Pilton Community College teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Barnstaple.
- Who is the headteacher of Pilton Community College?
- The headteacher of Pilton Community College is Mr Danny Heaton, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Pilton Community College been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Pilton Community College, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Pilton Community College?
- Pilton Community College has 1,165 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Pilton Community College full?
- Pilton Community College has capacity for 1,350 pupils and 1,165 on roll (86%), so it has space against 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 Pilton Community College a faith school?
- No. Pilton Community College has no designated religious character.
- Is Pilton Community College a selective school?
- No. Pilton Community College is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Pilton Community College part of an academy trust?
- Pilton Community College is part of THE HARBOUR SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Pilton Community College have?
- The schools register lists Pilton Community College's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; PD - Physical Disability. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Pilton Community College's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 42.3 in 2022/23 and 46.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Pilton Community College compare with other schools in Devon?
- Pilton Community College ranked 16th of 40 secondary schools in Devon for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 63% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 5% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Pilton Community College's absence rate?
- Pilton Community College's overall absence rate is 11.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Pilton Community College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Pilton Community College'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 1 July 2026.