Orchard Vale Community School
Westacott Road, Whiddon Valley, Barnstaple, EX32 8QY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE HARBOUR SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
- Head Teacher
- Mrs Fiona Pearce
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Ventrus Limited
- Constituency
- North Devon
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 368
- Pupils on roll
- 311
- URN
- 137644
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01271375074
About this school
Orchard Vale Community School is a primary academy in Barnstaple. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 311 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Orchard Vale Community School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit 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 | 38 | 46 | 47 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 58% | 63% | 51% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 4% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 68% | 76% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 66% | 78% | 72% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 68% | 74% | 64% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 104.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.30 | - | - |
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 Orchard Vale Community 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 | 58% | 55% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 63% | 54.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 51% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 347 |
| 2023/24 | 334 |
| 2024/25 | 323 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Orchard Vale Community School compares
Orchard Vale Community School ranked 199th of 269 primary schools in Devon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% 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 | 51% | 4.3% | 25% | 311 | — |
| Eden Park Academy | 54% | 6.3% | 52.8% | 118 | 0.7 miles |
| Newport Community School Primary Academy | 52% | 5% | 19.5% | 469 | 0.9 miles |
| Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Barnstaple | 50% | 5% | 32.8% | 214 | 1.1 miles |
| Landkey Community Primary Academy | 57% | 5.9% | 13.2% | 178 | 1.2 miles |
| Goodleigh Church of England Primary School | 67% | 5.5% | 20.8% | 90 | 1.2 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)
- 25%
- English as an additional language
- 2.8%
- Overall absence
- 4.3%
- Persistent absence
- 7.33%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Eden Park Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Barnstaple
-
Newport Community School Primary Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Barnstaple
-
Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Barnstaple1.1 miles
Primary · Barnstaple
-
Landkey Community Primary Academy1.2 miles
Primary · Barnstaple
-
Goodleigh Church of England Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Barnstaple
Other schools in Barnstaple
Orchard Vale Community School ranks 12th of the 20 ranked primary schools in Barnstaple.
- 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
- Landkey Community Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Orchard Vale Community School teach?
- Orchard Vale Community School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Barnstaple.
- Who is the head teacher of Orchard Vale Community School?
- The head teacher of Orchard Vale Community School is Mrs Fiona Pearce, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Orchard Vale Community School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Orchard Vale Community 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 many pupils are at Orchard Vale Community School?
- Orchard Vale Community School has 311 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Orchard Vale Community School full?
- Orchard Vale Community School has capacity for 368 pupils and 311 on roll (85%), 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 Orchard Vale Community School a faith school?
- No. Orchard Vale Community School has no designated religious character.
- Does Orchard Vale Community School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Orchard Vale Community School as having nursery classes.
- Is Orchard Vale Community School part of an academy trust?
- Orchard Vale Community School 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.
- How have Orchard Vale Community School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 58% in 2022/23 and 51% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Orchard Vale Community School compare with other schools in Devon?
- Orchard Vale Community School ranked 199th of 269 primary schools in Devon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% 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 Orchard Vale Community School's absence rate?
- Orchard Vale Community School's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Orchard Vale Community School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Orchard Vale Community 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 1 July 2026.