The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy
Worth Road, Ilfracombe, EX34 9JB
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- ATHENA LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Stephen Rogers
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Exeter
- Sponsor
- Launceston College
- Constituency
- North Devon
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,200
- Pupils on roll
- 1,016
- URN
- 139553
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01271863427
About this school
The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy is a Church of England secondary academy in Ilfracombe. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,016 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy, 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Post-16 provision
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 169 | 174 | 178 |
| Attainment 8 score | 42.8 | 50.8 | 47.9 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.54 -0.75 to -0.32 | +0.48 +0.27 to +0.70 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 38% | 59.2% | 50.6% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 59% | 78.7% | 74.2% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 10% | 6.9% | 9.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.5 | 4.3 | 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 The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy 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 | 42.8 | 36.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 50.8 | 36.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 47.9 | 33.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,097 |
| 2023/24 | 1,039 |
| 2024/25 | 1,011 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy compares
The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy ranked 9th of 40 secondary schools in Devon for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 69% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 47.9 | 8.8% | 25.1% | 1,016 | — |
| Braunton Academy | 53.7 | 8% | 14.8% | 828 | 7.3 miles |
| Pilton Community College | 46.4 | 11.2% | 28.5% | 1,165 | 8.3 miles |
| The Park Community School | 46.6 | 9.7% | 24.3% | 1,408 | 9.7 miles |
| Ilfracombe Church of England Junior School | — | 5.7% | 33.4% | 326 | 0.3 miles |
| Ilfracombe Infant and Nursery School | — | 7.3% | 27.8% | 207 | 0.3 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.
Inspection history
-
Graded inspection report13 January 2026
- 10 May 2023
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 25.14%
- English as an additional language
- 2.8%
- Overall absence
- 8.81%
- Persistent absence
- 25.48%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Braunton Academy7.3 miles
Secondary · Braunton
-
Pilton Community College8.3 miles
Secondary · Barnstaple
-
The Park Community School9.7 miles
Secondary · Barnstaple
-
Ilfracombe Church of England Junior School0.3 miles
Primary · Ilfracombe
-
Ilfracombe Infant and Nursery School0.3 miles
Primary · Ilfracombe
Other schools in Ilfracombe
- Berrynarbor Church of England Primary School Primary
- Combe Martin Primary School Primary
- Ilfracombe Church of England Junior School Primary
- Ilfracombe Infant and Nursery School Primary
- West Down School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy teach?
- The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Ilfracombe.
- Who is the headteacher of The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy?
- The headteacher of The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy is Mr Stephen Rogers, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy, 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 The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy?
- The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy has 1,016 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy full?
- The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy has capacity for 1,200 pupils and 1,016 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 The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy a faith school?
- Yes. The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Exeter.
- Is The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy a selective school?
- No. The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy part of an academy trust?
- The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy is part of ATHENA LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 42.8 in 2022/23 and 47.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy compare with other schools in Devon?
- The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy ranked 9th of 40 secondary schools in Devon for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 69% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy's absence rate?
- The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy's overall absence rate is 8.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy'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.