Bideford College
Abbotsham Road, Bideford, EX39 3AR
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- ATHENA LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Dr Claire Ankers
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Launceston College
- Constituency
- Torridge and Tavistock
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 2,232
- Pupils on roll
- 1,455
- URN
- 142540
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01237477611
About this school
Bideford College is a secondary academy in Bideford. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,455 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Bideford College, 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
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 214 | 234 | 228 |
| Attainment 8 score | 38.3 | 42.5 | 45.7 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.55 -0.74 to -0.36 | -0.24 -0.42 to -0.05 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 35% | 41.9% | 50.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 57% | 65% | 69.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 57% | 67.5% | 50% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.3 |
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 Bideford 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 | 38.3 | 36.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 42.5 | 36.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 45.7 | 33.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 14% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 13.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 11.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,430 |
| 2023/24 | 1,456 |
| 2024/25 | 1,447 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bideford College compares
Bideford College ranked 22nd of 40 secondary schools in Devon for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 60% 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 | 45.7 | 11.3% | 29.6% | 1,455 | — |
| Great Torrington School | 39 | 12.5% | 25.1% | 863 | 5.6 miles |
| Atlantic Academy | 42.1 | 15% | 34.8% | 242 | 5.8 miles |
| Braunton Academy | 53.7 | 8% | 14.8% | 828 | 6.6 miles |
| Pilton Community College | 46.4 | 11.2% | 28.5% | 1,165 | 8.2 miles |
| The Park Community School | 46.6 | 9.7% | 24.3% | 1,408 | 8.2 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)
- 29.56%
- English as an additional language
- 2.3%
- Overall absence
- 11.26%
- Persistent absence
- 29.42%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Great Torrington School5.6 miles
Secondary · Torrington
-
Atlantic Academy5.8 miles
Secondary · Bideford
-
Braunton Academy6.6 miles
Secondary · Braunton
-
Pilton Community College8.2 miles
Secondary · Barnstaple
-
The Park Community School8.2 miles
Secondary · Barnstaple
Other schools in Bideford
- Atlantic Academy Secondary
- Appledore School Primary
- 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
Common questions
- What ages does Bideford College teach?
- Bideford College teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Bideford.
- Who is the headteacher of Bideford College?
- The headteacher of Bideford College is Dr Claire Ankers, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Bideford College been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bideford 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 Bideford College?
- Bideford College has 1,455 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Bideford College full?
- Bideford College has capacity for 2,232 pupils and 1,455 on roll (65%), 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 Bideford College a faith school?
- No. Bideford College has no designated religious character.
- Is Bideford College a selective school?
- No. Bideford College is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Bideford College part of an academy trust?
- Bideford College 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 Bideford College's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 38.3 in 2022/23 and 45.7 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bideford College compare with other schools in Devon?
- Bideford College ranked 22nd of 40 secondary schools in Devon for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 60% 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 Bideford College's absence rate?
- Bideford College's overall absence rate is 11.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bideford College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bideford 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 2 July 2026.