High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy
High Bickington, Umberleigh, EX37 9AY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- TEAM MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Daniel Polak
- Diocese
- Diocese of Exeter
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Torridge and Tavistock
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 70
- Pupils on roll
- 84
- URN
- 144535
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01769560324
About this school
High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Umberleigh. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 84 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. 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
- Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Strong standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Strong standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 12 | 17 | 15 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 75% | 59% | 87% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 6% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 92% | 71% | 87% |
| Expected standard in maths | 100% | 71% | 87% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 47% | 53% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 106.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 106.0 | 109.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | 0.00 | - | - |
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 High Bickington Church of England Primary 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 | 75% | 55% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 59% | 54.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 87% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 102 |
| 2023/24 | 99 |
| 2024/25 | 90 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy compares
High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy ranked 12th of 269 primary schools in Devon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 87% | 4.5% | 7.6% | 84 | — |
| Umberleigh Primary Academy | 86% | 4.9% | 19.7% | 94 | 2.2 miles |
| Beaford Community Primary & Nursery School | 35% | 4.4% | 9.5% | 118 | 4.5 miles |
| Kings Nympton Community Primary School | — | 10.6% | 35.3% | 17 | 5.2 miles |
| Dolton Church of England Primary School | — | 5.4% | 39.3% | 31 | 5.6 miles |
| Swimbridge Church of England Primary School | 69% | 5.1% | 18.1% | 79 | 6.1 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 report17 March 2026
- 20 October 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 7.59%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 4.53%
- Persistent absence
- 13.85%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Umberleigh Primary Academy2.2 miles
Primary · Umberleigh
-
Beaford Community Primary & Nursery School4.5 miles
Primary · Winkleigh
-
Kings Nympton Community Primary School5.2 miles
Primary · Umberleigh
-
Dolton Church of England Primary School5.6 miles
Primary · Winkleigh
-
Swimbridge Church of England Primary School6.1 miles
Primary · Barnstaple
Other schools in Umberleigh
- Kings Nympton Community Primary School Primary
- Umberleigh Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy teach?
- High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Umberleigh.
- Who is the headteacher of High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy is Mr Daniel Polak, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected High Bickington Church of England Primary 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 big is High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy?
- High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy has 84 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy full?
- High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy has capacity for 70 pupils and 84 on roll (120%), 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 High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy a faith school?
- Yes. High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Exeter.
- Does High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy?
- High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy is part of TEAM MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 75% in 2022/23 and 87% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy rank locally?
- High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy ranked 12th of 269 primary schools in Devon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy's absence rate?
- High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are High Bickington Church of England Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, High Bickington Church of England Primary 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 10 July 2026.