St Helen's Church of England School
Abbotsham, Bideford, EX39 5AP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- ALUMNIS MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Rebecca Northcott
- Diocese
- Diocese of Exeter
- Sponsor
- Alumnis Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Torridge and Tavistock
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 204
- URN
- 145769
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01237475276
About this school
St Helen's Church of England School is a Church of England primary academy in Bideford. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 204 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Helen's Church of England School, 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 9 November 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 29 | 30 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 66% | 87% | 57% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 13% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 90% | 93% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 76% | 87% | 73% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 72% | 90% | 67% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 109.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 105.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.10 | - | - |
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 St Helen's Church of England 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 | 66% | 55% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 87% | 54.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 57% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 210 |
| 2023/24 | 208 |
| 2024/25 | 206 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Helen's Church of England School compares
St Helen's Church of England School ranked 168th of 269 primary schools in Devon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 34% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 57% | 3.9% | 9.2% | 204 | — |
| West Croft School | 38% | 6.5% | 42.8% | 417 | 1.5 miles |
| St Mary's CofE Primary School | 57% | 5.1% | 16.3% | 397 | 1.9 miles |
| St Margaret's Church of England Junior School | 46% | 6.9% | 23.4% | 184 | 2.3 miles |
| St George's CofE Infant and Nursery School | — | 5.3% | 17.8% | 110 | 2.4 miles |
| East-the-Water Community Primary School | 69% | 4.7% | 42.4% | 439 | 2.5 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)
- 9.22%
- English as an additional language
- 1.5%
- Overall absence
- 3.88%
- Persistent absence
- 4.81%
Location
Nearby schools
-
West Croft School1.5 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
St Mary's CofE Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
St Margaret's Church of England Junior School2.3 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
St George's CofE Infant and Nursery School2.4 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
East-the-Water Community Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Bideford
Other schools in Bideford
St Helen's Church of England School ranks 7th of the 12 ranked primary schools in Bideford.
- 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 Margaret's Church of England Junior School Primary
- St Mary's CofE Primary School Primary
- West Croft School Primary
- Woolsery Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Helen's Church of England School teach?
- St Helen's Church of England School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Bideford.
- Who is the headteacher of St Helen's Church of England School?
- The headteacher of St Helen's Church of England School is Mrs Rebecca Northcott, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Helen's Church of England School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Helen's Church of England 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 St Helen's Church of England School?
- St Helen's Church of England School has 204 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St Helen's Church of England School full?
- St Helen's Church of England School has capacity for 210 pupils and 204 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Helen's Church of England School a faith school?
- Yes. St Helen's Church of England School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Exeter.
- Does St Helen's Church of England School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Helen's Church of England School as having no nursery classes.
- Is St Helen's Church of England School part of an academy trust?
- St Helen's Church of England School is part of ALUMNIS MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Helen's Church of England School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 66% in 2022/23 and 57% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Helen's Church of England School compare with other schools in Devon?
- St Helen's Church of England School ranked 168th of 269 primary schools in Devon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 34% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Helen's Church of England School's absence rate?
- St Helen's Church of England School's overall absence rate is 3.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Helen's Church of England School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Helen's Church of England 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 10 July 2026.