Atlantic Academy
Bucks Cross, Bideford, EX39 5DW
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- ATHENA LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Dr Claire Ankers
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Launceston College
- Constituency
- Torridge and Tavistock
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 300
- Pupils on roll
- 242
- URN
- 146567
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01237431969
About this school
Atlantic Academy is a secondary academy in Bideford. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 242 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 50 | 55 | 50 |
| Attainment 8 score | 43.6 | 35.5 | 42.1 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.13 -0.53 to +0.28 | -0.30 -0.68 to +0.09 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 46% | 29.1% | 42% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 62% | 49.1% | 62% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 26% | 18.2% | 20% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.9 | 3.0 | 3.7 |
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 Atlantic 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 | 43.6 | 36.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 35.5 | 36.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 42.1 | 33.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 17% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 16.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 15% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 263 |
| 2023/24 | 246 |
| 2024/25 | 227 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Atlantic Academy compares
Atlantic Academy ranked 31st of 40 secondary schools in Devon for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 46% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 2% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 42.1 | 15% | 34.8% | 242 | — |
| Bideford College | 45.7 | 11.3% | 29.6% | 1,455 | 5.8 miles |
| Great Torrington School | 39 | 12.5% | 25.1% | 863 | 9.2 miles |
| Braunton Academy | 53.7 | 8% | 14.8% | 828 | 11.6 miles |
| Woolsery Primary School | — | 4% | 10.4% | 108 | 1.9 miles |
| Parkham Primary School | — | 4.3% | 13.5% | 55 | 2.1 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 34.8%
- English as an additional language
- 0.9%
- Overall absence
- 14.96%
- Persistent absence
- 42.59%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bideford College5.8 miles
Secondary · Bideford
-
Great Torrington School9.2 miles
Secondary · Torrington
-
Braunton Academy11.6 miles
Secondary · Braunton
-
Woolsery Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Bideford
-
Parkham Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Bideford
Other schools in Bideford
- Bideford College 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 year groups does Atlantic Academy teach?
- Atlantic Academy teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Bideford.
- Who is the headteacher of Atlantic Academy?
- The headteacher of Atlantic Academy is Dr Claire Ankers, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Atlantic Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Atlantic 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 Atlantic Academy?
- Atlantic Academy has 242 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Atlantic Academy full?
- Atlantic Academy has capacity for 300 pupils and 242 on roll (81%), 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 Atlantic Academy a faith school?
- No. Atlantic Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Atlantic Academy a selective school?
- No. Atlantic Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Atlantic Academy?
- Atlantic 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 Atlantic Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 43.6 in 2022/23 and 42.1 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Atlantic Academy rank locally?
- Atlantic Academy ranked 31st of 40 secondary schools in Devon for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 46% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 2% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Atlantic Academy's absence rate?
- Atlantic Academy's overall absence rate is 15% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Atlantic Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Atlantic 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.