River Dart Academy
Shinners Bridge, Dartington, TQ9 6JD
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy alternative provision sponsor led
- Ages
- 5 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- WAVE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Tessa Claridge
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- WAVE Multi-Academy Trust
- Constituency
- South Devon
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 40
- Pupils on roll
- 39
- URN
- 146735
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01803865580
About this school
River Dart Academy is a special academy in Dartington. It teaches children aged 5 to 16 and has 39 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 did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How River Dart 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 |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 36 |
| 2023/24 | 19 |
| 2024/25 | 37 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 67.57%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Lifeworks College0.0 miles
Other types · Totnes
-
Bidwell Brook School0.2 miles
Special schools · Totnes
-
Redwood River School0.4 miles
Special schools · Totnes
-
On Track Education West Yarner0.7 miles
Special schools · Totnes
-
Totnes Independent School1.0 miles
Independent schools · Totnes
Common questions
- What year groups does River Dart Academy teach?
- River Dart Academy teaches children aged 5 to 16. It is a special school in Dartington.
- Who is the headteacher of River Dart Academy?
- The headteacher of River Dart Academy is Mrs Tessa Claridge, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was River Dart Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected River Dart 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 River Dart Academy?
- River Dart Academy has 39 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 16.
- Is River Dart Academy full?
- River Dart Academy has capacity for 40 pupils and 39 on roll (98%), 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 River Dart Academy a faith school?
- No. River Dart Academy has no designated religious character.
- Who runs River Dart Academy?
- River Dart Academy is part of WAVE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- Does River Dart Academy publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for River Dart Academy. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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.