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State secondary · 11 to 18 · Mixed · 870 pupils

Coombeshead Academy

Coombeshead Road, Newton Abbot, TQ12 1PT · Devon
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COULD YOUR CHILD GET IN? · YEAR 7 2027

Enter your postcode to see how far it is from your home.

Devon County Council publishes no last distance offered for this school in the years we hold (2025 to 2026). Check your postcode for the distance from your home.

Free, no account needed. Your postcode is used for this check and not kept.
Ofsted: Good · February 2023Top 50% (20/40)Fewer first choices than places (2026)
School website ↗Google Maps ↗Directions ↗Ofsted reports ↗DfE results ↗Government register ↗

Summary

The key facts, in one place
GCSE (key stage 4) The league rank: the school's place among its council's schools of the same phase on the newest year's DfE results, the same rank as on the Schools map. In England: 1,622nd of 3,223 on the same figure. Band: Top 50%.
Top 50% (20/40)Rank among 40 Devon secondaries with results, 2026 results (Attainment 8)
See the Devon league table →
Inspection
Good, February 2023
Results
-0.12 progress 8; 46.0 attainment 8
Size
870 pupils; 175 places a year; classes of 23
Run by
Education South West
Type
Academy converter
Ages
11 to 18 · Mixed
Ofsted, February 2023The judgements from the school's latest inspection. Reports from November 2025 use Ofsted's new report card, with different headings; we show whichever the latest report uses.Read the report ↗
Quality of educationGood
Behaviour and attitudesGood
Leadership and managementGood
Strengths, and things to check
  • Suspensions per 100 pupils: 21.2, against 33.7 in Devon.
  • Progress 8: -0.12, against -0.03 in Devon.
Schools for usRank every school near you by the measures that matter to your family, each reason shown.Rank schools →

At a glance

Against Devon and England
This schoolDevonEnglandHover or tap a bar for the figures
Academic
Progress 8How far pupils progressed between the end of primary school and GCSEs, against pupils across England who started at the same level. 0 is average; +0.5 means half a grade better in each subject.
-0.12
Worse than Devon
Attainment 8The average GCSE score across eight subjects, including English and maths counted twice. A grade 5 in all eight would score 50.
46.0
In line with Devon
English and maths, grade 5+The share of pupils with grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE (a strong pass).
46%
In line with Devon
Attendance and behaviour
Sessions missedHalf-day sessions missed, authorised or not, as a share of all sessions in the school year (DfE pupil absence). Lower is better.
9.9%
In line with Devon
Persistently absentPupils who missed one session in ten or more. Lower is better.
27.4%
In line with Devon
Suspensions per 100 pupilsSuspensions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. Lower is better; one or two incidents move a small school a lot.
21.2
Better than Devon
Pupils and classes
Average class sizeAverage pupils per class, from the school census. Shown for context, not as a score.
22.8
Context
Free school mealsPupils eligible for free school meals. Context for reading the results, not a measure of the school.
29%
Context
Pupils for each teacherPupils on roll for each full-time teacher, from the school workforce census. Shown for context.
15.0
Context
Demand for places
First choices per placeFamilies who put this school first, for each Year 7 place in 2026 (DfE applications and offers). Above 1 means more first choices than places.
0.9
Less sought after than Devon
Devon and England: DfE's own averages for results. For the rest, the middle state secondary school of the same phase, from every school we hold, since DfE publishes no council figure we hold.Where these figures come from →

Overview

Getting in

  • 154 families put it first for 175 places; every one of them got in DfE, school applications and offers · Year 7 2026
  • We hold a catchment map for this school.

Quality

  • Good Ofsted · inspected 28 February 2023
  • Progress 8: -0.12 (England +0.01) (county -0.03) DfE school performance tables · 2023/2024
  • Attainment 8: 46.0 (England 47.4) (county 46.8) DfE school performance tables · 2025/2026
  • English and maths grade 5 or above: 46% (England 48%) (county 47%) DfE school performance tables · 2025/2026
  • Progress, set against pupils who started with the same results: average DfE school performance tables · 2023/2024

Daily life

  • Absence: 9.9% of sessions missed; 27% of pupils miss 1 in 10 or more. Schools with a similar intake: 8.5% and 24% DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level · 2024/25
  • Suspensions: 21 per 100 pupils (schools with a similar intake: 17); 4 permanent exclusions DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level · 2024/25
  • Classes average 22.8 pupils; 12% of classes have more than 30 DfE, school workforce and pupil census · 2025/26
  • 15.0 pupils for each teacher DfE, school workforce · November 2025
  • Nearest stops, in a straight line: bus 100 m DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes) · within 800 m
  • 16 police-reported road collisions within 500 m (0 fatal, 4 serious) DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years · 2021 to 2025
  • Air: nitrogen dioxide 5.1 µg/m³, PM2.5 5.4 (1 km square, background level) DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps · 2024

Who runs it

  • Education South West, with 14 schools DfE, Get Information about Schools: group links · joined January 2017
  • Opened as an academy (converter) on 1 August 2011 DfE, open academies list
  • Replaced Coombeshead College (URN 113522) DfE, Get Information about Schools: links · 1 August 2011
  • We can't compare results before and after it converted: we hold results for only one side of the date, because DfE publishes a few years at a time.

Getting in

How far offers reached

How far away the last child offered a place under the distance rule lived, as the council measures it. It changes every year with who applies: a record, not a promise. Children with a higher priority can be offered places from further away.

Year 7. Distance of the last child offered a place on offer day. What the last distance means →

Offer day, year by year

EntryYearPlacesApplicationsOfferedRefusedLast distance (miles)
Year 72026210—176——
Year 72025210—203——

Source: Council offer-day figures: Devon County Council, 2025 to 2026. A dash is a figure the council does not publish, not nought. Distances are straight lines from the school.

Applications and offers, DfE

EntryYearPlacesFirst choicesAny choiceFirst choices offered
Year 72026175154305154
Year 72025196185325185
Year 72024201183376178
Year 72023191141329141
Year 72022162128328128
Year 720211679231092
Year 72020204162312162
Year 72019149131282131
Year 72018170153308153
Year 72017197177310177

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school level, Open Government Licence), 2014 to 2026. Families name up to three schools, so most applications are somebody's second or third choice.

Could you get in?Enter a home or postcode: we set it against every year's last offer and this school's rules.

Results

Results

MeasureThis schoolEnglandCouncilYear
Progress 8-0.12+0.01-0.032023/2024
Attainment 846.047.446.82025/2026
English and maths grade 5 or above46%48%47%2025/2026
Average A level gradeD+——2024/2025

Source: DfE school performance tables, 2023/2024, 2024/2025, 2025/2026.

League table place

TableLeague rank
GCSE (key stage 4)Top 50% (20/40)
A level (16 to 18)(20/20)

Source: DfE school performance tables: the newest year's results, place among the council's schools of the same phase.

Inspections

DateKindOutcome
28 February 2023Graded inspectionGood

Source: Ofsted, 2023.

Where leavers go

StageLeavers inPupilsIn a sustained placeOf which
After GCSEs2023/2411292%In education 81%; Apprenticeship 6.3%; Employment 4.5%
After GCSEs2022/2314583%In education 72%; Apprenticeship 6.2%; Employment 4.8%
After GCSEs2021/2217690%In education 78%; Apprenticeship 5.7%; Employment 6.8%
After sixth form2023/244286%Further education 0.0%; Apprenticeship 7.1%; Employment 52%
After sixth form2022/235377%Further education 1.9%; Apprenticeship 15%; Employment 47%
After sixth form2021/226688%Further education 0.0%; Apprenticeship 7.6%; Employment 50%

Source: DfE, destination measures. A figure DfE hides for a small group is left out, not shown as nought. The newest year may be provisional.

Devon league tableEvery school of this phase in the council on these results.See the table →

Daily life

Absence

YearSessions missedAuthorisedUnauthorisedPupils missing 1 in 10Pupils missing 1 in 2
2024/259.9%6.1%3.8%27%5.9%
2023/2410%6.3%4.2%31%6.2%
2022/2311%6.7%4.2%34%5.7%
Schools with a similar intake8.5%24%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level, 2024-25. Similar intake: state schools of the same phase with free school meals in the same band (20-30%), the median of 896 schools.

Suspensions and exclusions

YearSuspensions per 100 pupilsPupils suspendedSuspensionsPermanent exclusions
2024/2521.28.1%1854
2023/2447.113%4114
2022/2338.812%3443
Schools with a similar intake16.8

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level, 2024-25.

Class sizes and staff

MeasureFigureYear
Average class size22.82025/26
Classes over 30 pupils12%2025/26
Pupils for each teacher15.0November 2025

Source: DfE, school workforce; school census, 2025/26.

Stops nearby

KindNearest (metres, straight line)
bus100

Source: DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes), current. A stop across a railway or main road may be a long walk. Bus frequency is not held.

Road collisions within 500 m

YearCollisions
20255
20242
20233
20224
20212

Source: DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years, 2021 to 2025. 4 serious and 0 fatal in all; 9 involved a pedestrian, 1 a cyclist. Only collisions with an injury reported to police are counted.

Air quality

PollutantAnnual mean (µg/m³)Year
NO25.12024
PM109.32024
PM255.42024

Source: DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps. A 1 km background figure: not the air at the school gate beside a busy road.

Pupils

Who goes there

MeasureShare of pupilsYear
Eligible for free school meals29%2025/26
First language other than English2.9%2025/26
SEN support20%2025/26
Education, health and care plan3.3%2025/26
Girls55%2025/26

Source: DfE, schools, pupils and their characteristics; special educational needs, 2025/26.

Who runs it

Who runs it

  • Education South West, with 14 schools DfE, Get Information about Schools: group links · joined January 2017
  • Opened as an academy (converter) on 1 August 2011 DfE, open academies list
  • Replaced Coombeshead College (URN 113522) DfE, Get Information about Schools: links · 1 August 2011
  • We can't compare results before and after it converted: we hold results for only one side of the date, because DfE publishes a few years at a time.

Area

Homes in reach of this schoolLook up any home near here: its sales, an open-data valuation, and which schools it keeps in reach.Search homes →

Sources

  • Council offer-day figures: Devon County Council
  • DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps
  • DfE school performance tables
  • DfE school performance tables: the newest year's results, place among the council's schools of the same phase
  • DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school level, Open Government Licence)
  • DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level
  • DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level
  • DfE, destination measures
  • DfE, school workforce; school census
  • DfE, schools, pupils and their characteristics; special educational needs
  • DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes)
  • DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years
  • Ofsted
  • School register: DfE Get Information about Schools (this school)
  • How we check these figures: How we know

More in schools in Newton Abbot and the Devon league table. School register: DfE Get Information about Schools, updated 17 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources are named beside each figure. How we know · All sources.