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State all-through · 4 to 16 · Mixed · 438 pupils

Thomas Hall School

Cowley Bridge Road, Exeter, EX4 5AD · Devon
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Ofsted: Requires improvement · March 2024(39/40)About one first choice per place (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: 2,900th of 3,223 on the same figure. Band: Lower half.
(39/40)Rank among 40 Devon secondaries with results, 2026 results (Attainment 8)
See the Devon league table →
Inspection
Requires improvement, March 2024
Getting in
Not full for Year 7 2026
Results
-0.27 progress 8; 37.4 attainment 8
Size
438 pupils; 31 places a year; classes of 22
Run by
Reach South Academy Trust
Type
Free schools
Ages
4 to 16 · Mixed
Strengths, and things to check
  • Expected standard: 64%, against 59% in Devon.
  • Progress 8: -0.27, against -0.03 in Devon.
  • Attainment 8: 37.4, against 46.8 in Devon.
  • English and maths, grade 5+: 37%, against 47% in Devon.
Could your child get in?We hold no offer-day distances for this school yet. Enter your postcode to see how far it is from your home.Check a postcode ↓ 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
Expected standardThe share of Year 6 pupils who reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, from the key stage 2 tests and teacher assessment.
64%
Better than Devon
Higher standardThe share who reached the higher standard in all three. A small year group can swing this a lot from one year to the next.
7%
In line with Devon
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.
-0.27
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.
37.4
Worse than Devon
English and maths, grade 5+The share of pupils with grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE (a strong pass).
37%
Worse than 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.
13.1%
Worse than Devon
Persistently absentPupils who missed one session in ten or more. Lower is better.
39.2%
Worse than 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.
69.7
Worse than Devon
Pupils and classes
Average class sizeAverage pupils per class, from the school census. Shown for context, not as a score.
21.8
Context
Free school mealsPupils eligible for free school meals. Context for reading the results, not a measure of the school.
34%
Context
Pupils for each teacherPupils on roll for each full-time teacher, from the school workforce census. Shown for context.
16.2
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.
1.0
In line with 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 →
COULD YOUR CHILD GET IN? · YEAR 7 2027

We hold no offer-day distances for this school yet. Enter your postcode to see how far it is from your home.

Free, no account needed. Your postcode is used for this check and not kept.

Offers

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)
Reception202630—9——
Reception202530—17——

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.

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

Results

Quality

  • Requires improvement Ofsted · inspected 19 March 2024
  • Progress 8: -0.27 (England +0.01) (county -0.03) DfE school performance tables · 2023/2024
  • Attainment 8: 37.4 (England 47.4) (county 46.8) DfE school performance tables · 2025/2026
  • English and maths grade 5 or above: 37% (England 48%) (county 47%) DfE school performance tables · 2025/2026

Results

MeasureThis schoolEnglandCouncilYear
Progress 8-0.27+0.01-0.032023/2024
Attainment 837.447.446.82025/2026
English and maths grade 5 or above37%48%47%2025/2026
Reading, writing and maths: expected standard64%62%59%2024/2025
Reading, writing and maths: higher standard7%8%7%2024/2025

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

League table place

TableLeague rank
Primary (key stage 2)Top 45% (123/275)
GCSE (key stage 4)(39/40)

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

Where leavers go

StageLeavers inPupilsIn a sustained placeOf which
After GCSEs2023/245496%In education 83%; Apprenticeship 3.7%; Employment 9.3%
After GCSEs2022/232592%In education 72%; Apprenticeship 4.0%; Employment 16%
After GCSEs2021/223288%In education 84%; Apprenticeship 3.1%; Employment 0.0%

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 and who goes there

Daily life

  • Absence: 13% of sessions missed; 39% of pupils miss 1 in 10 or more. Schools with a similar intake: 9.0% and 27% DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level · 2024/25
  • Suspensions: 70 per 100 pupils (schools with a similar intake: 20); 2 permanent exclusions DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level · 2024/25
  • Classes average 21.8 pupils; 24% of classes have more than 30 DfE, school workforce and pupil census · 2025/26
  • 16.2 pupils for each teacher DfE, school workforce · November 2025
  • Nearest stops, in a straight line: bus 136 m DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes) · within 800 m
  • 7 police-reported road collisions within 500 m (0 fatal, 0 serious) DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years · 2021 to 2025
  • Air: nitrogen dioxide 4.5 µg/m³, PM2.5 5.2 (1 km square, background level) DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps · 2024

Absence

YearSessions missedAuthorisedUnauthorisedPupils missing 1 in 10Pupils missing 1 in 2
2024/2513%9.3%3.7%39%10%
2023/2415%8.6%5.9%45%10%
2022/2313%7.4%5.9%36%7.8%
Schools with a similar intake9.0%27%

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 (30-40%), the median of 654 schools.

Suspensions and exclusions

YearSuspensions per 100 pupilsPupils suspendedSuspensionsPermanent exclusions
2024/2569.712%3192
2023/2432.511%1490
2022/2322.67.8%930
Schools with a similar intake19.7

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

Class sizes and staff

MeasureFigureYear
Average class size21.82025/26
Classes over 30 pupils24%2025/26
Pupils for each teacher16.2November 2025

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

Stops nearby

KindNearest (metres, straight line)
bus136

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
20251
20244
20232
20220
20210

Source: DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years, 2021 to 2025. 0 serious and 0 fatal in all; 0 involved a pedestrian, 3 a cyclist. Only collisions with an injury reported to police are counted.

Air quality

PollutantAnnual mean (µg/m³)Year
NO24.52024
PM108.82024
PM255.22024

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.

Who goes there

MeasureShare of pupilsYear
Eligible for free school meals34%2025/26
First language other than English12%2025/26
SEN support25%2025/26
Education, health and care plan8.2%2025/26
Girls48%2025/26

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

Ofsted

Ofsted, March 2024The 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 educationRequires improvement
Behaviour and attitudesRequires improvement
Leadership and managementRequires improvement

Inspections

DateKindOutcome
19 March 2024Graded inspectionRequires improvement

Source: Ofsted, 2024.

Admissions

Getting in

  • 30 families put it first for 31 places; every one of them got in DfE, school applications and offers · Year 7 2026
  • We hold no catchment map for this school, so we can't say which addresses are inside it.
  • We can't tell how far Year 7 places reached: we hold no offer-day figures for this school. Ask the council or the school for the last distance offered.

Applications and offers, DfE

EntryYearPlacesFirst choicesAny choiceFirst choices offered
Year 7202631305630
Reception202699189
Year 7202551377937
Reception202517172917
Year 7202451437742
Reception202416162516
Year 7202330266123
Reception202317162416
Year 7202225244624
Reception202216152715

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school level, Open Government Licence), 2020 to 2026. Families name up to three schools, so most applications are somebody's second or third choice.

Who runs it

  • Reach South Academy Trust, with 20 schools DfE, Get Information about Schools: group links · joined June 2023
  • Opened as an academy (free schools) on 1 November 2019 DfE, open academies list
  • Replaced Steiner Academy Exeter (URN 139661) DfE, Get Information about Schools: links · 1 November 2019
  • 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.

Fees and clubs

State schools charge no tuition fees. Breakfast clubs, after-school clubs and holiday clubs are set by each school: ask the school what it runs and what it costs.

Childcare costsWhat wraparound care and early years places cost, and what funding covers.See costs →

Nearby

Schools nearby

St James School2.2 miWest Exe School2.5 miIsca Academy2.9 miSt Luke's Church of England School3.0 miCompare side by side →

Nurseries nearby

The Ark at Thomas Hall0.1 miles
The Exwick Ark0.8 miles
Little Explorers Day Nursery0.9 miles
Tops Exeter1.0 miles
Source: Ofsted early years register.
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 Exeter 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.