Coombeshead Academy

Academy converter·Secondary school Newton Abbot, Devon·TQ12 1PT
Composite score
58.5
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#1,382
National rank
#127
In South West
#13
In Devon
Top 44%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
46.8
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
49%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
70%
% EBacc grade 5+
20%
EBacc average points score
4.21

Ofsted judgements

Legacy framework · Read full report ↗

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding effective?
Yes
Sixth form provision
Good

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
100%
154 first choices, 175 places
First choices per place
0.88
fewer first choices than places
Applications naming the school
305
any preference, for 175 places
Applications from another council area
5%
First preferences per place, last five years▼ 0.06
00.511.5
1 per place
0.7920220.7420230.9120240.9420250.882026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

Every child who put Coombeshead Academy first was offered a place in 2026, so no distance cut-off applied: living further away did not cost a place that year.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–18
Pupils on roll
873
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
26.8%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
3.6%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
17.5%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
3.4%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
10.5%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
31.3%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
15.7
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£7,286
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
83%
145 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
72%
Apprenticeship
6%
Employment
5%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

School overview

Coombeshead Academy is a secondary school serving Newton Abbot, Devon, classified by the DfE as a converter academy. It has 873 pupils aged 11 to 18 on roll. At its most recent graded inspection, Ofsted rated Coombeshead Academy 'Good'. In the most recent GCSE results, pupils achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 46.8, broadly in line with the national average of 46. That marks an improvement of 3.0 points in its Attainment 8 score on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the top 44% of secondary schools nationally.

49% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, above the national average of about 45%. 70% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Coombeshead Academy was not oversubscribed for September 2026: all 154 families who put it first were offered a place. After Year 11, 83% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 10.5%. There are about 15.7 pupils per teacher. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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