Atlantic Academy, Bideford
Atlantic Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Bideford, part of Athena Learning Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2023. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 15th-highest of the 40 schools in Devon with published results, and 1,328th of 3,298 across England. It was 46% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Devon (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Atlantic Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Atlantic Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.8, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Devon and 47 across England.
58% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 45% in Devon and 47% in England.
That is up from 42.1 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.3: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 33.7, against 54.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 21.2 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 12 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Art and Design and Geography.
Getting a place at Atlantic Academy
For September 2026 entry, 22 families put Atlantic Academy as their first choice and 55 named it as one of their preferences, for 24 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
The trust
Atlantic Academy is one of 9 schools run by Athena Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 46.4 in 2024/25.
Where pupils go next
Of the 55 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 71% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 62% to a further education college, 7% to an apprenticeship and 7% into work.
Who goes there
37.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 1.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 79 pupils (32.6%) received SEN support and 20 (8.3%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Atlantic Academy had 27 teachers in 2026, one for every 8 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Atlantic Academy.
1 bus stop is within a five-minute walk; the closest is Atlantic Academy (near), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 5 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Devon (16).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Atlantic Academy issued 210 suspensions, 92.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
About
Atlantic Academy is a secondary free school situated in Bucks Cross in Bideford, Devon, England. It has 262 pupils as of February 2023, and its current principal is Claire Ankers.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
37.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from -0.13 to -0.30 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 43.6 to 47.8 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 46% to 58% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 47.8 | 57.8% |
| Disadvantaged(15) | - | 33.7 | 33.3% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(30) | - | 54.9 | 70% |
| Boys(23) | - | 45.2 | 56.5% |
| Girls(22) | - | 50.6 | 59.1% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(40) | - | 51.8 | 65% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 55 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
210
Suspensions
92.51%
Suspension rate
51 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 227 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby secondary school
Keep up with Atlantic Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Atlantic Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Atlantic Academy is in Devon; for families living there:
- Devon's school travel policy: Free school transport
- How to apply: Apply for free school transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Devon is 3 (the median across 426 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Atlantic Academy
Will you get a place at Atlantic Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Atlantic Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Atlantic Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Atlantic Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Devon, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Atlantic Academy for 2019 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Devon got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
46%
Available places
229 pupils
500 places
271 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bideford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bideford
Across Devon council
Places available
7,788
Applications
7,251
Got 1st preference
93.3%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All secondary applications across Devon council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
79
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
40.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
242
Total Pupils
131
Boys
111
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
27
Teachers
9.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£64,884
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£8,258
Per pupil
£2024k
Total funding
£83k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
15.0%
Overall absence
42.6%
Persistent absence
263
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Atlantic Academy
What are GCSE results like at Atlantic Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Atlantic Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 47.8. 58% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Atlantic Academy's Ofsted rating?
Atlantic Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2017 it was rated Inadequate.
What is the catchment area for Atlantic Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Atlantic Academy is oversubscribed, Devon allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Atlantic Academy?
Atlantic Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 46% of its 500 places.
How big are the classes at Atlantic Academy?
Classes at Atlantic Academy average 22 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Atlantic Academy?
Atlantic Academy has around 242 pupils on roll. 38% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Atlantic Academy?
15% of sessions were missed at Atlantic Academy in 2024/25. 42.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Atlantic Academy?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Atlantic Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Atlantic Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Devon is 3 (the median across 426 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Atlantic Academy?
Atlantic Academy is at Bucks Cross, Bideford, Devon, EX39 5DW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)