Barley Lane School, Exeter
Barley Lane School is a special school for pupils aged 7 to 16 in Exeter, part of SENtient Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2024.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Barley Lane School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Barley Lane School are Belong School Devon (0.8 miles, Good); Magdalen Court School (1.9 miles, Requires improvement); The Outdoors School (2 miles, Good); and Southbrook School (2.8 miles, Good).
Belong School DevonMagdalen Court SchoolThe Outdoors SchoolSouthbrook School
The trust
Barley Lane School is one of 6 schools run by SENtient Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 13 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 77% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 39% to a further education college and 8% to an apprenticeship.
Who goes there
70% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 1.3% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (91%) and Mixed (6%).
Almost every pupil at Barley Lane School has an education, health and care plan (80 of 80 in 2026). The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Barley Lane School provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Exeter St Thomas Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Eton Walk (nw-bound), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 132 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Devon (16), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Barley Lane School issued 20 suspensions, 26.3 for every 100 pupils, and 2 permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Barley Lane is a calm and nurturing environment where pupils feel safe. Pupils are positive about the care they receive and how staff accept them as individuals. They appreciate how staff listen to them and give them the help they need to manage their emotions successfully. Pupils are adamant that staff treat them with respect and understand them. This means that when pupils have incidents of challenging behaviour, they feel they always have a fresh start.
The school wants pupils to be successful learners. However, the quality of education is not good. In some subjects, the school is not clear about the key knowledge and skills it wants pupils to know and remember. This means, they do not build a deep understanding of these subjects. Also, in some subjects, staff do not have secure subject knowledge to enable pupils to learn successfully.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school's values, 'ready, respectful and safe,' are at the core of its work. As soon as pupils start at the school, staff make sure they feel safe and are ready to learn. The school ensures pupils know that despite any individual challenges they might face, everyone has something to offer and learn.
The school are rightly proud of the impressive relationships they build with pupils and their families. Staff place significant importance on knowing each individual pupil well. This means they can quickly spot any potential triggers that can increase pupils' anxious behaviours. As a result, pupils are extremely well supported, and they behave well. Luna, the therapy dog is a firm favourite with pupils as she helps them to be calm and ready to learn.
From Ofsted's July 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its July 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
70.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 33% to 29% (2024 to 2025), while maths has improved from 0% to 14% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Barley Lane School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Barley Lane School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Barley Lane School 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
- 12
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 11 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
95%
Near capacity
80 pupils
84 places
4 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Exeter
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Exeter
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.
Inspection History(15)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
80
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Barley Lane School provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
80
Total Pupils
80
Boys
0
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
4.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,773
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
13.3%
Overall absence
34.6%
Persistent absence
81
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Barley Lane School
Questions parents ask about Barley Lane School
What are GCSE results like at Barley Lane School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Barley Lane School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 4. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Barley Lane School's Ofsted rating?
Barley Lane School was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2013 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Barley Lane School?
No fixed boundary. When Barley Lane School is oversubscribed, Devon allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Barley Lane School?
Barley Lane School has around 80 pupils on roll. 70% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Barley Lane School have specialist SEN provision?
Barley Lane School provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
What is attendance like at Barley Lane School?
13.3% of sessions were missed at Barley Lane School in 2024/25. 34.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Barley Lane School?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Barley Lane School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Barley Lane School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 11 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 Barley Lane School?
Barley Lane School is at Barley Lane, St Thomas, Exeter, Devon, EX4 1TA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)