Bidwell Brook School, Totnes
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 6 months agoReport card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Bidwell Brook excels at understanding each child as an individual and adapting teaching to their specific needs. The school creates a safe, inclusive environment where pupils feel they belong and want to come to school. Staff are highly skilled at supporting emotional wellbeing and developing pupils' confidence to become advocates for themselves and champions for special educational needs.
Key Strengths
- Excellent behaviour management through understanding pupils as individuals and recognising behaviour as communication
- Strong attendance support with sensitive, creative approaches that work closely with families
- Comprehensive personal development programme that builds confidence, self-esteem and community understanding
- Skilled staff who adapt teaching using various communication approaches including signing and symbol systems
- Inclusive culture with thorough knowledge of each pupil's needs and effective multi-agency working
Areas for Improvement
- Strengthening consistency and precision in early years curriculum impact
- Developing greater clarity and precision in leadership oversight and evaluation of decisions
- Building full confidence among all staff in their expertise and skills
- Addressing recent staffing level challenges to support staff wellbeing
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - the school has an open and positive culture where all staff recognise safeguarding as everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified and managed.
Extracurricular Activities
Clubs, trips, residential visits, rural skills outdoor learning, community projects
Bidwell Brook School is a special educational needs school that has demonstrated strong standards in attendance, behaviour, and personal development. The school has recently navigated challenges and is now focused on strengthening oversight and evaluating the impact of its education provision.
At a Glance
51.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 0%. Maths has remained stable at around 0%. Writing has remained stable at around 0%.
Class Sizes
0.0
Avg class size
0
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
Commute Calculator
Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply
What are my chances?
Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
108%
Over capacity
151 pupils
140 capacity
11 places over capacity
Area Demand Pressure - Totnes
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Totnes
Admissions Demand - Devon
Places available
8,027
Applications
7,482
Got 1st preference
93.3%
Got preferred school
98.2%
Secondary admissions across Devon (2025/26)
Inspection History(7)
House Prices
Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost
SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.88247%
Overall absence
34.71074%
Persistent absence
121
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Reviews
No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Bidwell Brook School
Nearby Schools
Do you work at this school?
Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.