Royal Deaf Education Trust, Exmouth
Royal Deaf Education Trust is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 19 in Exmouth. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2023.
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Royal Deaf Education Trust in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Royal Deaf Education Trust are Royal Deaf Education Trust (under 0.1 miles, Good); Oakwood Specialist College (3.4 miles, Outstanding); Orchard Manor School (4.3 miles, Good); and Mill Water School (5.5 miles).
Royal Deaf Education TrustOakwood Specialist CollegeOrchard Manor SchoolMill Water School
Who goes there
36.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 42.9% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at Royal Deaf Education Trust has an education, health and care plan (47 of 49 in 2026). The most common need among them is hearing impairment.
Royal Deaf Education Trust provides for pupils with visual impairment and hearing impairment.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Exmouth Rail Station, about 930 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Fairfield Road (opposite), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Royal Deaf Education Trust stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 100 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. 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, Royal Deaf Education Trust issued 3 suspensions, 6.3 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: 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 · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Leadership & management, Sixth form.
At a Glance
36.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Vision, Hearing
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 4 nearby schools
Keep up with Royal Deaf Education Trust
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Royal Deaf Education Trust from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Royal Deaf Education Trust 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
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 6 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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
33%
Available places
49 pupils
150 places
101 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Exmouth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Exmouth
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(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
2
SEN Support
47
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Royal Deaf Education Trust provides for pupils with visual impairment and hearing impairment.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
49
Total Pupils
29
Boys
20
Girls
2026 academic year
Pupil Absence2024/25
16.6%
Overall absence
44.4%
Persistent absence
27
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
Questions parents ask about Royal Deaf Education Trust
What is Royal Deaf Education Trust's Ofsted rating?
Royal Deaf Education Trust was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2019 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Royal Deaf Education Trust?
No fixed boundary. When Royal Deaf Education Trust is oversubscribed, Devon allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Royal Deaf Education Trust?
Royal Deaf Education Trust has around 49 pupils on roll. 37% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Royal Deaf Education Trust have specialist SEN provision?
Royal Deaf Education Trust provides for pupils with visual impairment and hearing impairment.
What is attendance like at Royal Deaf Education Trust?
16.6% of sessions were missed at Royal Deaf Education Trust in 2024/25. 44.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Royal Deaf Education Trust?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Royal Deaf Education Trust 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 Royal Deaf Education Trust?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 6 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Royal Deaf Education Trust?
Royal Deaf Education Trust is at 1 Douglas Avenue, Exmouth, EX8 2AU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)