Running Deer School, Moretonhampstead
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Running Deer welcomes pupils who have had difficult experiences elsewhere and creates a safe, happy environment where they feel trusted and supported. The school excels in reading and behaviour, with pupils eager to learn and meeting high expectations. It offers a rich, character-building curriculum with real-world learning opportunities, from outdoor education to agricultural qualifications, helping pupils understand healthy living, different cultures, and career paths.
Key Strengths
- Strong behaviour and attitudes - pupils meet high expectations and bullying is rare
- Excellent focus on reading with initiatives like 'everybody read' helping all pupils become confident, fluent readers
- Well-considered wider development offer including outdoor learning, qualifications in areas like equine care, and character development
- Pupils feel safe, happy and trusted by staff who understand their individual interests and needs
- Good personal development with opportunities to learn about democracy, inclusion, and social empathy
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching expertise is unevenly developed across subjects, meaning some pupils do not learn securely in all areas
- In a few subjects, leaders lack thorough understanding of how the curriculum impacts pupils' learning, leading to missed opportunities
- Pupils' support plans sometimes do not accurately reflect curriculum adaptations or detail specific strategies and targets precisely enough
- Staff need stronger subject knowledge and instructional expertise across all subjects
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school creates an open, positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Equine care qualifications, agriculture qualifications, charity fundraising, outdoor learning in natural woodland setting
Running Deer School is an independent special school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, situated in woodland on Dartmoor. The school has stabilised following previous turbulence, with a new leadership structure and overhauled curriculum, though the quality of education still requires improvement.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
0.0
Avg class size
0
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
93%
Near capacity
14 pupils
15 capacity
1 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Moretonhampstead
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Moretonhampstead
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)
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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.
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Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Running Deer School
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