The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy, Ilfracombe

Ofsted's report card from its 13 January 2026 inspection grades The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy on 7 areas: 7 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils' achievement has improved significantly."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders understand and have successfully reduced the barriers to attendance that some pupils face."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The curriculum is broad and ambitious."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders ensure that pupils who face barriers to learning and/or wellbeing are identified promptly and supported appropriately."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have brought about rapid improvements at the school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "A coherent and appropriate programme of personal development extends across the taught curriculum, wider opportunities and experiences."

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "Leaders ensure that the post-16 curriculum is designed effectively around students' needs."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that the specific needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are consistently provided for in lessons so that these pupils are supported to make the best possible progress through the curriculum"; "Leaders should further support pupils to improve their behaviour so that fewer pupils miss learning and accumulate gaps in knowledge when removed from lessons or are suspended from school"; "Leaders should ensure that incidents of bullying are dealt with quickly and effectively so that pupils, parents and carers have greater confidence that such incidents will not continue".

In its own words: "Welcome to The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy, situated on a beautiful coastal site overlooking the town and the Bristol Channel, we are an 11-18 church academy, part of Athena Learning Trust. We have over 1000 students on roll, including a popular and expanding Sixth Form."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, debating and Duke of Edinburgh.

In 2026, pupils at The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 50.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Devon and 47 across England.

53% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 45% in Devon and 47% in England.

That is up from 47.9 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.48: pupils made above 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 43.6, against 53.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 9.8 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 17 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Art and Design.

For September 2026 entry, 131 families put The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy as their first choice and 140 named it as one of their preferences, for 131 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The Ilfracombe Church of England 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.

135 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy (as of April 2026): 74% would recommend the school, 73% say their child is happy there and 57% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that pupils behave well (84%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (57%).

Of the 174 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 81% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 40% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 5% into work.

Of the 66 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 27% went on to university or other higher education, 6% to apprenticeships and 32% into work. 13% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

3.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 143 pupils (14.1%) received SEN support and 30 (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 a moderate learning difficulty.

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy.

15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Academy (n-bound), 60 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 126 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.

In 2024/25, The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy issued 850 suspensions, 84.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Ilfracombe Church of England Academy are Ilfracombe Church of England Junior School (0.3 miles) and Ilfracombe Infant and Nursery School (0.3 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.