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South Molton Community College

Secondary · South Molton · EX36 4LA

Data updated

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Good

SchoolFacts estimate: Ofsted awarded no overall grade at this inspection

We show the lowest of the four areas Ofsted did judge, listed below. Why some schools have no overall grade →

Quality of education: GoodBehaviour & attitudes: GoodPersonal development: GoodLeadership & management: GoodSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 10 December 2024

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

656 pupils · 87% of 750 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Foundation school
Age range
11–16
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
22% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
3% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
20.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
4.5% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
http://www.smcc.devon.sch.uk/
URN
113512

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 118 families named it first for 120 Year 7 places, 0.98 first choices per place. We hold 8 Year 7 admissions rounds for it, 2019 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. At its inspection on 10 December 2024 Ofsted awarded no overall grade; the lowest of the four areas it judged was Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 9.7% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

0.98 first-choice applications per place

120 places offered · 118 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Every applicant was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance was not needed to decide places.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

Every applicant was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance was not needed to decide places.

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One free check a month, no account needed. No cutoff distance applied in 2026, so there is no boundary for your address to be inside of. The check shows how far you live from the school and how many rounds running it has placed every applicant. Premium adds unlimited checks, the nearby schools that do ration places by distance and whether you are inside them, and the address check across every school at once.

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Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

117 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
45.9
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
70.1%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
49.6%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
4.2
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school45.9
Median of its 12 closest peers42.6
Devon average45.9
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is ahead of the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
Smithdon High SchoolHunstanton · 227 miles awayGood40.3
Beaminster SchoolBeaminster · 50 miles awayGood47
Bourne Community CollegeEmsworth · 128 miles awayNeeds attention39.1
Orsett Heath AcademyGrays · 184 miles awayGood47
Bury Church of England High SchoolBury · 189 miles awayExpected standard49.1
Dawlish CollegeDawlish · 34 miles awayNo current grade38.9
Mullion SchoolHelston · 92 miles awayGood43.7
Alderman Peel High SchoolWells-next-the-Sea · 240 miles awayExpected standard45.4
Honiton Community CollegeHoniton · 32 miles awayGood40.4
Glebelands SchoolCranleigh · 146 miles awayGood53.2
The Academy, SelseyChichester · 134 miles awayGood38
Ibstock SchoolIbstock · 156 miles awayRequires improvement41.5

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 93% (Devon 87%, England 59%) · Any other White background 2% (Devon 4%, England 7%) · Asian Indian 1% (Devon 1%, England 4%) · Any other ethnic group 1% (Devon 1%, England 3%) · Black African 1% (Devon 1%, England 5%) · Not recorded 1% (Devon 2%, England 2%) · other groups together 3%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
9.7%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
27.2%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

30.97 suspensions per 100 pupils and 4 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Devon: 36.27 suspensions and 0.29 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
19.9
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

77% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 2% moved to another state school · 20% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, council-maintained secondaries: 0.22% vacant, 0.42% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

39.5% of teachers took sickness absence, 4.8 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £55,405; 25% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2025-26)

This school£8,415
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2025-26)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 71% (77%) · premises 6% (6%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 9% (7%) · supplies and services 14% (10%) · educational supplies 6% (6%) · bought-in professional services 4% (2%) · catering 4% (3%)

Reserves (2025-26)

Revenue reserve -£860,863; in-year balance -£150,374

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: council-maintained school finance return, 2025-26, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
90%
Continuing in education
75%
Apprenticeship
13%
Employment
2%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
3/10more deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
4/10more deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher21.2%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications19.6%18.1%
In managerial or professional work21.9%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways20.5%18.1%
Residents in very good health42%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier58.7%62.3%
Social housing22.1%17.1%
Privately rented19%20.5%
Detached houses17.9%22.9%
Flats9.7%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms11.8%21.1%
Households with no car or van21%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01020135 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£250,000294 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£193,000–£324,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (108)£330,000
Semi-detached (54)£268,500
Terraced (105)£207,000
Flat (27)£165,000

Homes around this school are cheaper than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
1a rural school averages 0.3
Collisions at school-run times
3a rural school averages 0.7
All reported collisions
6a rural school averages 3.4
Of those, serious or fatal
3a rural school averages 0.9

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools