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Pilton Bluecoat Church of England Academy

Primary · Barnstaple · EX31 1JU

Data updated

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Good

Graded inspection under the pre-November 2025 system

This is an overall-effectiveness grade from the previous inspection framework. The school has not yet had a report-card inspection.

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

Inspected 8 November 2023

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

261 pupils · 99% of 264 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
7–11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Free school meals
23.8% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
7.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
19.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
2.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
www.piltonbluecoat.devon.sch.uk/
URN
138315

In figures

Ofsted last graded it Good on 8 November 2023, under the framework used before November 2025. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 5.3% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Every applicant was offered a place for 2025 entry, so distance was not needed to decide places.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 3

Every applicant was offered a place for 2025 entry, so distance was not needed to decide places.

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

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

65 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths
63%
England 62%
Reaching the higher standard
6%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)
106
England 106
Average scaled score (maths)
104
England 105

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

Schools with a similar intake

Meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 2024/2025

This school63%
Median of its 12 closest peers64%
Devon average60%
England62%

On meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, this school is in line with 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.

SchoolOfstedResult
Alverthorpe St Paul's CofE (VA) School 3-11yrsWakefield · 209 miles awayGood69%
The Elms Primary SchoolFaringdon · 114 miles awayGood61%
The Pilgrim School (A Church of England Primary With Nursery)Rochester · 198 miles awayOutstanding83%
Fatfield AcademyWashington · 283 miles awayGood74%
The John Harrox Primary School, MoultonSpalding · 207 miles awayGood65%
All Souls Church of England Primary SchoolHeywood · 190 miles awayOutstanding87%
Rackheath Primary SchoolNorwich · 256 miles awayOutstanding63%
Wilnecote Junior AcademyTamworth · 147 miles awayRequires improvement49%
Dereham, Toftwood Community Junior SchoolDereham · 240 miles awayGood59%
Penwortham Broad Oak Primary SchoolPreston · 191 miles awayExpected standard73%
Yapton CE Primary SchoolArundel · 151 miles awayGood45%
Indian Queens Primary SchoolSt Columb · 61 miles awayGood39%

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

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 83% (Devon 87%, England 60%) · Asian Indian 6% (Devon 1%, England 4%) · Any other White background 4% (Devon 4%, England 7%) · Mixed White and Asian 2% (Devon 1%, England 2%) · Any other ethnic group 1% (Devon 1%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 1% (Devon 0%, England 2%) · Asian Pakistani 1% (Devon 0%, England 5%) · other groups together 2%

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)
5.3%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
13.6%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

0.00 suspensions per 100 pupils and 1 permanent exclusion · England, primary schools: 2.47 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Devon: 3.30 suspensions and 0.04 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
20.7
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

90% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 10% moved to another state school

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, primary academies: 0.3% vacant, 0.32% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

69.2% of teachers took sickness absence, 5.9 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 £56,046; 28.6% on the leadership pay range · England, primary schools: £50,856, 17.3%

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

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£5,514
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 67% (77%) · premises 3% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 17% (8%) · supplies and services 12% (9%) · educational supplies 9% (4%) · bought-in professional services 0% (2%) · catering 12% (5%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £319,000; in-year balance +£223,000

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Inspection history since 2015

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

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
4/10more deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
3/10more deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher25.8%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications18.9%18.1%
In managerial or professional work24.5%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways25.6%18.1%
Residents in very good health44.2%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier47.7%62.3%
Social housing34.6%17.1%
Privately rented17.7%20.5%
Detached houses9.1%22.9%
Flats15.2%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms13.8%21.1%
Households with no car or van26%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01020134 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£236,000275 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£175,000–£312,500the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (38)£387,000
Semi-detached (34)£320,000
Terraced (153)£224,000
Flat (50)£161,000

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
1an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
2an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
10an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
0an urban school averages 6.1

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