School profile

Orchard Vale Community School

Primary · Academy converter · Barnstaple, EX32 8QY

Good

Map showing Orchard Vale Community School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#11,971 of 15,057

Worse than 79% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Orchard Vale Community School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 10 May 2023

Ofsted rating
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeAcademy converter
Ages3 to 11
Pupils311
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Fiona Pearce
TrustTHE HARBOUR SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
Local authorityDevon
Opened01 Nov 2011
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 137644.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolDevonEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths51%, worse than England, worse than Devon59%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.2%, worse than England, worse than Devon7%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.104, worse than England, worse than Devon106106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.103, worse than England, similar to Devon104105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.102, worse than England, worse than Devon104105
Expected standard in reading77%, similar to England, similar to Devon75%76%
Expected standard in writing62%, worse than England, worse than Devon70%73%
Expected standard in maths72%, similar to England, similar to Devon72%75%
Pupils taking tests47--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils311
Girls152
Boys159
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.25.1%
First language not English2.6%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.315
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.287
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.8.9%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.49
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.14
Average class size27.9

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
93.6%
African
2.3%
White and Asian
1.3%
White and Black Caribbean
1%
Other White
0.6%
White and Black African
0.6%
Indian
0.3%
Irish
0%
Traveller of Irish heritage
0%
Gypsy/Roma
0%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher19.8
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.9.5
Teachers (FTE)15.1
Teaching assistants (FTE)16.52
Support staff (FTE)24.55
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2515.8
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2514.3
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/251
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/250.5

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.31
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.41
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.31
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.31
Applications from another local authority (Reception)0

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolDevonEngland
Overall absence4.1%, better than England, better than Devon5.1%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.11.7%, similar to England, similar to Devon12.2%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0.4%, better than England, better than Devon1.1%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate1.5%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0.6%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Orchard Vale Community School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.7 miPrimaryEden Park AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.9 miPrimaryNewport Community School Primary AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.1 miPrimaryOur Lady's Catholic Primary School, BarnstapleAcademy converter
Good
1.2 miPrimaryLandkey Community Primary AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.2 miPrimaryGoodleigh Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary controlled school
Good
1.3 miPrimaryAshleigh CofE Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.3 miSecondaryThe Park Community SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.4 miPrimaryYeo Valley Primary SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.8 miPrimaryPilton Infants' AcademyAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Orchard Vale Community School

What is Orchard Vale Community School's Ofsted rating?

Orchard Vale Community School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 10 May 2023.

How does Orchard Vale Community School rank in England?

Orchard Vale Community School ranks 11,971 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (worse than 79% of schools).

What are Orchard Vale Community School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 51% of pupils at Orchard Vale Community School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Orchard Vale Community School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Orchard Vale Community School made 31 offers from 41 applications (1.3 per offer), and 31 of 31 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Orchard Vale Community School?

Orchard Vale Community School has 311 pupils aged 3 to 11.

What is the capacity of Orchard Vale Community School?

Orchard Vale Community School had 315 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Orchard Vale Community School?

At Orchard Vale Community School, the average class had 27.9 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 19.8 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Orchard Vale Community School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Orchard Vale Community School missed 4.1% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 11.7% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.