Dartmouth Academy

South Hams · TQ6 9HW

General information All-through School · 3-19 years Who goes here 435 pupils, 26.1% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 14.7% on SEN support Behaviour 8.3% absence rate Staff 14.2% turnover Financials £7,527 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Dartmouth Academy

General Information

Address: Milton Lane, Dartmouth, TQ6 9HW – View on map
Phone: 01803839700
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Paul Girardot
Age range: 3-19 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 45 families put it first for 36 places – 13 for every 10 places. 76% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 13 · 2024 9 · 2025 9 · 2026 13
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 15 families put it first for 15 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

435 pupils out of 810 places Plenty of room

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 110
% eligible for free school meals: 26.1%
Pupil mix: 2 in 10 (more mixed than the South Hams average)
English as an additional language: 9% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 14.2% a year (South Hams 14.5%, typical in England 15.5%)
Where they went: about 33% moved to another school, 67% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Devon: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 129 (3.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 133 (3.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 79 (1.9 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Devon (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 8.3%
Persistently absent pupils: 23.5%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 14.7%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 6.2%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 22 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 17 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 9 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 8 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 3 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 12 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 5 pupils
Physical disability: 4 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 4 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2023 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

SecondaryGCSE results, Year 11

Attainment 8 score: 45.3
Compared with the area: 5.8 points below the South Hams average (51.1)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (+0.0 points against an expected 45.3)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 63% (South Hams 76%, England 65%) Improving
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolSouth Hams averageEngland↗ Improving Up 6.2 points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 5.8 points below the South Hams average (51.1).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

3rd of 4 all-through schools in South Hams for Attainment 8

#1Ivybridge Community College55.2
#2Kingsbridge Academy49.6
#3Dartmouth Academy45.3
#4King Edward VI Community College44.6

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1Ivybridge Community College55.2
#2Kingsbridge Academy49.6
#3Dartmouth Academy45.3
#4King Edward VI Community College44.6

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 93.0%
Went into further education: 83.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

English Language
Maths (General)
English Literature
Science Double Award
Geography
History
Art & Design
Photography
Food Technology
French Language
Biology
Physics (General)
Chemistry (General)
Psychology (General)
Religious Studies
Statistics

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

PrimaryYear 6 SATs results

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 70% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 10% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: in line with the South Hams average (69%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Below (3-year average 51% against an expected 56%)
3-year average (expected standard): 51%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 85% · Writing 75% · Maths 70% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 65%
Average test scores: reading 106, maths 102
Based on: 20 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolSouth Hams averageEngland↗ Improving Up 32 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was in line with the South Hams average (69%).

Year 6 SATs: 20th of 40 junior and primary schools in the area

#18Dartington Church of England Academy72%
#19Modbury Primary School71%
#20Dartmouth Academy70%
=21Harbertonford Church of England Primary School67%
=21Loddiswell Primary School67%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1St Mary's Church of England Primary School100%
#2Totnes St John's Church of England Primary School95%
#3Berry Pomeroy Parochial CofE Primary School91%
#4Thurlestone All Saints Church of England Academy89%
#5Holbeton Primary School88%
#6Stowford School86%
=7Landscove Church of England Primary School85%
=7The Grove School85%
#9Newton Ferrers Church of England Primary School82%
#10Marldon Church of England Primary School80%
=11Aveton Gifford CofE Primary School79%
=11Ermington Primary School79%
=11Stokenham Area Primary School79%
=11Yealmpton Primary School79%
#15Bickleigh Down Church of England Primary School78%
=16Sparkwell All Saints Primary School73%
=16Stoke Fleming Community Primary School73%
#18Dartington Church of England Academy72%
#19Modbury Primary School71%
#20Dartmouth Academy70%
=21Harbertonford Church of England Primary School67%
=21Loddiswell Primary School67%
#23Wembury Primary School64%
=24West Alvington Church of England Academy63%
=24Woodlands Park Primary School63%
#26Kingsbridge Primary School61%
#27East Allington Primary School60%
#28Sherford Vale School & Nursery59%
#29Charleton Church of England Academy57%
#30Cornwood Church of England Primary School56%
#31Salcombe Church of England Primary School53%
=32Blackawton Primary School50%
=32Malborough with South Huish Church of England Primary School50%
#34South Brent Primary School48%
#35Stoke Gabriel Primary School47%
#36St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Primary School, Dartmouth44%
#37Diptford Parochial Church of England Primary School38%
#38Manor Primary School, Ivybridge33%
#39Ugborough Primary School30%
#40The Erme Primary School13%

View full Ofsted inspection report

1st of 3 all-through schools in South Hams for Ofsted rating

#1Dartmouth AcademyGood
#2Ivybridge Community CollegeGood
#3Kingsbridge AcademyGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Dartmouth AcademyGood
#2Ivybridge Community CollegeGood
#3Kingsbridge AcademyGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,527 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

1st of 4 all-through schools in South Hams for spending per pupil

#1Dartmouth Academy£7,527
#2King Edward VI Community College£7,430
#3Ivybridge Community College£7,272

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Dartmouth Academy£7,527
#2King Edward VI Community College£7,430
#3Ivybridge Community College£7,272
#4Kingsbridge Academy£7,211

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Devon: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Year 6 SATs ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered