St Luke's Church of England School
87%
Capacity
853
Pupils
2.0x
Demand
About St Luke's Church of England School
St Luke's Church of England School in Exeter stands out sharply against the Devon local authority average for secondary schools. Its Progress 8 score of 0.29 is well above the LA average of -0.09, meaning pupils here make significantly more academic progress than their peers across the county. That positive figure places the school 8th out of 43 similar schools in Devon, and nationally it sits in the top 27% of all state secondaries. The school's Attainment 8 score of 46.5 and the fact that 71.1% of pupils achieve a grade 4 or above in English and maths both reinforce this picture of strong performance. With 30% of pupils eligible for free school meals, these results are particularly notable and suggest the school is effective at supporting students from a range of backgrounds.
The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2024 rated it Good across the board, a significant improvement from its previous Inadequate rating in 2019. Inspectors judged the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management all as Good. In terms of subject-level progress, maths stands out with a Progress 8 score of 0.6, while English sits at 0.17 and the EBacc subjects at 0.4. The EBacc entry rate is high at 75%, though only 32.2% of pupils achieve a grade 4 or above in that combination. The school's progress 8 banding is classified as 'Above average', and it ranks 2nd out of 5 schools in Exeter city itself, sitting behind only Colyton Grammar School in the local league table.
St Luke's is a Church of England secondary for 11 to 16 year olds with no sixth form, and it is heavily oversubscribed: for 190 places in 2025/26, there were 373 applications, with 151 first-preference applications and 149 offers made to first-preference families. The school offers a wide range of facilities including a swimming pool, astro turf, theatre, and chapel, and runs clubs from Model UN to Young Enterprise. Its SEND provisions cover eight areas including dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, and speech and language needs. For families in Exeter looking for a secondary that delivers above-average academic progress in a faith-based setting, St Luke's is a strong and popular choice, though oversubscription means securing a place is competitive.
Key Details
| School Type | Secondary (State) |
| Age Range | 11 to 16 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | Church of England |
| Address | Harts Lane, Exeter, Exeter, EX1 3RD |
| Headteacher | Harrison Littler |
| Local Authority | Devon |
| Number of Pupils | 853 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 30.0% |
| School Capacity | 853 / 980 (87% full) |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
14 May 2024Overall Effectiveness
Good
Source: Ofsted, 23 Jun 2024. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on Progress 8 (+0.29)
861st of 3,141
Nationally
69th of 306
In South West
2nd of 5
In Exeter
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE Progress 8 data
GCSE Results
2023/24Progress 8 Score
Students make more progress than similar students nationally
Attainment 8 (vs national avg)
Students achieve significantly higher grades than the national average
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. Progress 8 compares to students with similar Key Stage 2 results.
Where GCSE leavers go
2022/231%
of GCSE leavers stay on for sixth form at this school (cohort: 203 pupils).
- FE college83%
- Employment10%
- Apprenticeship3%
- Not sustained2%
- School sixth form (stay)1%
98% of leavers had a sustained destination 6 months on.
Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance, KS4 pupil destinations 2022/23 (revised). Only state-funded schools are required to report.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
11Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
17Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed190
373
Good Demand
Popular school with more applications than places
151 families put this school as their 1st choice (40% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
Class profile
2024/25Better than 75% of schools in England.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Above the national average (25%) — higher-disadvantage intake.
Above the national median (10%) — a meaningful share speak English as an additional language.
Ethnic background
- White British74.2%
- White (other)7.2%
- Mixed4.5%
- Asian3.4%
- Black0.2%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Permanent exclusion is rare — most schools have none in a given year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
9
Total schools
7
Oversubscribed
6
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About St Luke's Church of England School
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
Understanding Progress 8
Learn how Progress 8 measures pupil progress from primary to GCSE
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Understanding School Catchment Areas
How admission distances work and tips for maximising your choices
Contact Information
Harts Lane, Exeter
Exeter, EX1 3RD
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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