Uffculme School

About Uffculme School

Uffculme School, a mixed secondary in Mid Devon for pupils aged 11 to 16, holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2025, though the story behind that grade is more nuanced. The school was previously rated Outstanding in 2014, and while the overall effectiveness was not re-judged this time, inspectors awarded Outstanding for both personal development and behaviour and attitudes. The strongest academic signal comes from Progress 8, the key measure of how much pupils improve between Year 7 and 11. Uffculme’s score of 0.46 is well above the national average of zero and significantly higher than the Devon local authority average of -0.09. This places the school in the top 25 per cent of schools nationally for progress, and first among the three secondary schools in Mid Devon. In the wider South West region, it ranks 33rd out of 306 schools, putting it in the top 11 per cent.

Exam results from the 2023/24 academic year back up that strong progress figure. Uffculme’s Attainment 8 score sits at 52, meaning the average pupil achieves the equivalent of a strong pass across eight GCSE subjects. The basics measure, which tracks pupils achieving a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, stands at 62.3 per cent, a solid figure. The school’s EBacc average point score is 4.4, though only 17.6 per cent of pupils entered the full EBacc suite of subjects, and 15.2 per cent achieved it at grade 5 or above. Digging into the Progress 8 breakdown, maths stands out with a score of 0.62, while English is lower at 0.33. The open element of the Progress 8 measure, which covers other GCSE subjects, is 0.55. The confidence interval for the overall Progress 8 score ranges from 0.26 to 0.66, confirming the result is statistically above average.

Uffculme is a popular school, oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake with 372 applications for 202 places, and 265 of those were first preferences. The school has a capacity of 940 but currently houses 1,085 pupils, so it is running above its official number. Facilities are strong for a state secondary, including a swimming pool, astro turf, music rooms, art studios and a gymnasium. Sports on offer include hockey, rugby, football and athletics, while clubs range from orchestra and chess to gardening and Young Enterprise. The school supports a wide range of SEND needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, dyslexia, speech and language difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs. Parent views are overwhelmingly positive: 93 per cent would recommend the school, and 96 per cent agree their child does well. This is a school that suits families looking for strong academic progress in a well-regarded Devon comprehensive, though it does not have a sixth form.

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