SCHOOL PROFILE

Coombe Dean School

Secondary Academy converter URN 136558
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,180 Published school capacity
Capacity used 84.7% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

3 March 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching Strong standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour Expected standard
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

22 March 2022
Graded inspection Good
Published 22 May 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Plymouth
Trust WESTCOUNTRY SCHOOLS TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,000 1,000 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 454 45.4% of pupils
Male pupils 546 54.6% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

18.0%
6.8 pts below England
School 18.0%
Plymouth 25.3%
South West 20.1%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

14.0%
6.3 pts below England
School 14.0%
Plymouth 11.0%
South West 10.7%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

11.2%
10.2 pts above England
School 11.2%
Plymouth 2.7%
South West 1.5%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
76.3%
763
Any other White background
7.4%
74
Unclassified
5.3%
53
Any other ethnic group
2.1%
21
Any other Mixed background
1.9%
19
African
1.7%
17
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 14.0% 140 of 1,000 pupils
6.8 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 14.0%
Plymouth 21.3%
South West 21.7%
England 20.8%
SEN support 9.2% 92 pupils
England 14.8% 5.6 pts below
EHC plans 4.8% 48 pupils
England 6.0% 1.2 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 48
Social, emotional & mental health 40
Specific learning difficulty 34
Speech, language & communication 15
Physical disability 3

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

49.2 10.0 pts above England
School 49.2
Plymouth 43.9
South West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 48.5% England 36.0% 12.5 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 76.3% England 51.4% 24.9 pts above England
EBacc entry 47.3% England 30.6% 16.7 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.46 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.16 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

7.87%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

1.65 pts higher than England
School 7.87%
Plymouth 6.71%
South West 6.20%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

22.69%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

6.87 pts higher than England
School 22.69%
Plymouth 17.83%
South West 15.08%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

3.52%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.72 pts higher than England
School 3.52%
Plymouth 2.13%
South West 1.90%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

84.7% 7.6 pts below England
Coombe Dean School
84.7%
Plymouth
87.7%
South West
88.7%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information