Type Academy DfE number 878/4019 Phone +44 1237 477611 Gender Mixed-sex education | Principal Mrs Lyndsey Kane DfE URN 142540 Tables Number of students 1,446 | |
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Location Abbotsham Road
Bideford
Devon
EX39 3AR
England Ofsted Reports Pre-academy reports Address Abbotsham Rd, Bideford EX39 3AR, UK Profiles | ||
Bideford College is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in Bideford in the English county of Devon.
Contents
History
It is the only state-funded secondary school in Bideford. In 2003, the college was awarded specialist science status as part of the specialist schools programme. Due to its specialist status, it received extra funding from the government for extending its educational activities.
On June 28, 2014, the then Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, visited the college.
Previously a foundation school administered by Devon County Council, In March 2016 the school converted to academy status. The school is now part of the Launceston College Multi Academy Trust, but continues to coordinate with Devon County Council for admissions.
Site
In January 2006, the college won its bid to build a new multimillion-pound school site. Construction began in the summer of 2008 and the first phase was completed in 2010, ready for the start of the academic year in September. The second phase of the building, the outdoor sport pitches, was completed in July 2011. The £55 million new school was built on the old site and includes a media suite, library, sports hall, a hall known as 'The Devon Hall', and an artificial grass sports pitch. £32 million was funded from the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.
The new buildings are:
Academics
Bideford College offers GCSEs and BTECs as programmes of study for pupils, while students in the sixth form have the option to study from a range of A Levels, OCR Nationals and further BTECs.
Performance
Figures published by the UK Government in February 2008 showed Bideford College had made significant improvements in the key stage 3 exams taken by 14-year-old students. Over the previous four years (2004 to 2007) the school’s aggregate score for the exams in English, Maths and Science has risen from 177 to 237 out of 300. This placed Bideford College joint 21st nationally in the table of most improved secondary schools published by the DCSF. Bideford was also in the top 20 percent of schools nationally based on the progress made from year 7 to year 9.
The school's latest OFSTED inspection took place on January 14–15, 2015. The overall judgement of the school was that it is in an inadequate state and requires special measures. The principal, Veronica Matthews, and chairman of governors, Doug Bushby, resigned a week prior to the report's release, which had raised suspicions over the result. An interim principal, Andrew Kilpatrick, was appointed until current principal Lyndsey Kane took over.