Bideford CollegeThe Park Community School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
Bideford College and The Park Community School are secondary schools.
Bideford College scores 50 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and The Park Community School scores 58 out of 100 (grade C, average). The Park Community School is ahead on our composite score.
Bideford College was judged the expected standard and The Park Community School was judged the expected standard.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 42.3 for Bideford College and 47.5 for The Park Community School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Bideford College (43.5 in 2021-22, 42.3 in 2025-26) and has fallen at The Park Community School (50.0 in 2021-22, 47.5 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | BidefordBideford College | BarnstapleThe Park Community School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D50/100 | C58/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 31st of 41 in Devon | 16th of 41 in Devon Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Expected | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Academy sponsor led | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,455 | 1,408 | |
| Capacity | 2,232 | 1,500 | |
| Location | Bideford, EX39 3AR | Barnstaple, EX32 9AX | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 42.3 | 47.5 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 41.1% | 52.9% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 63.7% | 73.6% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 248 | 280 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 63 | Not reported | |
| A-level average points | 32.4 | Not reported | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C+ | Not reported | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 36.4 | Not reported | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 23.5% | Not reported | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,447 | 1,435 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 29.6% | 24.3% | |
| English as an additional language | 2.3% | 4.2% | |
| SEN support | 16.4% | 12.3% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 4.7% | 2.6% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 11.3% | 9.7% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 29.4% | 27.0% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Bideford College
The Park Community School
Full profiles: Bideford College · The Park Community School