Teignmouth school makes improvements

A Teignmouth school that was previously rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted has been commended for making "rapid improvements" during a recent inspection.

Although concerns remain about bullying, attendance, and the quality of education. Teignmouth Community College was placed in special measures in March 2023 after Ofsted identified significant shortcomings, including poor pupil behaviour, low expectations, and a "poorly planned" curriculum.

At the time of that inspection, the school had been part of the Ivy Education Trust for nine months. Since then, Ofsted has conducted monitoring visits, and in March 2024, inspectors acknowledged substantial progress while noting that further work was needed. Following a graded inspection on October 8 and 9, the school is now no longer deemed to require "significant improvement." It received ratings of 'requires improvement' for quality of education and behaviour and attitudes, and 'good' for personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision.

The latest Ofsted report, published on November 15, highlighted the school’s ambitious vision for pupils and staff to be "the best version of themselves." Inspectors noted this shared goal has driven "rapid improvements" across many areas. However, they pointed out that further efforts are required to enhance achievement by the end of Key Stage 4 and to extend the positive outcomes seen in the sixth form.

The report acknowledged that the school has set clear expectations for pupil behaviour and is supporting students to reduce suspensions. Despite this, bullying remains a concern for some students, as incidents are not always resolved quickly enough to provide reassurance. Inspectors found that pupils are starting to better understand acceptable behaviour and feel increasingly confident about reporting issues to staff.

The report added, “Pupils appreciate that they can largely learn without disruption. However, some students continue to find it challenging to adapt to the school’s higher expectations.”