A town in Devon
In short: Most primary schools here are rated Good or better, about the same as across England. Results at 11 are below England, and results at 16 were below England in 2026. Missing school is a bigger problem than across England.
Bideford at a glance
How Bideford's schools compare with England, area by area.
Primary and secondary schools are ranked by Eduscope score, which weighs up results, inspections, attendance and more. Nurseries, special and independent schools aren't ranked. A high score isn't everything: always visit.
3 mainstream schools in Bideford, best first
Results above the England average.
53 first choices, 55 offers made
Met the standard at 1169%
England 62%
Results below the England average.
31 first choices, 34 offers made
Met the standard at 1157%
England 62%
Results well below the England average.
28 first choices, 29 offers made
Met the standard at 1138%
England 62%
1 mainstream schools in Bideford, best first
Results below the England average.
251 first choices, 250 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1642.3
England 46.2
5 in Bideford, highest Ofsted grade first
Bideford, EX39 2JR · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Bideford, EX39 4BL · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Bideford, EX39 3SG · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
2 in Bideford, by the school's Eduscope score
Results below the England average.
251 first choices, 250 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1642.3
England 46.2
Bideford, EX39 3LY · Independent · All-through · Ages 2 to 19
Independent school. Results well below the England average.
Attainment 8 at 1635.6
England 46.2
1 in Bideford. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Bideford, EX39 3LY · Independent · All-through · Ages 2 to 19
Independent school. Results well below the England average.
Attainment 8 at 1635.6
England 46.2
Each dot is a school or nursery, coloured by its latest Ofsted grade. Point at a dot to see its name, or use the list.
Your home council handles your application, wherever the school is. Living nearby doesn't guarantee a place: each school's admission rules decide.
Pick a stage to see every Bideford school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 5 inspected are Good or better.
5nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
100% Good or better. 53% met the standard at 11.
4schools
Ages 11 to 16
41% got grade 5 in English and maths.
2schools
Here's how Bideford's schools break down by type, faith and more.
Some areas, like parts of a bigger town, are easiest to find by postcode.
Inspections, exam results and attendance, next to the figure for England where we have it.
Worked out by Eduscope from each school's published figures. Not an official statistic for this town.
BidefordEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 2 primaries with one.
100%
England 96%
Close to England
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
53%
England 62%
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
41%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
23%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
35%
Latest graded inspection for the 2 schools that have one.
100%
Good or Outstanding
Bideford in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
Bideford has 10 schools and nurseries.
Pupil numbers are about the same as in 2018.
35% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Bideford's state schools each January.
Down 1% since 2018.
Out of every 10 primary pupils, how many get free school meals. It's a sign of family income, not of school quality.
Bideford35%
Apply through your local council, even for academies and faith schools.
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Bideford has 10 schools, including 4 primary schools, 2 secondary schools, 5 nurseries, 1 independent school. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Bideford on Eduscope are East-the-Water Community Primary School, St Mary's CofE Primary School, Bideford College. We rank each state school against schools of the same phase across England on its Ofsted inspection, results and attendance. Independent, special and nursery schools aren't ranked.
100% of inspected schools in Bideford hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 0 schools rated Outstanding and 2 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Bideford, 53% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at Key Stage 2. This is based on the latest published results from the Department for Education.
The average pupil-teacher ratio across schools in Bideford is 19.8:1. While not a direct measure of class size, this indicates the level of teaching resource available per pupil. Across England it is 17.9:1.
The persistent absence rate across schools in Bideford is 22.8%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 2,708 pupils enrolled across schools in Bideford, with 1,253 in primary and 1,455 in secondary. 29.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There is 1 independent school in Bideford. Fees vary by school and age group, with day school fees typically ranging from £10,000 to £20,000 per year. You can compare it on Eduscope, including ISI inspection ratings where available.
Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 10 schools in Bideford by Ofsted ratings, exam results, and distance. Filter by school type, gender, religious character, and admissions policy to narrow your options.
Sources: DfE school performance tables, DfE school census and workforce, DfE pupil absence, Ofsted. Photos are stand-ins.
