Holsworthy Community College Review 2026: Rural Devon secondary with co-operative values and a growing inclusion offer

Holsworthy Community College is an 11 to 16 secondary serving Holsworthy and the surrounding rural area of Devon. The tone is shaped by two things that come up repeatedly in official material, the school’s co-operative values and a clear emphasis on conduct, routines, and belonging. It operates with a published capacity of 600 and an Ofsted-reported roll of 535, which typically feels large enough for a range of friendships and options, but still small enough for staff to know families well.

Leadership is currently under Principal Andrew Sweeney. Government records for the establishment list him as principal from 01 September 2024, and the school website presents him as the named head of the college.

A key point for families comparing sectors, this is a state-funded school with no tuition fees.

The college sets out a clear identity as a community secondary rooted in co-operative values. You see that language carried through both the school’s own descriptions and external commentary, and it matters because it shapes how students are expected to behave and participate. The 2022 inspection narrative describes co-operative values as present throughout the school, with students able to explain how these show up in everyday learning, including structured “book club” lessons tied to values and discussion.

Behaviour and routines are presented as a strength, with calm corridors and a consistent approach to rewards and sanctions. That steadiness is particularly helpful in a small-town context where many students travel in by bus from a wide rural catchment and the school day needs to run predictably.

Pastoral structures appear intentionally simple and visible. The school describes a House Team and tutor system as the key front line for families, positioning tutors as the first point of contact for academic progress and wellbeing. This matters for parents because it clarifies where questions go first, and for students because it reduces the risk of issues being bounced between staff.

A distinctive aspect of the college’s direction is inclusion. Alongside mainstream expectations, Devon’s published consultation update confirms an approved plan for a resource base for up to ten learners with communication and interaction needs, intended to open from September 2024, with Education, Health and Care Plans and specialist support alongside access to mainstream classes where appropriate. For families seeking a mainstream setting with a stronger scaffold for communication and interaction needs, that is an important differentiator locally.

Outcomes at GCSE are mixed, and the best way to interpret them is to look at both attainment and progress indicators together.

On Attainment 8, the school’s score is 38.4. Progress 8 is -0.32, which indicates students made below-average progress from their starting points across eight subjects.

EBacc indicators also suggest that relatively few students are securing stronger outcomes in the full EBacc suite. The average EBacc APS is 3.37 and 7.9% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc measure reported. (As always, EBacc measures can be sensitive to entry patterns, particularly languages, which the 2022 inspection notes had reduced in prior years, with leaders taking action to improve take-up.)

For overall benchmarking, the school is ranked 3155th in England for GCSE outcomes in the FindMySchool ranking, and 1st in its local area for the same measure. This places performance below England average, within the bottom 40% of schools in England on this ranking model.

For parents, the practical implication is that the college can be the right choice for many children, but those prioritising the very strongest exam outcomes may want to compare local alternatives carefully using FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages and side-by-side Comparison Tool, so you can see how outcomes differ across nearby schools on the same basis.

Curriculum intent is framed as broad and balanced across Years 7 to 11, with subject coverage across English, mathematics, science, humanities, arts, technology, languages, and personal development. The 2022 inspection report describes an ambitious curriculum with defined essential knowledge in subjects, and teachers making accurate checks of what pupils know and understand, helping students see what they need to improve.

The inclusion model is worth understanding because it shapes classroom experience for a wide range of learners. The college explains a consistent whole-school approach using “ADAPT strategies”, including explicit modelling, broken-down steps, accessible resources, and regular checks for understanding, with support scaled through a graduated approach when classroom strategies are not enough.

For many students, that kind of consistency is the difference between coping and building confidence, particularly where literacy, organisation, or processing speed are barriers.

Personal Development is also treated as a taught curriculum area rather than an occasional assembly theme, with stated coverage including wellbeing, relationships, citizenship, careers education, financial literacy, and personal values across Years 7 to 11. In practice, that can be helpful for families who want a clear structure around online behaviour, peer relationships, and readiness for post-16 choices.

As an 11 to 16 school, Holsworthy Community College’s destination story is about what happens after Year 11. The college signposts local post-16 options and careers activity through its calendar and communications, including a scheduled HCC Careers Fair (05 March 2026). It has also highlighted opportunities to engage with nearby providers such as Petroc College, including promoting a Petroc open event on 04 December 2025.

For families, the key questions to ask at Year 9 and Year 10 are practical, not abstract. How early do students begin structured careers guidance, what is the approach to college applications, and how are vocational routes explained alongside A-level pathways elsewhere? The presence of Year 10 work experience in the calendar (06 to 10 July 2026) is a positive sign of planned employer-facing experience.

Because published destination percentages are not available in the provided dataset for this school, it is best to treat destinations as a discussion topic at open events and in conversations with the careers lead, rather than as a statistic to compare.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through the local authority, rather than direct application to the school, and the college’s admissions page points families to the Devon process.

For September 2026 entry, official local authority admissions guidance in the South West confirms that applications close on 31 October 2025 and offers are issued on 02 March 2026, with a short window afterwards to accept the place.

The school is part of Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust, and its published admissions policy sets out the national closing date pattern for secondary admissions and the normal-round appeals timetable, which matters for families considering appeals or late moves.

Open events and transition information tend to follow an annual rhythm. The school maintains a Year 6 to Year 7 transition section with materials such as a prospectus and open evening slides, and families should rely on the school’s current postings for exact dates each year.

The pastoral picture is anchored in safety, clarity, and early intervention. The college maintains dedicated safeguarding information for families and students, and its wider safeguarding pages cover themes such as anti-bullying, online safety, county lines, and radicalisation, which signals a comprehensive approach to risk education rather than a narrow “rules only” model.

The most recent Ofsted inspection (June 2022) stated that the college continues to be Good, and it also described students as feeling safe, with bullying addressed when reported.

For students who need additional support, SEND is presented as a partnership with families and professionals, using a graduated approach to scale support, and the Devon-approved resource base for communication and interaction needs adds another layer for eligible learners with Education, Health and Care Plans.

Extracurricular life is clearest through the school’s live calendar, which gives a more concrete picture than generic claims.

Sport appears well organised and participation-oriented, with regular netball fixtures across year groups, for example U12 and U13, U14 and U15, and U16 fixtures listed through spring 2026, alongside football fixtures and a planned PE trip to Spain (03 to 07 June 2026).

The implication for students is that competitive sport is available without needing to be in a tiny elite cohort, and that fixtures are structured across ages.

Trips and wider experiences are also visible. The calendar includes a Year 9 humanities trip linked to Holocaust Memorial Day (27 January 2026) and a Year 10 Poland trip (16 to 19 July 2026). These kinds of experiences matter because they strengthen students’ historical understanding and personal development through structured, curriculum-tied learning beyond the classroom.

Practical life skills are not ignored. Year 8 CPR and defibrillator training is scheduled for 19 June 2026, which is a tangible example of personal development translating into real-world competence.

The published school day runs from 8:35am to 3:10pm. Transport is managed through Devon’s school transport arrangements, with the school highlighting a “No Pass, No Travel” expectation for students using bus services.

For families planning routines, it is worth noting that this is an 11 to 16 school, so post-16 travel plans usually change after Year 11 depending on college or training routes.

• Academic progress measures. A Progress 8 score of -0.32 indicates below-average progress from Key Stage 2 starting points. This can still be compatible with strong individual outcomes for many students, but families should ask how intervention works for students who fall behind in English and mathematics.

• EBacc and languages take-up. The inspection record notes that fewer pupils had taken languages in recent years, with leaders taking action to improve this. If you want a strongly academic EBacc route, ask how languages are timetabled and encouraged.

• Rural transport dependence. With Devon-managed transport and an explicit “No Pass, No Travel” expectation, day-to-day reliability often depends on bus arrangements. Families should confirm eligibility and routes early, particularly for those living further from town.

• Inclusion pathways are developing. The resource base for communication and interaction needs is a meaningful step, but families should ask how mainstream and specialist support integrate day to day, and what the criteria and process are for accessing specialist places.

Holsworthy Community College suits families who want a local, values-led secondary where routines, conduct, and inclusion are taken seriously, and where students can access a broad curriculum alongside structured personal development. The strongest fit is often for children who benefit from clear expectations and consistent classroom approaches, including those who may need additional scaffold through SEND systems.

For families with a primary focus on the highest exam outcomes, the key is to engage early, ask detailed questions about literacy, intervention, and GCSE option choices, and use FindMySchool comparison tools to benchmark alternatives on the same measures.