South Molton Community College Review 2026: A rebuilt campus with a structured enrichment culture

A modern, rebuilt site and a deliberately timetabled Enrichment slot give this secondary school a clear daily rhythm, lessons first, wider development every afternoon. The current Principal, Mrs Rachel Harper, was appointed to start in September 2023, signalling a leadership reset with an explicit focus on aspiration, wellbeing and expectations.

The school serves students aged 11 to 16 and operates a house structure that is unusually prominent for a state comprehensive, with five houses and regular inter-house competitions.

The most recent inspection picture is steady: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management were all graded Good, under the post-September 2024 framework that no longer issues a single overall effectiveness grade.

The tone is purposeful rather than showy. Students begin each day with a short Morning Welcome, then move into a five-period structure followed by a dedicated Enrichment session. That timetable choice matters because it makes the “extras” feel like a core expectation, not an optional add-on for the confident few.

The school’s stated identity is framed around co-operative values, self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity, translated into the practical language students are expected to use every day: Ready, Resilient, Respectful. That kind of vocabulary can be empty in some settings; here it is reinforced through routines, expectations, and leadership roles that students can see and understand.

Pastoral organisation is built around a form tutor who sees students twice daily, and a house system that mixes year groups within “semi-vertical” tutor group structures. Houses are named Eagle, Falcon, Harrier, Kestrel and Osprey, and the school uses house events and competitions to create belonging beyond friendship groups.

A helpful feature is the visibility of student responsibility. Prefects, senior students, anti-bullying ambassadors and sports leaders are part of how the school builds confidence and public speaking, and gives students a reason to contribute beyond their own timetable.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Academic outcomes sit in the “steady and improving” bracket rather than the headline-grabbing tier, with one key local advantage: it is ranked 1st in South Molton for GCSE outcomes, and 2,418th in England (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). That England position places results in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The Attainment 8 score is 44.9, close to the England average of 45.9. Progress 8 is 0.01, which indicates progress broadly in line with national expectations from students’ starting points.

EBacc entry and performance is currently the sharper development area. The percentage achieving grade 5 or above across EBacc is 8.5%, and the average EBacc APS is 3.91, compared with an England average EBacc APS of 4.08. This aligns with the school’s recent work to increase the number of students who continue a language into Key Stage 4, which is one practical lever schools use to widen academic pathways without forcing a single model on every student.

Parents comparing options locally should use the FindMySchool local comparison tool to view these figures side by side with nearby alternatives, and to understand whether “middle of England” performance is still the strongest available choice within practical travel distance.

Curriculum design is explained with unusual clarity. The school describes its planning as starting with Year 7 entry points and working upwards towards Year 11 endpoints, with a defined intent that covers subject mastery, meaningful learning, character building and critical thinking. Whether or not families buy into the branding, it is helpful to see explicit statements about what students should know, in what order, and why.

At Key Stage 3, students study the full breadth of the National Curriculum, including humanities, Religious Education, and either French or German, alongside creative subjects and design and technology including food and nutrition. Key Stage 4 retains a broad core, and students typically choose four option subjects while continuing with wider elements such as physical education, Religious Education and personal development. Students are encouraged to take the English Baccalaureate where appropriate, but it is not compulsory, which can suit a mixed-intake comprehensive serving varied aspirations.

Assessment routines are structured. Key Stage 3 uses subject assessment frameworks so students know what they have mastered and what comes next. Key Stage 4 shifts to exam board mark schemes, with mock examinations scheduled once in Year 10 and twice in Year 11. This matters for students who benefit from repeated rehearsal of exam conditions and feedback loops, and it tends to reduce last-minute panic because exams are not a single unfamiliar experience at the end.

The inspection evidence suggests teaching is usually well matched to curriculum ambition, with a specific improvement focus on clarity of explanation, particularly where students with special educational needs and disabilities need tasks broken down precisely. That is the kind of classroom-level detail that makes a practical difference, and it is also the type of issue that can improve relatively quickly with consistent coaching and shared routines.

With education ending at 16, the key question is preparation for post-16 routes rather than university outcomes. The school runs a structured careers education, information, advice and guidance programme across Years 7 to 11, with a particular focus on transition points and impartial guidance rather than a single “best path” narrative.

The inspection picture reinforces that students learn about apprenticeships and local employment opportunities, and that university visits are used to broaden horizons, even in a setting without an in-house sixth form. That blend is appropriate for a rural community where travel, cost, and local labour market realities are genuine factors in decision-making.

A practical implication for families is to start post-16 planning earlier than they might in a school with a sixth form. Year 9 options choices, attendance, and habits around independent study all shape the range of realistic next steps at 16. In this context, careers guidance and subject mastery become directly connected, not separate “extras”.

Admissions for Year 7 are coordinated through Devon County Council rather than directly through the school. For September 2026 entry, the normal closing date is 31 October 2025, and offers are issued on Monday 02 March 2026.

Open evenings for Devon secondary schools typically run through September and October, and families should check the school’s own updates for the most current dates and booking arrangements.

Transition support is clearly planned. The school publishes a pattern of additional transition for students with identified needs and a wider transition programme for the full year group, typically in June. Families of students with SEND should pay attention to early transition opportunities, because a calm start in the first term often depends more on routines and relationships than on academic content.

Competition for places varies significantly by cohort and geography across Devon. Families who are considering multiple schools should use FindMySchoolMap Search to check travel practicality and to model realistic daily journeys before shortlisting, particularly where rural bus routes and pick-up times can shape the whole family routine.

Pastoral support is designed to be visible and accessible. Students have a daily point of contact through their tutor, backed by house leadership and non-teaching pastoral staff who can provide targeted interventions where needed. The structure is not simply about discipline; it is also about ensuring that concerns are noticed early and routed to the right adult quickly.

The most recent inspection evidence is encouraging on wellbeing culture. Students report feeling safe and able to talk to adults, with high-quality support available for those experiencing mental health difficulties. Bullying is described as uncommon and typically resolved quickly when it occurs, which is often a marker of clear reporting routes and consistent follow-through rather than a claim that problems never arise.

Attendance is treated as a core driver of outcomes, with explicit messaging about the impact of missed days on grades and structured rewards for high attendance. This emphasis is sensible in a school where staff are also working to close knowledge gaps for students whose attendance disrupts learning sequences.

Support for students with additional needs is organised through the Access To Learning (A2L) facility, with in-class support, short-term intervention groups (including reading, spelling, speech, language and communication needs, social skills and numeracy), and key worker allocation for students with an Education, Health and Care Plan. For parents, the practical test is how well classroom adjustments and interventions align with the student’s specific barriers, and whether communication stays consistent across subjects.

Enrichment is built into the day rather than bolted on. That makes participation more equitable, particularly for students who cannot stay after school due to transport or caring arrangements. The inspection evidence points to a thoughtfully designed enrichment programme, including opportunities such as learning sign language, preparing for the annual school production, and a broad range of sporting and creative activities.

The house system adds another layer of participation. Competitions span activities such as rounders, photography, chess and singing, which is a useful mix because it signals that recognition is not reserved for sport alone. When those competitions are run well, they can draw in students who might otherwise opt out of clubs, and they help younger students build friendships across year groups.

The library provision is a genuine strength for students who like structured quiet space and reading culture. It is staffed daily, supported by student librarians, and holds more than 10,000 fiction and non-fiction titles. Events include author visits and creative writing workshops, Kids Lit Quiz training, Harry Potter Book Night, Reading Week activities linked to World Book Day, and participation in Carnegie Medal shadowing with associated events. For some students, this becomes the “anchor space” that improves concentration and confidence across the timetable.

Arts links extend beyond the school gates through student involvement in local performance. One example is participation in School of Rock staged at Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple through Barnstaple Musical Comedy & Dramatic Society, which is exactly the type of external experience that can shift a student from “school drama club” to a more serious sense of performance craft and commitment.

The school day begins with student arrival from 08:40 to 08:50, followed by Morning Welcome, then five lessons with break and lunch, and Enrichment from 14:55 to 15:25.

There is no published breakfast or after-school wraparound provision in the way a primary school might offer, but students do have structured midday provision, and the library operates after school until 16:00, which can help families who need a safe, supervised space for independent work before pick-up.

The canteen opens at break for snacks and provides hot and cold lunch options, and the site operates a cashless payment approach for meals.

• No sixth form on site. Students move on at 16, so families should plan post-16 routes earlier, and use careers guidance actively rather than leaving decisions to Year 11.

• EBacc take-up is a current development area. Language continuation and EBacc pathways are being expanded, but EBacc-related outcomes remain comparatively low, which may matter for families prioritising a strongly academic route for a broad cohort.

• Attendance and classroom inclusion remain key levers. The school is working to reduce the learning gaps created by absence and by removal from lessons, and to ensure explanations and tasks are consistently clear for students with SEND. Families should ask how this is monitored across subjects.

• Some families want stronger two-way communication. The most recent inspection evidence notes that some parents and students were dissatisfied with how concerns were handled, and that improving communication is a stated next step.

This is a community-facing 11 to 16 comprehensive that has invested in structure: a rebuilt site, an explicit curriculum sequence, and daily enrichment that gives breadth without relying on after-school access. Best suited to families who want a steady, values-led local school with clear routines and a strong pastoral framework, and who are ready to engage early with post-16 planning given the absence of a sixth form. The limiting factor for some will be whether the school’s academic pathway, particularly around EBacc take-up, matches their child’s ambitions and learning style.