Tavistock College
Crowndale Road, Tavistock, PL19 8DDOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Tavistock College is a secondary school in Tavistock for ages 11 to 18. It is one of the 416 schools in Devon. It ranks 38th of 40 secondary schools in Devon. Its latest Ofsted rating is Requires improvement, from an inspection in April 2024.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 23 April 2024, report published 13 June 2024
- Overall effectiveness
- Requires improvement
- Quality of education
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 23 April 2024
Pupils are proud of their school. Through the curriculum, they have many opportunities to learn about the world around them. For example, Year 10 pupils complete work experience in a range of settings. Pupils enjoy participating in a breadth of sporting activities, such as football and netball. Pupils' behaviour is orderly and calm in lessons and around the school site. Pupils learn about the importance of mutual respect, kindness and empathy towards others. Through the personal, social and health education curriculum, pupils learn about the role of democracy and freedom of speech in shaping British society. Pupils are well prepared to be upstanding citizens of the future. Staff address bullying when it occurs. Pupils report that they can talk to trusted adults if they have a concern. Consequently, pupils feel safe and well cared for by staff. Leaders and staff provide effective careers guidance to enable pupils to make informed decisions about their next steps. Sixth-form students particularly value the bespoke guidance provided by staff. They have clear information about what they need to achieve to access higher education, apprenticeships and work. Pupils value their learning. However, there are still gaps in some pupils' knowledge, despite leaders' work to improve the curriculum.
What the school should improve
- Teachers do not consistently check what pupils know and do not know. As a result, they do not have the information they require in order to adapt the teaching of the curriculum so that all pupils' learning needs are met. The school must ensure that teachers use assessment effectively to help pupils to learn well.
- The plans in place to encourage pupils to develop good reading habits are not put in place consistently. Therefore, some pupils do not routinely engage in reading for enjoyment. The school should ensure that their plan to promote reading is implemented consistently in all year groups.
Exam results
GCSE results (key stage 4), 2024/25
215 pupils in the year group
A level results (key stage 5), 2024/25
107 students
Average A level grade C+, England average B-
Pupil numbers and mix
1,200 pupils on roll, with places for 1,982
Schools near Tavistock College
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Kelly | 1 mile | No Ofsted inspection | Attainment 8: 22.2 |
| Callington Community College | 7 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 44.0 |
| Notre Dame RC School | 8 miles | Report card: Urgent improvement to needs attention | Attainment 8: 43.3 |
| Sir John Hunt Community Sports College | 8 miles | No Ofsted inspection | Not published |
| Tor Bridge High | 9 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 40.4 |
School details
- School type
- Academy converter
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- DARTMOOR MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Headteacher
- Mr James Buchanan
- Phone
- 01822614231
- Address
- Crowndale Road, Tavistock, PL19 8DD
- Local authority
- Devon
- URN
- 145336
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.