The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Profile collects data on the development of children aged five, based on teacher assessments of individual children. These are reported annually to the Department for Education. In Devon, the proportion of children achieving the expected level of development through the EYFS was 71.6% which is above the South West average of 67.2% and the national average of 66.3%. There is however variation between districts with 63.9% in Torridge and 74.7% in the South Hams. The results record various areas of development, including communication, physical development, personal, social and emotional development, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts, designing and making. Devon results in all areas are higher than nationally and in the South West (Source: Department for Education).
Figure 8.9, Early Years Foundation Stage Profile, percentage of children achieving a good level of development at school entry, 2015
Source: Department for Education, 2015
Table 8.4 compares key stage two attainment in reading, writing and mathematics in Devon with the South West and England. Level four is the recommended level of achievement at Key Stage Two (year six, aged 10 to 11). Pupils in Devon have consistently achieved a higher proportion of level four and level five than nationally and have also increased year on year. There is however still a difference in achievement between girls and boys, with higher proportions of girls achieving both level four and five than boys.
Table 8.4, Key stage 2 attainment in reading, writing and mathematics
| Percentage achieving level 4 or above | |||||||||
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | |||||||
| All | Boy | Girls | All | Boy | Girls | All | Boy | Girls | |
| Devon | 77% | 73% | 82% | 81% | 78% | 84% | 82% | 79% | 85% |
| South West | 76% | 72% | 80% | 79% | 76% | 82% | 79% | 76% | 83% |
| England | 76% | 72% | 79% | 79% | 76% | 82% | 80% | 77% | 83% |
| Percentage achieving level 5 or above | |||||||||
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | |||||||
| All | Boys | Girls | All | Boys | Girls | All | Boys | Girls | |
| Devon | 23% | 20% | 28% | 26% | 22% | 30% | 27% | 24% | 30% |
| South West | 22% | 18% | 25% | 23% | 20% | 26% | 24% | 21% | 26% |
| England | 21% | 18% | 25% | 24% | 20% | 27% | 24% | 21% | 26% |
Source: Department for Education, 2015
The proportion of pupils in Devon achieving five or more GCSEs at grade A*-C including English and Maths (58.1%) is broadly in line with the South West (58.0%) and England (57.3%) rates. Figure 8.10 shows the pattern by local authority district highlighting significantly higher rates in the South Hams (68.2%) and East Devon (62.7%) and significantly lower rates in Teignbridge (52.3%) and North Devon (52.9%). Differences also exist by sex with higher levels of attainment in females (62.6%) than male (53.8%). Figure 8.11 highlights that even more substantial differences exist in relation to area deprivation, with attainment rates of 69.6% in the least deprived communities compared with 38.4% in the most deprived communities, with the gap between the most and least deprived areas increasing over time. This is further illustrated by low levels of attainment in children in care.
Figure 8.10, Percentage achieving five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C including English and Maths by local authority district, 2015
Source: Department for Education, 2015 and Devon County Council, 2016
Figure 8.11, Percentage achieving five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C including English and Maths by year and deprivation, 2013 to 2015
Source: Devon County Council, 2016
Ofsted are responsible for the inspection and regulation of schools. Inspections of schools cover the effectiveness of teaching and assign schools to one of four categories:
- Grade 1 – outstanding
- Grade 2 – good
- Grade 3 – requires improvement
- Grade 4 – inadequate
Figure 8.12 shows the percentage of pupils in communities of Devon who attend schools which are rated as good or outstanding by Ofsted based on the latest inspection, with darker shadings highlighting areas with a lower percentage of pupils in well rated schools. This reveals variations by area across the county, with lower proportions in well rated schools on the Northern Devon coast (Lynton, Ilfracombe, Barnstaple, Bideford), and in parts of Southern Devon including parts of Newton Abbot, Dartmouth, Tiverton and Cullompton.
Figure 8.12, Percentage of pupils in schools rated as good or excellent by Ofsted by LSOA, 2015-16
Source: Devon County Council School Census, 2016
Across Devon there are 3,300 primary and secondary school pupils for whom English is an additional language (3.5%) of total. First language is the language to which the child was initially exposed to during early development and continues to use this language in the home and community. Within Devon the highest levels of English as an additional language are seen in the city centre and university areas of Exeter.
Figure 8.13, Primary and secondary school pupils from whom English is an additional language by LSOA, 2016
Source: Devon County Council School Census, 2016