Matford Brook Academy
Matford Brook Academy is a free school in Exeter for boys and girls aged 2 to 16. It has 276 pupils and room for 370. About 30 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools.
March Close, Matford, Exeter, EX2 0BZ01392 717140matfordbrook.academyMs Emily Simpson-Horne headteacherAll details
Ofsted
Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
0 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
The government hasn't published this school's headline results. Fewer than eleven pupils sat the exams, so the figures could identify individual children.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
1,234 places were empty (89% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.
In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (16 offers for 60 places).
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (27), Autistic spectrum disorder (13), language and communications needs (13), Specific learning difficulty (9), Physical disability (3), Other difficulty or disability (2).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 276 | 163 | 60 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 30% | 23% | 18% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 5% | 4% | 0% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 29% | 37% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 89.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 10.4% | 8.4% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 7.8% | 6.6% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.6% | 1.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 31.3% | 27.3% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 71.2 | 65.0 | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Outdoors School | Independent | 0.9 miles | 112 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Alphington Primary School | Academy | 1.0 miles | 472 | Not inspected | 48 | Compare |
| Exminster Community Primary | Council | 1.4 miles | 388 | Good 2022 | 81 | Compare |
| Exeter Pre-Prep School | Independent | 1.4 miles | 71 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| West Exe School | Academy | 1.5 miles | 1,237 | Report card 2026 | 44 | Compare |
| Isca Academy | Academy | 1.5 miles | 860 | Good 2022 | 52 | Compare |
| Countess Wear Primary School | Academy | 1.6 miles | 171 | Requires improvement 2022 | 1 | Compare |
| Kenn Church of England Primary School | Academy | 1.6 miles | 91 | Good 2023 | 75 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Matford Brook Academy a good school?
We don't have enough published data to score Matford Brook Academy yet.
How many pupils does Matford Brook Academy have?
276 pupils aged 2 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 370 places, so it is 75% full.
Is Matford Brook Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 1,234 places were empty in 2024/25 (89% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Matford Brook Academy?
Pupils were in school 89.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 31% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Matford Brook Academy?
The average class had 21.4 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 8% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Matford Brook Academy have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- March Close, Matford, Exeter, EX2 0BZ
- Telephone
- 01392 717140
- Website
- www.matfordbrook.academy
- Headteacher
- Ms Emily Simpson-Horne
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- All-through school, ages 2-16, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- The Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust (18 schools)
- Local authority
- Devon
- Ward
- Kenn Valley
- Constituency
- Central Devon
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2023 (academy free school)
- URN
- 143724 · LAESTAB 8784020 · UKPRN 10093055
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Devon council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.