The Park Community School

What The Park Community School does

The Park Community School is a state-funded mainstream secondary academy located in Barnstaple, North Devon, serving students aged 11-16 across Years 7-11 in preparation for GCSE examinations. The school converted to academy status on 1 February 2019 and operates as a member of The Harbour Schools Partnership (formerly Tarka Learning Partnership), an exempt charity and multi-academy trust registered in England and Wales (Charity Number 7821367). It serves over 1,400 families from a single campus at Park Lane, Barnstaple (EX32 9AX), with approximately 30% of students eligible for Pupil Premium funding - materially above the national average and indicating a higher-than-average proportion of disadvantaged learners. The school holds a current 'Good' Ofsted rating from its June 2025 inspection, having maintained this rating from the previous January 2023 inspection.

The school's revenue model is dominated by UK Government per-pupil funding administered through the Department for Education and Devon County Council, with supplementary income from a school lottery (£1/week entry with 40% returning to the PTA), facility lettings to community groups, trips and residential visits, and uniform/equipment sales routed through the My Child At School (MCAS) parent portal. Its technology stack is modest and entirely third-party: a WordPress-based public website with standard integrations (Google Fonts, Google Maps, Facebook, Twitter), plus the MCAS parent portal and ClassCharts for parent/student communication, attendance tracking, behavior monitoring, dinner money top-up, uniform purchase, and trip booking. No proprietary technology, patents, or AI/ML capabilities are evident. Core services comprise a knowledge-rich academic curriculum across Key Stages 3 and 4, a three-tier SEND provision (with nurture classes, Bridge Group, and Alternative Learning Provision), mental health and wellbeing support, Pupil Premium assistance (free breakfast club, uniform/music/trip subsidies), and an extensive extra-curricular programme spanning Duke of Edinburgh, Ten Tors, sports, dance, and performing arts.

Go-to-market is structurally defined: enrollment is governed by Devon County Council's admissions framework with feeder relationships cultivated through the Primary Transition program and Open Events. Distribution of supplementary services (meals, uniform, trips) runs through the MCAS digital platform. Leadership is headed by Headteacher Vicky Owen with a senior team including Deputy Headteacher Craig Tamlyn, three Assistant Headteachers covering Behaviour & Attitudes, Teaching & Learning, and Safeguarding (Sarah Langford, also Designated Safeguarding Officer and Mental Health Lead), SENDCo Aimee Mills, and School Business Manager Nicola Upson. The Chair of the Local Governing Body is Kim Baker.

Name

The Park Community School

Legal name

The Park Community School

Website

https://theparkschool.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Park Community School is a state-funded secondary academy in Barnstaple, North Devon, serving over 1,400 families across Years 7-11 within The Harbour Schools Partnership multi-academy trust.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Charter Special Education & Inclusive Programs (EDAJACAF), Public Special Education Schools & Programs (EDAJAAAH)

Keywords

• Secondary education
• Academy school services
• SEND support
• Pupil premium
• Extra-curricular programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Barnstaple

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Per-Pupil Funding: State-funded secondary school receiving per-pupil funding from the UK Government through the Department for Education, based on student enrollment numbers.
2. School Lottery: Community lottery scheme where supporters pay £1 per week to enter, with 40% of proceeds going to Friends of Park (PTA) to support school activities and projects.
3. Trips and Activities: Revenue from school trips, residential visits, and extracurricular activities including ski trips, international travel, and educational excursions.
4. Uniform and Equipment Sales: Sales of school uniform and equipment through the My Child At School portal, with discounts available for Pupil Premium students.
5. School Facility Lettings: Hire of school facilities and premises to community groups through the school lettings scheme.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Park Community School provides free, state-funded secondary education for students in Years 7–11 (ages 11–16), delivering a knowledge-rich academic curriculum culminating in GCSEs alongside SEND provision, Pupil Premium support, pastoral and mental health services, and a wide extra-curricular programme. It supplements core teaching with paid ancillary services including school meals, uniform, trips, music lessons, a community school lottery, and facility lettings.

Product overview

The Park Community School is a mainstream secondary school offering educational services to students in Barnstaple, North Devon. The school provides a comprehensive curriculum across Key Stages 3 and 4, with academic programs, SEND support services (nurture classes, bridge groups, alternative learning provision), and extensive extra-curricular activities including Duke of Edinburgh Award, Ten Tors, sports clubs, performing arts, and residential trips. The school operates parent/student portals (ClassCharts and My Child At School) for communication, attendance tracking, meal payments, and academic monitoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SEND Support Services Special Educational Needs and Disabilities provision including Wave 1 universal support, Wave 2 targeted interventions (Talk About Me, Fresh Start RWI Phonics, Thrive-based interventions), Wave 3 specialised support, nurture classes for Years 7–8, Bridge Group programmes and Alternative Learning Provision (ALP) for students with EBSA.
• Pupil Premium Support Wraparound support package for disadvantaged students including free breakfast club, uniform discounts, equipment support, subsidised music lessons, trip and visit assistance, and academic mentoring. Designed to close attainment gaps for the school's above-national-average Pupil Premium cohort.
• Mental Health and Wellbeing Services Comprehensive mental health and wellbeing provision including the Mental Health Lead, Devon School Nursing Service, Mental Health Ambassadors programme, mindfulness workshops, and resources for students and families.
• Friends of Park (PTA) School Lottery Community lottery scheme run in partnership with Your School Lottery at £1 per week, with 40% of proceeds returned to Friends of Park (PTA) to fund school projects. Prize fund potential approximately £350 weekly with full family participation.
• School Trips and Residential Visits Optional paid extra-curricular trips including ski trips, international travel, Ten Tors preparation, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and educational excursions, with Pupil Premium subsidies available.
• School Facility Lettings Hire of school premises and facilities to community groups, managed through the School Hire lettings system.

Quantifiable outcome

• Strong academic outcomes with many students achieving scholarships for sixth form studies
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Harbour Schools PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe school is a member of The Harbour Schools Partnership, a multi-academy trust. THSP is an exempt charity and company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (Charity Number 7821367). The trust provides governance, policies, and shared services including HR, finance, and compliance. Contact: [email protected], Phone: 01271 442651.
• Devon County Council - School Nursing ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe School Nursing Service provides health support across North Devon, Torridge & Okehampton. Services include clinical triage, confidential text-based advice for young people aged 11-19, telephone appointments, and face-to-face clinics. First point of contact is via the PHN Hub. Contact: Tel: 0333 234 1904, [email protected]
• Devon County Council - School Immunisation TeamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe School Immunisation Team delivers vaccination programs to students. Contact: Tel: 01392 342678, [email protected]
• Education Endowment FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch organization providing evidence-based guidance that informs the school's Pupil Premium strategy and teaching approaches. School follows EEF guidance including the three-tiered implementation approach for Pupil Premium spending.
• Your School LotteryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSchool lottery platform enabling community fundraising. Entry is £1 per week with 40% of proceeds coming back to Friends of Park (PTA).
• EasyFundraisingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline fundraising platform with over 7,000 registered brands. Supporters can shop through the platform and donate to The Park Community School at no cost to themselves. Has raised over £300 for school projects.
• SEND Devon (Devon County Council)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Authority service providing information and resources for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The school links to the SEND Devon Local Offer website for parent information.
• Devon Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment-funded program providing free holiday club places to children on benefits-related free school meals. School signposts families to HAF activities during school holidays.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pilton Community College: A state-funded secondary school located in Barnstaple, directly competing for the same North Devon catchment. Comparable cohort (Years 7-11, GCSE preparation) and similar community-facing model make it the closest direct competitor.
• Bideford College: A secondary school in nearby Bideford serving North Devon families. Operates in the same county council admissions geography with a similar curriculum and extracurricular offering.
• Ilfracombe Academy: A secondary academy on the North Devon coast serving a comparable catchment. Same Devon County Council admissions system and overlapping demographic profile including elevated Pupil Premium share.
• South Molton Community College: A secondary school serving a rural Devon catchment similar to Park's. Comparable size, curriculum structure, and reliance on community transport and engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Reach Academy Feltham: A long-established UK secondary academy with a similar academy-conversion history and emphasis on character education, university destinations, and extracurricular breadth — useful as a model benchmark for academy operations.
• E-ACT: A large national multi-academy trust operating multiple secondary academies across England. Comparable governance and trust-level oversight structure to The Harbour Schools Partnership.
• Harris Federation: One of the UK's largest multi-academy trusts running dozens of secondary schools. Comparable academy governance model and shared back-office services at trust scale.
• Oasis Community Learning: A national multi-academy trust operating academies across England with an emphasis on inclusive ethos and community engagement — comparable operating philosophy to Park's community-driven model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ParkBarnstaple

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Park Community School