The Ilfracombe Academy is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in the North Devon town of Ilfracombe, England. Originally opened by then Minister for Education Margaret Thatcher in 1973 and known as Ilfracombe School & Community College, it was the first purpose built Comprehensive school in the country. Subsequently called Ilfracombe College, since the early 1980s, facilities available to students have included a television studio with an editing suite. Following fundraising and negotiations from 2001, the college was awarded specialist college Media Arts status in 2004 and was renamed Ilfracombe Arts College. In 2007, the school built a £3.4 million arts block named the Beacon Arts Centre. The arts department relocated to this department, freeing u