Skip to main content

Schools across Torbay

Local authority · 47 schools across 4 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Torbay (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Torbay (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Schools in Torbay (47)

Showing 20 of 47 schools

Total Schools

47

31 primary · 9 secondary

Total Pupils

19,593

91% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

18

2 outstanding · 16 good

Capacity

21,560

1,967 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

16
29
Outstanding: 2
Good: 16
Not inspected: 29

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

37.9

GCSE Eng+Maths

40.9%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

87% full
9,345 pupils10,715 capacity

1,370 spare places

Secondary Schools

96% full
9,452 pupils9,857 capacity

405 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

7.2%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

18.2%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

42

2024/25

Absence trend across Torbay schools

4.7%
18/19
4.7%
20/21
7.9%
21/22
7.3%
22/23
8.4%
23/24
7.2%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

27%

Plans Issued

177

Assessment Requests

421

Tribunal Cases

25

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

27%
2019
54%
2020
79%
2021
65%
2022
46%
2023
29%
2024
27%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

1,278 admissions

2

Lodged

(0.2%)

0

Heard

0

Successful

(0%)

Primary (infant classes)

1,124 admissions

2

Lodged

(0.2%)

0

Heard

0

Successful

(0%)

Secondary

1,903 admissions

117

Lodged

(6.1%)

96

Heard

20

Successful

(21%)

Total

3,181 admissions

119

Lodged

(3.7%)

96

Heard

20

Successful

(21%)

Total appeals lodged per year

168
2019
137
2020
104
2021
64
2022
127
2023
202
2024
134
2025
240
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Questions parents ask about schools in Torbay

How many schools are there in Torbay?

Torbay has 47 open schools: 31 state primary, 9 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 5 special and 1 other.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Torbay are rated Outstanding?

2 schools in Torbay were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Galmpton Church of England Primary School and Torquay Girls' Grammar School. Counting Good as well, 93% of the 43 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Galmpton Church of England Primary SchoolTorquay Girls' Grammar School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Torbay get the best GCSE results?

Of the 11 schools in Torbay with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Torquay Boys' Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 70 and 95% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Torquay Girls' Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 68.4 and 95% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Churston Ferrers Grammar School Academy (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 67.3 and 93% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Selective schools admit by ability, so their raw results are not a like-for-like comparison with comprehensives. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Torquay Boys' Grammar SchoolTorquay Girls' Grammar SchoolChurston Ferrers Grammar School Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Torbay have the best SATs results?

Of the 30 primary schools in Torbay with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Galmpton Church of England Primary School (100% in reading, 91% in maths); Ilsham Church of England Academy (88% in reading, 92% in maths); and Warberry CofE Academy (88% in reading, 92% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Galmpton Church of England Primary SchoolIlsham Church of England AcademyWarberry CofE Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Torbay?

Yes. Churston Ferrers Grammar School Academy, Torquay Boys' Grammar School and Torquay Girls' Grammar School are state grammar schools in Torbay. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Churston Ferrers Grammar School AcademyTorquay Boys' Grammar SchoolTorquay Girls' Grammar School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Torbay have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Torbay have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Torbay allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Torbay?

Apply to Torbay through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.