Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School, Torrington
Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Torrington. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 161st-highest of the 269 schools in Devon with published results, and 8,749th of 14,452 across England. It was 77% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Devon (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School in detail
Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Growing Together with Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control We are a spiritually vibrant and inclusive school, actively welcoming pupils and families from all religions and denominations and empowering them to excel. As a Church of England School a Christian ethos influences all of our activities and experiences."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, cooking, gardening and forest school.
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care, from £5.00 per session.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 80% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Devon and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 68% in reading and 62% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 51 families put Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 57 named it as one of their preferences, for 51 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School are Monkleigh Primary School (2.9 miles, Good, 93% reading, 93% maths); Langtree Community School and Nursery Unit (3.7 miles, Good, 92% reading, 92% maths); Beaford Community Primary & Nursery School (4.3 miles, 47% reading, 47% maths); and The Clinton Church of England Primary School (4.8 miles).
Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Monkleigh Primary SchoolLangtree Community School and Nursery UnitBeaford Community Primary & Nursery SchoolThe Clinton Church of England Primary School
What parents say
35 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School (as of September 2025): 91% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 78% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (78%).
Who goes there
6.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 122 pupils (25.6%) received SEN support and 31 (6.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School has a resourced provision for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs and moderate learning difficulties: 20 places, 20 pupils on roll.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Burwood Road (w-bound), 300 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 32 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, other theft and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Devon (16), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School issued 3 suspensions, 0.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from April 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school creates a caring, inclusive environment where all pupils feel valued and loved coming to school. Early years provision is particularly strong, with children developing excellent communication skills and enthusiasm for learning. Staff are highly skilled at supporting pupils' emotional needs and behaviour through warm, encouraging relationships.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on pupils' emotional wellbeing and mental health support
- Effective phonics teaching in early years and Reception Year with high phonics screening results
- Well-identified support for pupils with SEND who are fully included in school life
- Good behaviour rooted in strong relationships between staff and pupils
- Excellent attendance improvements through family support
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum in some subjects lacks clear sequencing of knowledge, leaving pupils with gaps
- Insufficient depth of content coverage in some subjects due to weak curriculum checks
- Teachers' activities do not always match the intended curriculum or help pupils connect learning
- Governors lack insight into curriculum quality and do not hold leaders sufficiently accountable
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with an open and positive culture that helps pupils feel safe and able to talk to trusted adults about concerns.
Extracurricular Activities
Yoga, darts, running clubs, school council, mental health ambassadors, peer mediators, trips and visits including Berlin exchange trip
Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School is an inclusive school where pupils feel safe and valued, with warm relationships between staff and pupils. However, the quality of education requires improvement because pupils have not benefited from a curriculum that builds knowledge securely over time.
At a Glance
21.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: SpLD, Speech and language, Autism +2
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
35 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 68% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 62% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 59% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.0
Avg class size
26.5
Infant (KS1)
29.0
KS2
16
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School is in Devon; for families living there:
- Devon's school travel policy: Free school transport
- How to apply: Apply for free school transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Devon is 3 (the median across 426 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Devon, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Devon got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
77%
Available places
406 pupils
525 places
119 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Torrington
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Torrington
Across Devon council
Places available
9,014
Applications
6,494
Got 1st preference
96.5%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Devon council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
122
SEN Support
31
EHC Plans
32.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School has a resourced provision for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs and moderate learning difficulties: 20 places, 20 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
476
Total Pupils
248
Boys
228
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
25
Teachers
19.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,702
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,232
Per pupil
£2393k
Total funding
£126k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.1%
Overall absence
16.5%
Persistent absence
369
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School
Questions parents ask about Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 68% reached the expected standard in reading and 80% did so in maths.
What is Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School is oversubscribed, Devon allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School?
Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 77% of its 525 places.
How big are the classes at Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School?
Classes at Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School average 26 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School?
Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School has around 476 pupils on roll. 22% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School has a resourced provision for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs and moderate learning difficulties: 20 places, 20 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School?
7.1% of sessions were missed at Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 16.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Devon is 3 (the median across 426 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School?
Great Torrington Bluecoat Church of England Primary School is at Borough Road, Torrington, Devon, EX38 7NU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)