St Margaret's Academy, Torquay
St Margaret's Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Torquay. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 13th-highest of the 17 schools in Torquay with published results, and 11,322nd of 14,452 across England. It was 95% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
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.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Margaret's Academy in detail
St Margaret's Academy in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:40am and after-school care until 5:20pm.
Coming up: an open day on Thursday 26 November 2026, an open day on Friday 19 February 2027, an open day on Tuesday 23 February 2027 and an open day on Thursday 22 April 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Torbay
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at St Margaret's Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 66% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 74% in Torbay and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 75% in reading and 69% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St Margaret's Academy
For September 2026 entry, 35 families put St Margaret's Academy as their first choice and 70 named it as one of their preferences, for 34 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Margaret's Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Margaret's Academy are Priory Roman Catholic Primary School, Torquay (under 0.1 miles, Good, 72% reading, 67% maths); Homelands Primary School (0.1 miles, Good, 73% reading, 67% maths); St Marychurch Church of England Primary and Nursery School (0.3 miles, Good, 79% reading, 70% maths); and Upton St James CofE Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 60% reading, 53% maths).
St Margaret's Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Priory Roman Catholic Primary School, TorquayHomelands Primary SchoolSt Marychurch Church of England Primary and Nursery SchoolUpton St James CofE Primary School
Who goes there
6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Torre Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Homelands Primary School (outside), 170 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Margaret's Academy issued 5 suspensions, 1.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Margaret's Academy are St Cuthbert Mayne School (0.3 miles), The Spires College (0.5 miles), Torquay Academy (0.7 miles) and Torquay Girls' Grammar School (1.2 miles).
St Cuthbert Mayne SchoolThe Spires CollegeTorquay AcademyTorquay Girls' Grammar School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from May 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2013 inspection - down from Outstanding.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
28.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 75% to 68% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 66% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 69% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.3
Avg class size
26.3
Infant (KS1)
27.8
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St Margaret's Academy
Newsletter 18.09.26
18 Sep 2026
Newsletter 11.09.26
11 Sep 2026
Newsletter 17.07.26
17 Jul 2026
Newsletter 10.07.26
10 Jul 2026
Newsletter 03.07.26
3 Jul 2026
Newsletter 26.06.26
26 Jun 2026
From St Margaret's Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with St Margaret's Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Margaret's Academy.
- Kinetic Sports Group - PrioryAt the school · Not yet graded
- Kinetic Sports Group - Abbey400m away · Not yet graded
- The Big Step420m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Margaret's Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Margaret's Academy is in Torbay; for families living there:
Apply to Torbay for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 28
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 24 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 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 Torbay is 18 (the median across 47 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 St Margaret's Academy
Will you get a place at St Margaret's Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Margaret's Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Margaret's Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Margaret's Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Torbay, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Margaret's Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Torbay 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
95%
Near capacity
401 pupils
420 places
19 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Torquay
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Torquay
Across Torbay council
Places available
1,357
Applications
1,000
Got 1st preference
94.2%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All primary applications across Torbay council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
78
SEN Support
23
EHC Plans
26.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
382
Total Pupils
196
Boys
186
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
25
Teachers
15.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,230
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,385
Per pupil
£2384k
Total funding
£148k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.4%
Overall absence
15.7%
Persistent absence
356
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
Questions parents ask about St Margaret's Academy
What are SATs results like at St Margaret's Academy?
Of the pupils at St Margaret's Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 68% reached the expected standard in reading and 66% did so in maths.
What is St Margaret's Academy's Ofsted rating?
St Margaret's Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Margaret's Academy?
No fixed boundary. When St Margaret's Academy is oversubscribed, Torbay allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Margaret's Academy?
St Margaret's Academy was close to full in 2025, at 95% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Margaret's Academy?
Classes at St Margaret's Academy average 27.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Margaret's Academy?
St Margaret's Academy has around 382 pupils on roll. 29% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Margaret's Academy?
5.4% of sessions were missed at St Margaret's Academy in 2024/25. 15.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Margaret's Academy?
Apply through Torbay's coordinated admissions process, naming St Margaret's Academy 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.
Does St Margaret's Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Kinetic Sports Group - Priory (registered, not yet graded). There are 2 more within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near St Margaret's Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 24 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 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 Torbay is 18 (the median across 47 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Margaret's Academy?
St Margaret's Academy is at Barewell Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 4PA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)