Torquay Boys' Grammar School, Torquay

Ofsted's report card from its 24 February 2026 inspection grades Torquay Boys' Grammar School on 7 areas: 3 strong standard and 4 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Strong standard. "Pupils achieve highly at this school."

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Pupils' attendance is high."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Staff know pupils very well."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The breadth and ambition of the school's curriculum is a strength."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have a highly ambitious vision for the school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Pastoral care is a strength of the school."

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "The 16-19 study programme is well designed for the high aspirations of students."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should rigorously monitor the impact of their improvement work to ensure that this leads to consistently strong standards across all areas of the school"; "Leaders should embed a consistently high-quality approach to formative assessment across all subjects. Teachers must use assessment information precisely and routinely to check pupils' understanding, identify emerging misconceptions and adapt teaching responsively"; "Leaders should increase opportunities for younger pupils to engage directly and meaningfully with employers so that they develop a deeper understanding of the world of work and the pathways available to them after school".

In its own words: "Torquay Boys’ Grammar School is a very special place to learn, located in a fantastic setting with vibrant facilities, and a welcoming ethos that allows individuals to develop their own personal talents."

Coming up: an open evening on Wednesday 25 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Torquay Boys' Grammar School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 70, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 49.6 in Torbay and 47 across England.

95% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 54% in Torbay and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 70.8.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.34: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Biology and Physics.

Torquay Boys' Grammar School is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 215 families put Torquay Boys' Grammar School as their first choice and 304 named it as one of their preferences, for 166 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 55 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Torquay Boys' Grammar School admits pupils through an entrance test, usually called the 11-plus. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, Torquay Boys' Grammar School ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check Torbay's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

Torbay has 3 state grammar schools in all, so a child who passes may have several selective schools to choose between.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Torquay Boys' Grammar School are Torquay Girls' Grammar School (0.2 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 68.4); Torquay Academy (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.7); St Cuthbert Mayne School (1.2 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 42); and The Spires College (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.1).

Torquay Boys' Grammar School's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

227 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Torquay Boys' Grammar School (as of April 2026): 93% would recommend the school, 92% say their child is happy there and 84% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (84%).

Of the 156 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 97% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 19% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 128 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 59% went on to university or other higher education, 2% to apprenticeships and 25% into work. 51% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

5.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (72%) and Mixed (5%).

In 2026, 29 pupils (2.7%) received SEN support and 5 (0.5%) 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 autism.

The nearest railway station is Torre Rail Station, about 820 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).

16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Torquay Grammar Schools (outside), 130 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Torquay Boys' Grammar School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Torquay Boys' Grammar School issued 21 suspensions, 1.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Torquay Boys' Grammar School are Sherwell Valley Primary School (0.2 miles), Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles), Shiphay Learning Academy (0.4 miles) and Torre Church of England Academy (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.