A council (local authority) in the South West
In short: Most primary schools here are rated Good or better, about the same as across England. Results at 11 are close to England, and results at 16 were close to England in 2026. Missing school is a bigger problem than across England.
Torbay at a glance
How Torbay's schools compare with England, area by area.
Primary and secondary schools are ranked by Eduscope score, which weighs up results, inspections, attendance and more. Nurseries, special and independent schools aren't ranked. A high score isn't everything: always visit.
31 mainstream schools in Torbay, best first
Results well above the England average.
39 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1191%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
37 first choices, 39 offers made
Met the standard at 1184%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
33 first choices, 25 offers made
Met the standard at 1188%
England 62%
8 mainstream schools in Torbay, best first
Results well above the England average.
247 first choices, 191 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1668.4
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
215 first choices, 166 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1670.0
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
228 first choices, 159 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1667.3
England 46.2
28 in Torbay, highest Ofsted grade first
Torquay, TQ2 6DB · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Torquay, TQ1 4PA · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Paignton, TQ4 7SB · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
9 in Torbay, by the school's Eduscope score
Results well above the England average.
247 first choices, 191 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1668.4
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
215 first choices, 166 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1670.0
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
228 first choices, 159 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1667.3
England 46.2
5 in Torbay. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Paignton, TQ3 2AL · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 16
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Torquay, TQ2 8NL · Academy · All-through · Ages 8 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Torquay, TQ1 3DG · Special · 16+ · Ages 16 to 25
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
2 in Torbay. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Torquay, TQ1 4PR · Independent · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Tq3 2af · Independent · All-through · Ages 6 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Each dot is a school or nursery, coloured by its latest Ofsted grade. Point at a dot to see its name, or use the list.
Apply through the council where you live, even for a school in another council's area. Independent schools take applications directly.
Torbay is a unitary authority in the South West with 31 mainstream primary schools and 8 mainstream secondary schools. Towns with the most schools include Paignton, Torquay and Brixham. It has 3 grammar schools, which choose pupils by a test. Pupil numbers have fallen 2% since 2018. Most state schools here are academies or free schools (86%), so many set their own term dates and admissions rules.
From Torbay council's website, checked 7 November 2026. Check the council's pages before you apply.
School admissions team: pupil.services@torbay.gov.uk · 01803 208908
If a date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, offers go out the next working day.
94.2%got their first-choice primary school in Torbay in 2026. England: 92.4%. Ranked 54 of 151 councils. 98.9% got one of their top three.3.9% were offered a primary school in another council. England: 3.6%.
79.7%got their first-choice secondary school in Torbay in 2026. England: 83.6%. Ranked 99 of 151 councils. 92.9% got one of their top three.2.8% were offered a secondary school in another council. England: 8.0%.
Source: DfE applications and offers, 2026. A low rate shows high demand, not poor schools.
20 of 96 secondary appeals heard in Torbay succeeded in 2025.
| Term | Starts | Half term | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn | 3 Sept | 26 Oct to 30 Oct | 18 Dec |
| Spring | 4 Jan | 15 Feb to 19 Feb | 25 Mar |
| Summer | 12 Apr | 31 May to 4 Jun | 23 Jul |
For schools that follow the council's dates. Academies, faith and foundation schools can set their own, and schools add training days. Source, checked 6 November 2026.
Pick a stage to see every Torbay school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 22 inspected are Good or better.
28nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
100% Good or better. 62% met the standard at 11.
35schools
Ages 11 to 16
All 4 inspected are Good or better. 50% got grade 5 in English and maths.
13schools
All 4 inspected are Good or better. About 6 pupils per teacher.
5schools
Here's how Torbay's schools break down by type, faith and more.
The blue bar is the average Eduscope score of the primary schools in each town. The black line is the Torbay average, 48.
Some areas, like parts of a bigger town, are easiest to find by postcode.
Inspections, exam results and attendance, next to the figure for England where we have it.
TorbayEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 23 primaries with one.
100%
England 96%
Close to England
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
4 of the 4 with a grade.
100%
England 93%
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
62%
England 62%
Close to England
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
50%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
19%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
29%
Latest graded inspection for the 32 schools that have one.
100%
Good or Outstanding
Torbay in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
The latest published year for each measure. Sources and years are on our data sources page.
| Measure | Torbay | England |
|---|---|---|
| Good or Outstanding (Ofsted) | 100% | 95% |
| Met the expected standard at 11 (KS2) | 62% | 62% |
| Attainment 8 | 47.0 | 46.2 |
| Persistent absence | 19% | 18% |
| Pupils per teacher | 17.3:1 | 17.9:1 |
| Spending per pupil | £7,877 | £8,120 |
| In education or work after 16 | 93% | 91% |
| Went on to higher education | 46% | 56% |
| Pupils with special educational needs | 21% | 21% |
| Pupils with English as an additional language | 7% | 22% |
| Pupils on free school meals | 27% | 27% |
DfE local authority code 880, ONS code E06000027.
Torbay has 74 schools and nurseries across 3 towns and villages, the biggest being Paignton, Torquay and Brixham.
There are 2% fewer pupils than in 2018.
29% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Torbay's state schools each January.
Down 2% since 2018.
Out of every 10 primary pupils, how many get free school meals. It's a sign of family income, not of school quality.
Torbay29%
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Torbay has 74 schools, including 35 primary schools, 13 secondary schools, 28 nurseries, 2 independent schools, 5 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Torbay on Eduscope are Galmpton Church of England Primary School, Torquay Girls' Grammar School, Torquay Boys' Grammar School. We rank each state school against schools of the same phase across England on its Ofsted inspection, results and attendance. Independent, special and nursery schools aren't ranked.
100% of inspected schools in Torbay hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 2 schools rated Outstanding and 30 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Torbay, 62% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at Key Stage 2. This is based on the latest published results from the Department for Education.
The average pupil-teacher ratio across schools in Torbay is 17.3:1. While not a direct measure of class size, this indicates the level of teaching resource available per pupil. Across England it is 17.9:1.
The persistent absence rate across schools in Torbay is 19.1%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 19,404 pupils enrolled across schools in Torbay, with 9,345 in primary and 10,059 in secondary. 27.0% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 2 independent schools in Torbay. Fees vary by school and age group, with day school fees typically ranging from £10,000 to £20,000 per year. You can compare all private schools in Torbay on Eduscope, including ISI inspection ratings where available.
Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 74 schools in Torbay by Ofsted ratings, exam results, and distance. Filter by school type, gender, religious character, and admissions policy to narrow your options.
Sources: DfE school performance tables, DfE school census and workforce, DfE pupil absence, Ofsted. Photos are stand-ins.
