A town in Torbay
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 above England in 2026. Fewer pupils miss a lot of school than across England.
Paignton at a glance
How Paignton'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.
13 mainstream schools in Paignton, best first
Results well above the England average.
42 first choices, 42 offers made
Met the standard at 1179%
England 62%
Results below the England average.
19 first choices, 22 offers made
Met the standard at 1155%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
74 first choices, 77 offers made
Met the standard at 1175%
England 62%
3 mainstream schools in Paignton, 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 below the England average.
265 first choices, 286 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1638.5
England 46.2
15 in Paignton, highest Ofsted grade first
Torquay, TQ2 6DB · 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.
Torquay, TQ2 6AP · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
2 in Paignton, 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
3 in Paignton. 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.
Paignton, TQ4 7DQ · Independent · Secondary · Ages 10 to 16
Specialist provision. 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.
2 in Paignton. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Paignton, TQ4 7DQ · Independent · Secondary · Ages 10 to 16
Specialist provision. 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.
Schools in Paignton sit in 2 council areas. Your home council handles your application, wherever the school is. Living nearby doesn't guarantee a place: each school's admission rules decide.
Pick a stage to see every Paignton school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 12 inspected are Good or better.
15nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
100% Good or better. 61% met the standard at 11.
14schools
Ages 11 to 16
The one inspected is Good or better. 64% got grade 5 in English and maths.
6schools
All 2 inspected are Good or better. About 5 pupils per teacher.
3schools
Here's how Paignton's schools break down by type, faith and more.
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.
Worked out by Eduscope from each school's published figures. Not an official statistic for this town.
PaigntonEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 10 primaries with one.
100%
England 96%
Close to England
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
1 of the 1 with a grade.
100%
England 93%
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
61%
England 62%
Close to England
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
64%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
17%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
25%
Latest graded inspection for the 13 schools that have one.
100%
Good or Outstanding
Paignton in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
Paignton has 34 schools and nurseries.
There are 3% fewer pupils than in 2018.
25% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Paignton's state schools each January.
Down 3% 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.
Paignton25%
Apply through your local council, even for academies and faith schools.
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Paignton has 34 schools, including 14 primary schools, 6 secondary schools, 15 nurseries, 2 independent schools, 3 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Paignton on Eduscope are Torquay Girls' Grammar School, Torquay Boys' Grammar School, Hayes 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 Paignton hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 1 school rated Outstanding and 12 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Paignton, 61% 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 Paignton is 18.6:1. 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 Paignton is 16.6%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 8,654 pupils enrolled across schools in Paignton, with 4,877 in primary and 3,777 in secondary. 22.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 2 independent schools in Paignton, all special schools for children with special educational needs, where councils usually pay the fees. You can compare them on Eduscope, including inspection reports where available.
Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 34 schools in Paignton 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.
