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Torquay Academy

Secondary · Torquay · TQ2 7NU

Data updated

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Good (2016)

Last grade Ofsted published, no newer grade exists

Ofsted graded this school Good in 2016. Every inspection since has been ungraded, and an ungraded inspection cannot change a grade. The most recent found “Standards maintained”. Ofsted's current data file lists only graded inspections from September 2019 onwards, so this grade has dropped out of it, but it is still the school's grade of record, and still on Ofsted's own report page. It is old, so weigh it against the more recent evidence on this page.

Inspected 14 June 2016

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,472 pupils · 105% of 1,400 capacity (over capacity) (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy sponsor led
Age range
11–18
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
35.6% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
7.1% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
6.3% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
3.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
http://www.tqacademy.co.uk
URN
138370

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 342 families named it first for 250 Year 7 places, 1.37 first choices per place. We hold 3 Year 7 admissions rounds for it, 2024 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. The last grade Ofsted published for it is Good, from 2016. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 11.3% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

1.37 first-choice applications per place

250 places offered · 342 first-choice applications · oversubscribed

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Every place for 2026 entry went to children who met a higher admission criterion, so distance did not decide any place.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

Every place for 2026 entry went to children who met a higher admission criterion, so distance did not decide any place.

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

238 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
47.6
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
73.1%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
48.7%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
4
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) C+
32.2
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school47.6
Median of its 12 closest peers47
Torbay average52
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is in line with the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
The Gryphon SchoolSherborne · 56 miles awayGood46.7
Outwood Academy ShaftonBarnsley · 233 miles awayGood42
Audenshaw SchoolManchester · 215 miles awayGood45.5
Q3 Academy LangleyOldbury · 154 miles awayGood (2019)51.8
Launceston CollegeLaunceston · 37 miles awayGood48
Redhill SchoolStourbridge · 149 miles awayGood47.8
Kettlethorpe High SchoolWakefield · 235 miles awayNeeds attention46.9
Framwellgate School DurhamDurham · 309 miles awayRequires improvement45.2
Ryburn Valley High SchoolSowerby Bridge · 233 miles awayGood48.7
The Blandford SchoolBlandford Forum · 66 miles awayGood47
Consett AcademyConsett · 311 miles awayGood44.2
Blenheim High SchoolEpsom · 155 miles awayGood (2019)49.4

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 86% (Torbay 84%, England 59%) · Any other White background 6% (Torbay 5%, England 7%) · Asian Indian 1% (Torbay 1%, England 4%) · Any other Mixed background 1% (Torbay 1%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Torbay 2%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Torbay 1%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 1% (Torbay 1%, England 2%) · Any other Asian background 1% (Torbay 1%, England 3%) · other groups together 2%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
11.3%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
28.5%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

23.88 suspensions per 100 pupils and 1 permanent exclusion · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Torbay: 25.14 suspensions and 0.19 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
16.9
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

97% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 1% moved to another state school · 2% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

76.1% of teachers took sickness absence, 7.3 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £57,108; 22.6% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£8,144
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 76% (77%) · premises 5% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 7% (6%) · supplies and services 12% (11%) · educational supplies 9% (6%) · bought-in professional services 1% (1%) · catering 4% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £748,000; in-year balance -£140,000

Spending and reserves, last three years Premium

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
90%
Continuing in education
78%
Apprenticeship
6%
Employment
6%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
36%
Apprenticeship
5%
Employment
32%
Any sustained destination
75%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
3/10more deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
3/10more deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher31.2%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications17.4%18.1%
In managerial or professional work28.2%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways20.3%18.1%
Residents in very good health47.3%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier59.6%62.3%
Social housing17.3%17.1%
Privately rented23.1%20.5%
Detached houses23.5%22.9%
Flats40%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms20.2%21.1%
Households with no car or van22.6%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01015258 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£220,000390 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£165,500–£262,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (33)£320,000
Semi-detached (90)£276,000
Terraced (167)£220,000
Flat (100)£137,500

Homes around this school are cheaper than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
6an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
11an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
31an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
6an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools