Paignton Academy
Performance (KS4 GCSE)
Three-year trends
Last three years of DfE data. How to read trends
Ofsted judgements
Getting a place
Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this
Torbay does not publish how far from the school the last child offered a Year 7 place lived, so there is no cut-off distance to show for Paignton Academy. Ask the school or the council how places were allocated this year.
Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).
School profile
- Age range
- 11–16
- Pupils on roll
- 1,582
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Admissions
- Non-Selective
Pupil background
Special educational needs
Attendance
Staffing & funding
“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means
What pupils do next
The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.
DfE, KS4 destination measures.
Nearby secondary schools
Location
Official sources
About Paignton Academy
Paignton Academy is a secondary school in Paignton, Torbay, classified by the DfE as a converter academy. Around 1,582 pupils aged 11 to 16 attend the school. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 36.9 — below the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has fallen by 0.6 points compared with the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of secondary schools nationally.
25% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, well below the national average of about 45%. 41% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. 98% of the families who made Paignton Academy their first choice were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026, even though the school made at least as many offers as it had first choices - the rest withdrew, moved or fell outside a priority group. After Year 11, 96% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 12.6%. There are about 18.3 pupils per teacher. Paignton Academy does not currently have a recent graded Ofsted judgement on record (often the case for newer or recently converted schools), so it is worth asking when its next inspection is expected. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.