Brixham College
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,012 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 36.7
Academy converter
Paignton Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 1,568of 1,590 places
- Free school meals
- 34.1%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 264
- Ofsted
- Inspected, 3 December 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Paignton Community and Sports College (URN 113528, until 1 October 2012).
What the data says
Paignton Academy has no sixth form. Of the 255 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, none moved to a sixth form college, 84% to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
GCSE results in 2025 were well below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 36.9 against 46.1 across England and 47.4 in Torbay, with 25% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Design and Technology is unusually popular at GCSE: 29% of the year group took it, against 11% of pupils across England.
Languages are a small part of the curriculum here: entries in French and Spanish add up to 20% of the year group, and 8% of pupils entered the full EBacc set of subjects (England 41%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Torbay and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Paignton Academy | Torbay | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 255 | 1,655 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 96% | 94% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 88% | 89% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 3% | 38% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 0% | 13% |
| — further education college | 84% | 47% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 3% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 4% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 2% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Paignton Academy | Torbay | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 36.9 | 47.4 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 25% | 50% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 41% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 8% | 26% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 2.99 | 4.13 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 33% | 24% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 29.2 | 30.8 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 40.8 | 52.7 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 5% | 6% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 260 | 98% | 89% | 7% | 20% | 48% |
| Mathematics | 260 | 98% | 88% | 4% | 22% | 52% |
| Combined Science | 259 | 98% | 65% | 4% | 9% | 49% |
| English Literature | 253 | 96% | 86% | 6% | 21% | 50% |
| Geography | 115 | 44% | 41% | 10% | 25% | 59% |
| Religious Studies | 81 | 31% | 31% | 14% | 32% | 67% |
| History | 78 | 30% | 41% | 9% | 26% | 40% |
| Design and Technology | 76 | 29% | 11% | 3% | 23% | 39% |
| Business Studies | 57 | 22% | 18% | 12% | 20% | 49% |
| Computer Science | 50 | 19% | 13% | 20% | 30% | 62% |
| French | 40 | 15% | 18% | 10% | 29% | 57% |
| Drama | 23 | 9% | 7% | 17% | 27% | 70% |
| Spanish | 12 | 5% | 19% | 8% | 27% | 42% |
| Turkish | 5 | 2% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 105 | — | — |
| Childcare Skills | 68 | — | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 65 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 50 | — | — |
| Health Studies | 49 | — | — |
| Interactive Video | 43 | — | — |
| Art and Design | 41 | — | — |
| Music performance: Group | 8 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Torbay
Churston Ferrers Grammar School Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,062 pupils
96% stayed in education · Attainment 8 71.2
St Cuthbert Mayne School
Voluntary aided school · sixth form · 1,001 pupils
88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 39.7
The Spires College
Foundation school · sixth form · 1,154 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.5
Torquay Academy
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 1,472 pupils
78% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.6
Torquay Boys' Grammar School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,087 pupils
95% stayed in education · Attainment 8 70.8
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.