Most sought-after schools in Torbay

Ordered by how many families put the school first, for each place it gave out.

This list is sorted by one number: first preferences per place. For each school it is the number of families who named it first, divided by the number of offers it made, in the newest year we hold. A higher number means more families wanted a place than there were places.

This is not a list of the best schools. It does not measure how good a school is, how happy the children are, or how well they do. It also does not tell you whether a child would get a place: that depends on where you live, the year, and the council's rules. It only shows how many people applied.

#	School	First preferences per place	Newest intake	Latest Ofsted
1	Preston Primary School Torquay, primary	1.60	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
2	Churston Ferrers Grammar School Academy Brixham, secondary	1.43	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
3	Torquay Academy Torquay, secondary	1.37	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
4	Ilsham Church of England Academy Torquay, primary	1.32	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
5	Galmpton Church of England Primary School Brixham, primary	1.30	2026	Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
6	Torquay Boys' Grammar School Torquay, secondary	1.30	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
7	Torquay Girls' Grammar School Torquay, secondary	1.29	2026	Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
8	Shiphay Learning Academy Torquay, primary	1.13	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
9	St Margaret's Academy Torquay, primary	1.03	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
10	The Spires College Torquay, secondary	1.03	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
11	Curledge Street Academy Paignton, primary	1.00	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
12	Hayes School Paignton, primary	1.00	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
13	Kings Ash Academy Paignton, primary	1.00	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
14	Lift Barton Hill Torquay, primary	1.00	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
15	Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School Torquay, primary	1.00	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
16	Priory Roman Catholic Primary School, Torquay Torquay, primary	1.00	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
17	St Marychurch Church of England Primary and Nursery School Torquay, primary	1.00	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
18	Eden Park Primary & Nursery School Brixham, primary	0.97	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
19	All Saints Babbacombe CofE Primary School Torquay, primary	0.96	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
20	Ellacombe Church of England Academy Torquay, primary	0.96	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
21	Homelands Primary School Torquay, primary	0.96	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
22	Sherwell Valley Primary School Torquay, primary	0.96	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
23	White Rock Primary School Paignton, primary	0.96	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
24	Collaton St Mary Church of England Primary School Paignton, primary	0.95	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
25	Furzeham Primary School Brixham, primary	0.95	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
26	Torre Church of England Academy TORQUAY, primary	0.95	2026	Strong standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
27	Paignton Academy Paignton, secondary	0.93	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
28	Roselands Primary School Paignton, primary	0.93	2026	Improved significantly (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
29	Watcombe Primary School Torquay, primary	0.93	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
30	Brixham Church of England Primary School Brixham, primary	0.92	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
31	Warberry CofE Academy Torquay, primary	0.91	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
32	Oldway Primary School Paignton, primary	0.89	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
33	Cockington Primary School Torquay, primary	0.88	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
34	Brixham College Brixham, secondary	0.86	2026	Needs attention (Ofsted report card (current framework))
35	Sacred Heart Catholic School Paignton, primary	0.86	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
36	St Michael's Church of England Academy Paignton, primary	0.80	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
37	St Cuthbert Mayne School Torquay, secondary	0.40	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))

Figures from the Department for Education, applications and offers. 37 schools in Torbay have a published per-place figure. Schools with too few places for the figure to mean anything are left off. All schools in Torbay · How we compare schools.