Paignton Academy
Academy converter secondary school in Paignton (Torbay).
Attainment 8
38.5
▼ 7.7 England 2025/26 provisional: 46.2
2025/26 provisional
English & maths 5+
30.1%
▼ 16pp England 2025/26 provisional: 46.3%
2025/26 provisional
Attendance rate
88.6%
▼ 3pp England 2024/25: 91.6%
2024/25 academic year
Pupil : Teacher
17.2
▲ 0.5 England 2025/26: 16.7
2025/26
Eligible for free school meals
34.1%
▲ 7pp England 2025/26: 27.3%
school census 15/01/2026
Teacher turnover
7.7%
▼ 6pp England 2024/25: 14.2% (secondary schools)
2024/25
Capacity
99%
1,568 / 1,590 pupils
register figure (GIAS)
Ofsted
No overall grade
inspected Dec 2024
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
iWritten by WhatSchool from official school data (Get Information about Schools, DfE and Ofsted).Paignton Academy is a secondary school located in Paignton, Torbay. The school caters for boys and girls aged 11 to 16 and currently has 1,582 pupils on roll, with a capacity of 1,590. It is part of the THE THINKING SCHOOLS ACADEMY TRUST. The school is led by Mr Derwyn Williams.
Enrichment
8 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Chess
- Coding
- Cooking
- Drama
- Duke of Edinburgh
- Football
- Swimming
- Thinking Schools
Awards
2 awardsiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Duke of EdinburghPersonal development
- Investors in PeopleStaff development
Key facts
- URN
- 138863
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Sixth form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Local authority
- Torbay
- Constituency
- Torbay
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 2012
Governing body (12 current, 2 former)
iAcademy trust: local governing body and trust board.Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Matthew Harbour | Chair of Local Governing Body | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Ms Tracey Litt Former | Chair of Local Governing Body | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · term ended 2025 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ms Rachel Kiddey | Local Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Miss Nicola Murphy | Local Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mr Alex Radcliffe | Local Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mr Shaun Richards | Local Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Ms Jade Jeffs | Local Governance Professional - Individual Academy or Free SchoolGovernance professional | since 2025 | |
| Mr William Matthews | Local Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Derwyn Williams | Local Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Andrew Avery | Local Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Ms Sarah Clover | Local Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Matthew Croxford | Local Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Ms Shemayne Walker-Thomas | Local Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Ms Rebecca Quantrill Former | Local Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · term ended 2026 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record