Ellacombe Church of England Academy

About Ellacombe Church of England Academy

Ellacombe Church of England Academy is a Good-rated primary school in Torbay, and its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024 confirmed that rating across every category, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision. That consistency matters, but the headline academic story is in its Key Stage 2 results. In the 2023/24 academic year, 77% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — well above the Torbay local authority average of 61%. That puts the school fifth out of 29 primary schools in the area, placing it in the top 25% nationally. The school also outperforms the local average on individual subjects: 82% reached the expected standard in reading, 84% in maths, and 80% in writing. At the higher standard, 16% of pupils achieved the top marks across all three subjects, with reading particularly strong at 43% reaching that level.

Digging deeper into the exam data, Ellacombe’s average scaled scores tell a similar story. Pupils scored an average of 108 in reading and 106 in maths, both comfortably above the national baseline of 100. The school’s ranking score of 77 places it just behind local peers like Hayes School (82) and Roselands Primary School (80), but it still sits firmly in the top tier of Torbay primaries. The Ofsted report notes that leadership and management, which was rated Outstanding in the school’s previous 2014 inspection, has settled at Good in the most recent visit — a shift that reflects a change in leadership rather than a decline in standards. The school has a Church of England character, and its headteacher is Alison Helm. With 347 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, there is some room for growth, though the school was oversubscribed for 2025/26 entry, receiving 33 applications for 24 places and offering 23 of those to first-preference families.

Ellacombe offers a broad range of facilities including a library, art studios, a forest school, an outdoor playground, a dining hall and a chapel. Sports provision covers cricket, rounders, tennis, swimming and gymnastics, while clubs include drama, gardening, choir and film club. The school has a nursery for children from age two, and its SEND provisions are well-documented, supporting pupils with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 44.5% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with above-average deprivation, yet its academic outcomes are strong relative to the local authority. This is a school that suits families looking for a Church of England primary with solid results, a clear focus on inclusion, and a good range of enrichment activities — all within a Torbay setting where school places are in demand.

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