Ilsham Church of England Academy

About Ilsham Church of England Academy

Ilsham Church of England Academy is a popular primary school in Torbay, and the numbers back that up. In the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 61 applications for just 25 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.44. Of those, 35 families put it as their first preference, and all 25 offers went to first-preference applicants. That level of demand suggests parents in the area hold the school in high regard. The school is a Church of England academy, with headteacher Jake Grinsill leading a mixed cohort of 175 pupils — exactly at capacity. Around 13.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is slightly below the national average for primary schools. The school has a chapel on site, along with a library, dining hall, and sports facilities including playing fields, a gymnasium, and a sports hall.

Academically, Ilsham performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 73% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, compared to a Torbay average of 61%. That places the school 9th out of 29 primary schools in the local authority, putting it in the top quarter nationally. A strong 27% of pupils achieved the higher standard in all three subjects. In individual subjects, 85% met expectations in both maths and writing, while 81% did so in reading. Average scaled scores were 108 in both reading and maths — comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, the school was rated Good overall, with leadership and management judged Outstanding. The previous graded inspection in 2014 also rated the school Good, and the 2023 ungraded inspection confirmed it remains Good.

For families considering Ilsham, the practical picture is clear. The school offers a range of clubs including drama, choir, chess, coding, and art club, plus sports such as netball, cross country, gymnastics, dance, tennis, and athletics. SEND provision is in place for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school is oversubscribed, so applying as a first preference is strongly advised. It suits families who value a Church of England foundation and want a primary that delivers above-average results in a relatively small, full-to-capacity setting. There is no nursery provision or boarding, and the school is mixed-gender for ages 4 to 11.

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