Priory Roman Catholic Primary School, Torquay

About Priory Roman Catholic Primary School, Torquay

Priory Roman Catholic Primary School in Torquay is a small state primary with a current roll of 96 pupils against a capacity of 178, meaning it is running at just over half its potential size. The school serves a notably diverse intake in terms of disadvantage: 34.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is significantly above the national average and suggests the school plays an important role in its local community. Despite the spare capacity, demand for places is strong. For the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 22 applications for its 14 available places, with all 14 first-preference applicants offered a spot. That oversubscription ratio of 1.57 to 1 indicates a school that is genuinely popular with local families, even if it is not yet full overall. The school is mixed, Roman Catholic by religious character, and caters for children aged 4 to 11.

Academically, Priory has improved markedly in recent years. Its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022 rated the school Good overall, with every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — all judged Good. This is a clear step up from its previous inspection in 2018, when the school was rated Requires Improvement. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 60% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is in line with the Torbay local authority average of 61%. Reading was a particular strength: every pupil met the expected standard, and 40% achieved the higher standard. Maths scores were solid too, with an average scaled score of 105 and 20% reaching the higher benchmark. The school ranks 18th out of 29 primary schools in Torbay on the combined expected standard metric, placing it in the bottom half of the local authority.

The school offers a practical range of facilities including a sports hall, playing fields, music rooms, art studios, an ICT suite, a library, a dining hall and a chapel. Sports on offer include tennis, football, cricket and rounders, and there are clubs for drama, gardening and film. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists a broad set of SEND provisions covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. There is no nursery or sixth form. Priory is a faith school that is oversubscribed at first preference, so it suits families who value a small, community-focused Catholic primary with strong reading outcomes and a clear record of improvement, particularly those living within the catchment area or with a church connection.

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