Torquay Academy Review 2026: High-expectation secondary with serious scale in sport, arts and enrichment

Torquay Academy sits in the Chelston area of Torquay and serves students from Year 7 to Year 13. Its identity is built around pace, routines and high expectations, summed up in the phrase “every second counts”, which staff and students use as a shared shorthand for how the day runs.

Leadership is long-established. Mr Steve Margetts has been Principal since 2014, and the academy is sponsored by Torquay Boys’ Grammar School Multi-Academy Trust.

The latest Ofsted visit took place on 07 and 08 January 2025 and confirmed the school had maintained standards, with safeguarding judged effective.

For families, the immediate headline is demand. In the most recent admissions dataset, 623 applications competed for 243 offers in the Year 7 route, so entry is competitive even before you factor in the specialist aptitude routes. (Figures refer to that same published admissions year and will vary annually.)

This is a school that explicitly frames itself around life chances and a strong culture of effort. Its stated purpose is to “transform the life chances of children in Torquay by ensuring that everyone succeeds”, with three values used as behavioural anchors, Hard work, Integrity and Pride. Those are not presented as abstract ideals. The website breaks them into concrete behaviours such as “we never give up”, “we do the right thing”, and “we are ready to learn”, which gives families a clearer sense of what staff will praise and challenge on an ordinary day.

The structure is reinforced by a house system, with eight houses named after former Torquay residents. House life is not just for sports day. The published list of competitions includes Battle of the Brains, The Great TA Bake Off, TA’s Got Talent, Blockbusters, Countdown, quizzes and sporting events, alongside daily house points for homework, classwork and positive behaviour. For students who thrive on belonging and visible recognition, this kind of design can be highly motivating. For students who prefer to keep their heads down, it is worth checking how much house activity is expected week to week.

The latest inspection narrative also points to a deliberate balance between academic rigour and “fun and wider opportunities”, with students described as proud of the school. In practice, that balance shows up in the sheer breadth of structured enrichment that sits alongside the timetable, from cadets to motorsport engineering to large-scale theatre.

A final piece of the school’s identity is historical continuity. The academy’s own communications reference its earlier incarnations as Audley Park (founded 1938), Torquay Community College (1994), and Torquay Academy from 2012. That matters because it signals a long-standing place in the town’s educational fabric, even as the branding and governance model have changed.

At GCSE, Torquay Academy’s most recent Attainment 8 score is 44.6, with Progress 8 at 0.03. These measures suggest outcomes broadly in line with expectations for similar prior attainment, with a slight positive progress indicator.

FindMySchool’s GCSE ranking places the school 2,815th in England and 4th in the Torquay local area for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This sits below England average, placing it within the lower 40% of schools in England on this measure. (Rankings reflect the relevant published results year.)

At A-level, the grade profile shows 1.7% of grades at A*, with 32.39% at A* to B. FindMySchool’s A-level ranking places the sixth form 2,103rd in England and 3rd in the Torquay local area for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This also sits below England average on the ranking banding.

Two implications are worth drawing carefully.

First, families should separate “headline attainment” from “day-to-day academic culture”. The 2025 inspection describes a meticulously planned curriculum with subject experts, clear explanation, and regular checking for understanding. That can be true even where published outcomes are still catching up.

Second, the sixth form deserves specific scrutiny. The 2025 inspection text is unusually explicit that published outcomes do not reflect the current quality of provision, while also describing aspirational destination planning and strong subject resources. For parents of Year 11 students deciding whether to stay, that should prompt a practical question, what does “current quality” look like in subject-level results, retention, and support, and how consistent is it across courses.

Parents comparing local schools can use the FindMySchool Local Hub comparison tool to view GCSE and A-level performance side by side, rather than relying on reputation.

The school’s model is strongly structured. The inspection narrative describes a broad curriculum that is “meticulously planned”, with key knowledge identified and taught in ways intended to support long-term recall. The detail that matters for families is the method, staff explain concepts clearly, show students how to apply knowledge, and check understanding regularly. That combination usually results in lessons that feel purposeful and tightly guided, which can work very well for students who like clarity and routine.

Reading is treated as a whole-school priority. The inspection notes targeted support for students who fall behind, including identifying the precise kind of help needed to become confident, fluent readers. For a mainstream secondary, that specificity is a meaningful indicator of inclusion, particularly for students whose confidence was damaged by earlier literacy struggles.

Provision for students with special educational needs and disabilities is framed as largely inclusive, with most learning alongside peers and additional support delivered in a timely way where needed. Families considering support should still ask how this works in practice within large classes, what the threshold is for small-group intervention, and how frequently progress is reviewed.

Curriculum breadth includes English Baccalaureate subjects, but the 2025 inspection points out that the number of students completing the full suite is low, even though the subjects are available. It also notes that changes to modern foreign languages have increased the number choosing a language at GCSE. The nuance here is important. Availability is not the same as take-up, and take-up often reflects a mix of student preference, timetabling, advice, and confidence in a subject area. Families who strongly value EBacc breadth should ask how options guidance is handled and how languages are encouraged without steering students into unsuitable pathways.

The school does not publish a full Russell Group or named university breakdown on the pages reviewed, so destination evidence here relies on the available dataset and the most recent inspection narrative.

In the 2023/24 leavers cohort dataset (cohort size 81), 36% progressed to university, 32% went into employment, 5% started apprenticeships, and 1% entered further education. These figures can be particularly relevant for families who want clear visibility of “Plan A and Plan B” outcomes, not only university progression.

For high academic pathways, the school’s Oxbridge dataset indicates two applications in the measurement period, with one student securing a place at Cambridge. This is a small-number picture rather than a dominant pipeline, but it does show that the top end exists, particularly when paired with the inspection’s description of sixth form ambition and destination planning.

The 2025 inspection also highlights careers education as a practical strength, referencing careers fairs, university visits and work experience. The implication for families is that the school appears to emphasise employability and next-step readiness as much as exam preparation. That aligns well with the leavers profile, which includes substantial direct employment progression.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through the home local authority, but the academy sets and publishes its own admissions arrangements. The published admission number for Year 7 is 240 for 2026/27.

If the school is oversubscribed, the oversubscription criteria prioritise, in order, looked-after and previously looked-after children, aptitude places for the Football Academy and Performing Arts Academy (up to 8 each), children of staff in specified circumstances, siblings, children in the designated area, then children outside the area, with distance used as the tie-break.

For 2026/27 admissions in Torbay, the local timetable publishes several relevant dates:

• Applications open 01 September 2025

• Football and Performing Arts Academy registrations close 29 September 2025

• Aptitude testing day for Torquay Academy is 04 October 2025

• The closing date for the common application form is 31 October 2025

• Offers are released on National Allocation Day, 02 March 2026

Open events are also clearly signposted. For the 2026 entry cycle, the school published an open evening on 25 September 2025, alongside multiple daytime tours across September, October and late June. When dates move on, this still gives a reliable pattern, families should expect open events to cluster in early autumn, with some additional tours later in the year.

Sixth form admissions have their own deadline. For September 2026 entry, the published application deadline is Friday 19 December 2025, with applications followed by a guidance meeting to discuss course choices.

Given demand variability and the absence of a published “last distance offered” figure families who are distance-sensitive should use FindMySchool Map Search to check travel practicality and monitor admission criteria changes year to year.

Pastoral culture here is tightly linked to routines and respectful relationships. The 2025 inspection narrative highlights strong behaviour systems applied consistently, alongside students’ confidence that bullying is dealt with effectively when it occurs. That combination usually indicates predictable boundaries, which can be reassuring for students who need structure.

Personal development is presented as more than assemblies. The inspection text references learning about protected characteristics, consent and healthy relationships, plus sixth form content such as budgeting and professional behaviours. These are practical life skills rather than abstract “character education”, and they align with the school’s wider emphasis on readiness for next steps.

A small but telling detail is the mention of regular “post cards of thanks” exchanged between pupils and staff, used to reinforce warm and respectful relationships. That kind of routine recognition can matter, particularly for students who respond better to encouragement than sanctions.

Torquay Academy’s enrichment offer is one of its most distinctive features, and it is structured around named programmes rather than generic clubs.

Performing Arts Academy and The Platform

The Performing Arts Academy runs twice a week after school, on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 5pm. It is positioned as an inclusive route for students of all experience levels, with auditions that focus on aptitude. The programme anchors around an annual large-scale production staged in the school’s theatre, The Platform, with a published list of past shows including Aladdin, Fame, Annie, Guys & Dolls, High School Musical, Oliver and Matilda.

The practical implication is that performing arts can be a genuine pillar of school life rather than an occasional enrichment add-on. For students who gain confidence through performance, this can be a powerful driver of attendance, friendships and self-belief, particularly in the transition years.

Greenpower Motorsport

Greenpower is presented as an engineering-based team activity where students take part in a recognised electric racing car series, building and running school-designed cars and racing at venues such as Goodwood, Silverstone, Castle Combe and Dunsfold Park. The club is described as running on Tuesdays and Fridays after school, with races taking place on Sundays from March to October.

Entry is linked to GCSE Engineering or Product Design, and the school explicitly frames the benefit as both technical skills and roles beyond driving, including Race Director, Communications Lead and Journalist. For a student who prefers applied learning, this can be a strong counterbalance to purely classroom-based success measures.

Adventure Academy

Adventure Academy covers outdoor activities supported by in-house staff with industry-equivalent qualifications and specialist equipment. The published examples include an on-site climbing wall, outdoor climbing and abseiling trips, a set of bikes for trips to Haldon, coasteering at Anstey’s Cove, and kayaking on the River Dart near Totnes.

This matters because it signals real logistical investment, not just aspiration. For students who struggle to engage purely through academic motivation, physical challenge and structured outdoor progression can be a strong route to confidence and resilience, especially when linked to recognised activities such as Ten Tors and Duke of Edinburgh participation (both referenced in the school’s wider life description).

Combined Cadet Force

The Combined Cadet Force is open from Year 8, with close to 200 cadets taking part in a weekly Wednesday parade, across Army and RAF sections. Activities listed include leadership and communication tasks, navigation, first aid and fieldcraft, alongside RAF flying opportunities in gliders and fixed-wing aircraft.

For some students, cadets can become a central identity and a route to leadership that is more tangible than classroom attainment. For others, it may feel too formal or time-intensive. Families should ask what the weekly time commitment looks like and how it sits alongside GCSE and sixth form workload.

Sixth Form Sports Academies

In sixth form, sport is offered as an “academy” model that sits alongside A-level or vocational study. The boys’ football development programme is described as daily training with professional coaches, timetabled around lessons, with Wednesday fixtures and support functions such as physiotherapy and analysis. It also references video analysis and GPS tracking pods, plus participation in ESFA competition structures and routes into showcase games and US scholarship opportunities.

The implication is that the sixth form can suit a student who wants to keep sport highly central while still pursuing a full academic programme, provided they can manage workload and expectations in both areas.

The school publishes a detailed day structure. Breakfast is served from 07:30 in year group hubs, students are expected on site for line-up at 08:10, and the core teaching day for Years 7 to 10 runs 08:20am to 3:15pm. There is also a Period 5 from 3:15 to 4:15 used for academic intervention, compulsory for invited students and for all students in Years 11 to 13.

For open events, the school asks families to park off-site and enter via the Cricketfield Road entrance, which is a useful proxy indicator that on-site parking is limited at peak times.

• Admission complexity for specialist routes. If you are interested in the Football Academy or Performing Arts Academy places, the published Torbay timetable shows a separate registration deadline (29 September 2025 for the 2026/27 cycle) and an aptitude testing day (04 October 2025). This adds another layer of planning on top of the standard Year 7 application.

• Written work expectations are a live improvement area. The January 2025 Ofsted visit highlighted inconsistency in ensuring pupils’ written work meets intended standards, meaning some pupils do not always demonstrate learning fully in writing. Families with students who need explicit support for extended writing should ask what targeted practice and feedback looks like across subjects.

• A longer day for some students. Period 5 runs to 4:15pm and is compulsory for Years 11 to 13, and for invited students in other years. That can be an advantage for structured intervention, but it also affects transport, fatigue and after-school commitments.

• EBacc take-up appears low. Even with EBacc subjects available, the inspection narrative notes a low proportion completing the full suite. If languages and the EBacc pathway are a priority for your family, ask how the school advises students at options time and what drives take-up.

Torquay Academy is a large, high-structure secondary with a clear identity, pace and strong routines. Its most distinctive feature is the scale of organised enrichment, with named programmes such as the Performing Arts Academy in The Platform, Greenpower Motorsport, Adventure Academy and a sizable Combined Cadet Force.

It suits students who respond well to clear expectations and who will take advantage of a busy co-curricular life alongside mainstream academic study. The main challenge is admission competitiveness, and for some families the practical reality of deadlines, testing routes and longer-day intervention will be the deciding factor.