Sacred Heart Catholic School
Sacred Heart Catholic School is an academy converter in Paignton for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It has 208 pupils on roll. In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 3-11 |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Cecil Road Paignton Devon TQ3 2SH |
| Phone | 01803558298 |
| Reference Number | 140749 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 208 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 50%
Girls: 50% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 24% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 20.7% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 27.3 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 26 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 28.3 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | 14 | 27 |
| 2 | 15 | 15 | 30 |
| 3 | 9 | 16 | 25 |
| 4 | 16 | 14 | 30 |
| 5 | 15 | 12 | 27 |
| 6 | 14 | 17 | 31 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 74% |
| Indian | 7.7% |
| White, Other | 6.7% |
| White & Asian | 3.4% |
| African | 3.4% |
| Unclassified | 1.9% |
| White & Black (African) | 1% |
| Asian, Other | 1% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | |
| Last Report Date | 23 May 2023 – no overall grade published for this inspection |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 23 May 2023 | School inspection |
| 01 Mar 2017 | Short inspection |
| 03 Apr 2014 | Academy conversion letter |
| 06 Dec 2012 | Full inspection: |
| Previously as Sacred Heart Catholic School | |
| 28 Jun 2011 | Full inspection: |
| 12 Mar 2008 | Full inspection: |
| 09 Feb 2004 | Full inspection |
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 55% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 13% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 104 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 104 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 1 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Writing | 1 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | -2 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
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See how Sacred Heart Catholic School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 12 | 2 |
| Third Preference | 3 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 1 | 0 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 Sacred Heart Catholic School had 197 pupils for 210 places. 13 places (6.2%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “Paignton Primary” planning area
Torbay counted 421 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 400 in 2029–30, down 5%.
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 201 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 |
| Pupils | 210 | 210 | 209 | 207 | 208 | 212 | 210 | 207 | 197 | 199 | 197 |
| Unfilled | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 1.4% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.4% | 6.2% | 5.2% | 6.2% |
Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.
In 2024–25 pupils at Sacred Heart Catholic School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 3.8% | 4.0% | 3.2% | 2.7% | 2.6% | 2.7% | 4.9% | 4.9% | 4.7% | 3.6% |
| Unauthorised absence | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 1.3% | 1.1% | 0.7% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.5% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 2.2% | 0.6% | 0.0% |
Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.
In 2024–25, 0.5% of pupils at Sacred Heart Catholic School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.4 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 2.4 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.
In 2025–26 Sacred Heart Catholic School had 25.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 8.8 | 9.1 | 8.7 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.3 | 11.8 | 11.6 | 9.4 | 10.0 | 10.4 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 13.8% | 2.7% | 15.9% | 18.7% | 11.9% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 30.8% | 5.1% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 21.4% | 26.7% | 30.8% | 8.3% | 41.7% | – | 41.7% | 46.2% | 60.0% | 53.8% | 72.7% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 3.7 | – | 1.9 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 4.4 | – |
Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.
In 2025–26, 20.2% of pupils at Sacred Heart Catholic School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Speech, language and communication needs | 20 | 4 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 14 | 3 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 5 | 0 |
| No specialist assessment of need | 2 | 0 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 0 | 1 |
| Hearing impairment | 1 | 0 |
Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.
In 2024–25 Sacred Heart Catholic School received £7,318 and spent £7,726 for each of its 209 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £322,000 (£1,541 per pupil).
Across all 34 schools of Plymouth Cast, income was £8,158 and spending £8,000 per pupil.
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | -£71,000 | £16,000 | £176,000 | £316,000 | £327,000 | £299,000 | £322,000 |
| per pupil | -£313 | £72 | £794 | £1,373 | £1,481 | £1,373 | £1,541 |
| In-year balance | -£32,000 | £35,000 | £149,000 | £196,000 | £82,000 | -£4,000 | -£85,000 |
| per pupil | -£141 | £155 | £669 | £852 | £373 | -£18 | -£408 |
Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.
| Name | Distance |
|
Oldway Primary School
Higher Polsham Road, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 2SY |
0.08 miles |
|
Curledge Street Academy
Curledge Street, Paignton, Devon, TQ4 5BA |
0.47 miles |
|
St Michael's Church of England Academy
Fisher Street, Paignton, TQ4 5EW |
0.59 miles |
|
Hayes School
Hayes Road, Paignton, Devon, TQ4 5PJ |
0.79 miles |
|
Kings Ash Academy
Pimm Road, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 3XA |
0.9 miles |
|
Preston Primary School
Old Paignton Road, Livermead, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 6UY |
1.15 miles |
|
Roselands Primary School
Lynmouth Avenue, Paignton, Devon, TQ4 7RQ |
1.49 miles |
|
Collaton St Mary Church of England Primary School
Blagdon Road, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 3YA |
1.59 miles |
|
Marldon Church of England Primary School
Marldon Cross Hill, Marldon, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 1PD |
1.8 miles |
|
White Rock Primary School
Davies Avenue, Paignton, Devon, TQ4 7AW |
2.01 miles |
|
Cockington Primary School
Old Mill Road, Torquay, TQ2 6AP |
2.17 miles |
|
Sherwell Valley Primary School
Hawkins Avenue, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 6ES |
2.48 miles |
|
Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School
Queensway, Chelston, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 6DB |
2.53 miles |
|
Torre Church of England Academy
Barton Road, Torre C of E Academy, Barton Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 4DN |
2.75 miles |
|
Shiphay Learning Academy
Exe Hill, Shiphay, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 7NF |
2.82 miles |
|
Upton St James CofE Primary School
St James Road, Upton, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 4AZ |
2.85 miles |
|
Ellacombe Church of England Academy
Ellacombe Church Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 1TG |
2.89 miles |
|
Warberry CofE Academy
Cedars Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 1SB |
3.01 miles |
|
Galmpton Church of England Primary School
Greenway Road, Galmpton, Brixham, Devon, TQ5 0LT |
3.14 miles |
|
Homelands Primary School
Westhill Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 4NT |
3.32 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Preston Bridge School
1 Lower Polsham Road, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 2AF |
0.13 miles |
|
Brunel School
170b Torquay Road, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 2AL |
0.3 miles |
|
Paignton Academy
Waterleat Road, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 3WA |
1 miles |
|
Cambian Devon School
Intek House, 52 Borough Road, Paignton, Devon, TQ4 7DQ |
1.38 miles |
|
South Devon College
Vantage Point, Long Road, Paignton, Devon, TQ4 7EJ |
1.92 miles |
|
Torquay Boys' Grammar School
Shiphay Manor Drive, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 7EL |
2.57 miles |
|
Torquay Girls' Grammar School
30 Shiphay Lane, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 7DY |
2.66 miles |
|
Torquay Academy
Cricketfield Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 7NU |
3.02 miles |
|
Churston Ferrers Grammar School Academy
Greenway Road, Churston Ferrers, Brixham, Devon, TQ5 0LN |
3.06 miles |
|
The Spires College
Westlands Lane, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 3PE |
3.18 miles |
|
St Cuthbert Mayne School
Trumlands Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 4RN |
3.48 miles |
|
Brixham College
Higher Ranscombe Road, Brixham, Devon, TQ5 9HF |
4.21 miles |
|
Combe Pafford School
Steps Lane, Watcombe, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 8NL |
4.21 miles |
|
Mayfield School
Moor Lane, Watcombe, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 8NH |
4.35 miles |
|
On Track Education Totnes
Parragon Building, Ford Road, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5LQ |
4.94 miles |
All schools in Paignton · Torbay local authority: places and applications
Sacred Heart Catholic School is part of Plymouth Cast, which runs 34 schools. The nearest others:
- Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School Torquay
- Priory Roman Catholic Primary School, Torquay Torquay
- St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School Brixham
- St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Primary School, Dartmouth Dartmouth
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Newton Abbot
- Our Lady and St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School Teignmouth
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Buckfast Buckfastleigh
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth Exmouth
- St Nicholas Catholic Primary School Exeter
- Notre Dame RC School Plymouth
How many pupils does Sacred Heart Catholic School have?
Sacred Heart Catholic School has 208 pupils on roll.
What age range does Sacred Heart Catholic School cover?
Sacred Heart Catholic School for pupils aged 3 to 11.
What are Sacred Heart Catholic School's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is Sacred Heart Catholic School?
Sacred Heart Catholic School is at Cecil Road, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 2SH.
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