White Rock Primary School
Davies Avenue, Paignton, TQ4 7AW
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Tomkinson
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- South Devon
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 655
- Pupils on roll
- 666
- URN
- 113216
- Local authority
- Torbay
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01803577940
About this school
White Rock Primary School is a foundation primary school in Paignton. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 666 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected White Rock Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 23 October 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 89 | 93 | 92 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 64% | 55% | 51% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 9% | 1% |
| Expected standard in reading | 74% | 65% | 75% |
| Expected standard in maths | 80% | 76% | 67% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% | 71% | 60% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 104.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.30 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How White Rock Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Torbay average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 64% | 57% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 55% | 57.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 51% | 57.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 714 |
| 2023/24 | 714 |
| 2024/25 | 695 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How White Rock Primary School compares
White Rock Primary School ranked 24th of 30 primary schools in Torbay for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 51% | 4.8% | 21% | 666 | — |
| Roselands Primary School | 57% | 4.9% | 22.4% | 315 | 0.7 miles |
| Galmpton Church of England Primary School | 91% | 3.6% | 12.7% | 222 | 1.2 miles |
| Hayes School | 79% | 7.1% | 41.4% | 340 | 1.3 miles |
| St Michael's Church of England Academy | — | 3.9% | 14.5% | 101 | 1.4 miles |
| Curledge Street Academy | 62% | 5.3% | 41.6% | 439 | 1.6 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 21.01%
- English as an additional language
- 1.7%
- Overall absence
- 4.78%
- Persistent absence
- 11.86%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Roselands Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Paignton
-
Galmpton Church of England Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Brixham
-
Hayes School1.3 miles
Primary · Paignton
-
St Michael's Church of England Academy1.4 miles
Primary · Paignton
-
Curledge Street Academy1.6 miles
Primary · Paignton
Other schools in Paignton
White Rock Primary School ranks 9th of the 9 ranked primary schools in Paignton.
- Collaton St Mary Church of England Primary School Primary
- Curledge Street Academy Primary
- Hayes School Primary
- Kings Ash Academy Primary
- Marldon Church of England Primary School Primary
- Oldway Primary School Primary
- Roselands Primary School Primary
- Sacred Heart Catholic School Primary
- St Michael's Church of England Academy Primary
- Paignton Academy Secondary
- South Devon College 16 plus
- Brunel School Academies
Common questions
- What ages does White Rock Primary School teach?
- White Rock Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Paignton.
- Who is the headteacher of White Rock Primary School?
- The headteacher of White Rock Primary School is Mrs Sarah Tomkinson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has White Rock Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected White Rock Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at White Rock Primary School?
- White Rock Primary School has 666 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is White Rock Primary School full?
- White Rock Primary School has capacity for 655 pupils and 666 on roll (102%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is White Rock Primary School a faith school?
- No. White Rock Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does White Rock Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records White Rock Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have White Rock Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 64% in 2022/23 and 51% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does White Rock Primary School compare with other schools in Torbay?
- White Rock Primary School ranked 24th of 30 primary schools in Torbay for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is White Rock Primary School's absence rate?
- White Rock Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are White Rock Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, White Rock Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.