Shiphay Learning Academy
Exe Hill, Shiphay, Torquay, TQ2 7NF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- RIVIERA EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Kate Lee
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Torbay
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 373
- URN
- 136659
- Local authority
- Torbay
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01803613556
About this school
Shiphay Learning Academy is a primary academy in Torquay. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 373 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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 did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 61 | 60 | 62 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 69% | 65% | 66% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 2% | 6% |
| Expected standard in reading | 85% | 73% | 84% |
| Expected standard in maths | 74% | 77% | 76% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 74% | 67% | 85% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 106.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.70 | - | - |
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 Shiphay Learning Academy 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 | 69% | 57% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 65% | 57.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 66% | 57.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 460 |
| 2023/24 | 439 |
| 2024/25 | 416 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Shiphay Learning Academy compares
Shiphay Learning Academy ranked 12th of 30 primary schools in Torbay for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 66% | 4.5% | 18.4% | 373 | — |
| Sherwell Valley Primary School | 75% | 4.3% | 15.9% | 694 | 0.4 miles |
| Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School | 50% | 5.2% | 34.3% | 145 | 0.7 miles |
| Torre Church of England Academy | 84% | 4% | 28% | 310 | 0.9 miles |
| Lift Barton Hill | 74% | 5.9% | 41% | 568 | 1.2 miles |
| Cockington Primary School | 46% | 5.2% | 34.6% | 380 | 1.3 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)
- 18.42%
- English as an additional language
- 7.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.45%
- Persistent absence
- 9.74%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sherwell Valley Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Torquay
-
Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Torquay
-
Torre Church of England Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Torquay
-
Lift Barton Hill1.2 miles
Primary · Torquay
-
Cockington Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Torquay
Other schools in Torquay
Shiphay Learning Academy ranks 7th of the 17 ranked primary schools in Torquay.
- All Saints Babbacombe CofE Primary School Primary
- Cockington Primary School Primary
- Ellacombe Church of England Academy Primary
- Homelands Primary School Primary
- Ilsham Church of England Academy Primary
- Lift Barton Hill Primary
- Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School Primary
- Preston Primary School Primary
- Priory Roman Catholic Primary School, Torquay Primary
- Sherwell Valley Primary School Primary
- St Margaret's Academy Primary
- St Marychurch Church of England Primary and Nursery School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Shiphay Learning Academy teach?
- Shiphay Learning Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Torquay.
- Who is the headteacher of Shiphay Learning Academy?
- The headteacher of Shiphay Learning Academy is Mrs Kate Lee, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Shiphay Learning Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Shiphay Learning Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Shiphay Learning Academy?
- Shiphay Learning Academy has 373 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Shiphay Learning Academy full?
- Shiphay Learning Academy has capacity for 420 pupils and 373 on roll (89%), so it has space against 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 Shiphay Learning Academy a faith school?
- No. Shiphay Learning Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Shiphay Learning Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Shiphay Learning Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Shiphay Learning Academy?
- Shiphay Learning Academy is part of RIVIERA EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Shiphay Learning Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 69% in 2022/23 and 66% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Shiphay Learning Academy rank locally?
- Shiphay Learning Academy ranked 12th of 30 primary schools in Torbay for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 55% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Shiphay Learning Academy's absence rate?
- Shiphay Learning Academy's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Shiphay Learning Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Shiphay Learning Academy'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 1 July 2026.