Kings Ash Academy
Pimm Road, Paignton, TQ3 3XA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE THINKING SCHOOLS ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Robert Fitzsimmons
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Thinking Schools Academy Trust
- Constituency
- South Devon
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 293
- URN
- 138773
- Local authority
- Torbay
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01803555657
About this school
Kings Ash Academy is a primary academy in Paignton. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 293 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Kings Ash Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. 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
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 56 | 58 | 57 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 48% | 57% | 60% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 2% | 5% |
| Expected standard in reading | 79% | 79% | 72% |
| Expected standard in maths | 77% | 67% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 68% | 69% | 68% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 108.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.30 | - | - |
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 Kings Ash 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 | 48% | 57% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 57.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 60% | 57.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 407 |
| 2023/24 | 385 |
| 2024/25 | 333 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Kings Ash Academy compares
Kings Ash Academy ranked 16th of 30 primary schools in Torbay for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 40% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 15% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 60% | 8.4% | 62.7% | 293 | — |
| Sacred Heart Catholic School | 55% | 4.3% | 25.5% | 208 | 0.9 miles |
| Oldway Primary School | 66% | 5.4% | 19% | 598 | 0.9 miles |
| Hayes School | 79% | 7.1% | 41.4% | 340 | 1.0 miles |
| Collaton St Mary Church of England Primary School | 73% | 4.6% | 26.6% | 199 | 1.0 miles |
| Curledge Street Academy | 62% | 5.3% | 41.6% | 439 | 1.1 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.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report11 December 2024
- 7 May 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 62.72%
- English as an additional language
- 4.5%
- Overall absence
- 8.38%
- Persistent absence
- 30.47%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sacred Heart Catholic School0.9 miles
Primary · Paignton
-
Oldway Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Paignton
-
Hayes School1.0 miles
Primary · Paignton
-
Collaton St Mary Church of England Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Paignton
-
Curledge Street Academy1.1 miles
Primary · Paignton
Other schools in Paignton
Kings Ash Academy ranks 6th of the 9 ranked primary schools in Paignton.
- Collaton St Mary Church of England Primary School Primary
- Curledge Street Academy Primary
- Hayes School 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
- White Rock Primary School Primary
- Paignton Academy Secondary
- South Devon College 16 plus
- Brunel School Academies
Common questions
- What ages does Kings Ash Academy teach?
- Kings Ash Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Paignton.
- Who is the headteacher of Kings Ash Academy?
- The headteacher of Kings Ash Academy is Mr Robert Fitzsimmons, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Kings Ash Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Kings Ash 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 many pupils are at Kings Ash Academy?
- Kings Ash Academy has 293 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Kings Ash Academy full?
- Kings Ash Academy has capacity for 420 pupils and 293 on roll (70%), 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 Kings Ash Academy a faith school?
- No. Kings Ash Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Kings Ash Academy a selective school?
- No. Kings Ash Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does Kings Ash Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Kings Ash Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Kings Ash Academy part of an academy trust?
- Kings Ash Academy is part of THE THINKING SCHOOLS ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Kings Ash Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 48% in 2022/23 and 60% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Kings Ash Academy compare with other schools in Torbay?
- Kings Ash Academy ranked 16th of 30 primary schools in Torbay for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 40% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 15% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Kings Ash Academy's absence rate?
- Kings Ash Academy's overall absence rate is 8.4% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Kings Ash Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Kings Ash 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.