Sacred Heart Catholic School
Cecil Road, Paignton, TQ3 2SH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- PLYMOUTH CAST
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Nichola Day
- Diocese
- Diocese of Plymouth
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Plymouth CAST
- Constituency
- Torbay
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 208
- URN
- 140749
- Local authority
- Torbay
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01803558298
About this school
Sacred Heart Catholic School is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Paignton. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 208 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Sacred Heart Catholic School, 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 24 May 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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 | 30 | 31 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 60% | 74% | 55% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 16% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 70% | 94% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | 77% | 71% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 81% | 55% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 107.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.00 | - | - |
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 Sacred Heart Catholic 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 | 60% | 57% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 74% | 57.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 55% | 57.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 221 |
| 2023/24 | 218 |
| 2024/25 | 209 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Sacred Heart Catholic School compares
Sacred Heart Catholic School ranked 20th of 30 primary schools in Torbay for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 55% | 4.3% | 25.5% | 208 | — |
| Oldway Primary School | 66% | 5.4% | 19% | 598 | 0.1 miles |
| Curledge Street Academy | 62% | 5.3% | 41.6% | 439 | 0.5 miles |
| St Michael's Church of England Academy | — | 3.9% | 14.5% | 101 | 0.6 miles |
| Hayes School | 79% | 7.1% | 41.4% | 340 | 0.8 miles |
| Kings Ash Academy | 60% | 8.4% | 62.7% | 293 | 0.9 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)
- 25.52%
- English as an additional language
- 23%
- Overall absence
- 4.29%
- Persistent absence
- 6.36%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Oldway Primary School0.1 miles
Primary · Paignton
-
Curledge Street Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Paignton
-
St Michael's Church of England Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Paignton
-
Hayes School0.8 miles
Primary · Paignton
-
Kings Ash Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Paignton
Other schools in Paignton
Sacred Heart Catholic School ranks 8th 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
- 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 Sacred Heart Catholic School teach?
- Sacred Heart Catholic School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Paignton.
- Who is the headteacher of Sacred Heart Catholic School?
- The headteacher of Sacred Heart Catholic School is Headteacher Nichola Day, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Sacred Heart Catholic School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Sacred Heart Catholic 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 Sacred Heart Catholic School?
- Sacred Heart Catholic School has 208 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Sacred Heart Catholic School full?
- Sacred Heart Catholic School has capacity for 210 pupils and 208 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Sacred Heart Catholic School a faith school?
- Yes. Sacred Heart Catholic School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Plymouth.
- Does Sacred Heart Catholic School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Sacred Heart Catholic School as having nursery classes.
- Is Sacred Heart Catholic School part of an academy trust?
- Sacred Heart Catholic School is part of PLYMOUTH CAST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Sacred Heart Catholic School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 60% in 2022/23 and 55% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Sacred Heart Catholic School compare with other schools in Torbay?
- Sacred Heart Catholic School ranked 20th of 30 primary schools in Torbay for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Sacred Heart Catholic School's absence rate?
- Sacred Heart Catholic School's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Sacred Heart Catholic School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Sacred Heart Catholic 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 1 July 2026.