Oldway Primary School
Higher Polsham Road, Paignton, TQ3 2SY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- RIVIERA EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Emma Bamber
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Torbay
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 630
- Pupils on roll
- 598
- URN
- 142361
- Local authority
- Torbay
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01803557190
About this school
Oldway Primary School is a primary academy in Paignton. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 598 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Oldway 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. 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
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 96 | 94 | 91 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 56% | 44% | 66% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 0% | 11% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 67% | 73% |
| Expected standard in maths | 72% | 56% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 54% | 74% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 101.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.40 | - | - |
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 Oldway 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 | 56% | 57% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 44% | 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 | 5.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 687 |
| 2023/24 | 667 |
| 2024/25 | 654 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Oldway Primary School compares
Oldway Primary School ranked 11th 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 52% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 66% | 5.4% | 19% | 598 | — |
| Sacred Heart Catholic School | 55% | 4.3% | 25.5% | 208 | 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 | 0.7 miles |
| Hayes School | 79% | 7.1% | 41.4% | 340 | 0.9 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)
- 19.03%
- English as an additional language
- 4%
- Overall absence
- 5.38%
- Persistent absence
- 13.45%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sacred Heart Catholic School0.1 miles
Primary · Paignton
-
Curledge Street Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Paignton
-
St Michael's Church of England Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Paignton
-
Hayes School0.9 miles
Primary · Paignton
-
Kings Ash Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Paignton
Other schools in Paignton
Oldway Primary School ranks 4th 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
- 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 Oldway Primary School teach?
- Oldway Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Paignton.
- Who is the headteacher of Oldway Primary School?
- The headteacher of Oldway Primary School is Mrs Emma Bamber, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Oldway Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Oldway 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 Oldway Primary School?
- Oldway Primary School has 598 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Oldway Primary School full?
- Oldway Primary School has capacity for 630 pupils and 598 on roll (95%), 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 Oldway Primary School a faith school?
- No. Oldway Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Oldway Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Oldway Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Oldway Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Oldway Primary School 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 Oldway Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 56% 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 Oldway Primary School compare with other schools in Torbay?
- Oldway Primary School ranked 11th 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 52% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Oldway Primary School's absence rate?
- Oldway Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Oldway Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Oldway 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 2 July 2026.