Brunel School
170b Torquay Road, Paignton, TQ3 2AL
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy special sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- SPECIAL PARTNERSHIP TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Vikki Alden
- Sponsor
- The Special Partnership Trust
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
- Constituency
- Torbay
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 63
- Pupils on roll
- 64
- URN
- 150616
- Local authority
- Torbay
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01803665522
About this school
Brunel School is a special academy in Paignton. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 64 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Brunel 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 no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Needs attention
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 12 | 14 |
| Attainment 8 score | 1.1 | 1.5 |
| Progress 8 score | -2.44 -3.36 to -1.51 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 0.0 | 0.1 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Brunel 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 | — | 41.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 1.1 | 36.9 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 1.5 | 38.2 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 50.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 42.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 54 |
| 2024/25 | 48 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
Inspection history
-
Graded inspection report9 June 2026
- 4 February 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 87.5%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 42.82%
- Persistent absence
- 87.5%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Preston Bridge School0.2 miles
Special schools
-
Cambian Devon School1.7 miles
Special schools · Paignton
-
Eat That Frog C.I.C2.3 miles
Other types · Torquay
-
Abbey School3.3 miles
Independent schools · Torquay
-
The Lodestar Academy3.3 miles
Academies · Torquay
Other schools in Paignton
- Cambian Devon School Special schools
- 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
- White Rock Primary School Primary
- Paignton Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Brunel School teach?
- Brunel School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a special school in Paignton.
- Who is the headteacher of Brunel School?
- The headteacher of Brunel School is Mrs Vikki Alden, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Brunel School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Brunel 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 Brunel School?
- Brunel School has 64 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Brunel School full?
- Brunel School has capacity for 63 pupils and 64 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 Brunel School a faith school?
- No. Brunel School has no designated religious character.
- Is Brunel School part of an academy trust?
- Brunel School is part of SPECIAL PARTNERSHIP TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Brunel School have?
- The schools register lists Brunel School's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Brunel School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 1.1 in 2023/24 and 1.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Brunel School's absence rate?
- Brunel School's overall absence rate is 42.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Brunel School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Brunel 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 15 July 2026.