School Chooser

Mayfield School

Special · ages 2-19MixedCouncil304 pupilsSixth formNurseryTorquayTorbay
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, June 2024
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance90.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families56%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull304 pupils, 200 places
Pupils per teacher6.0School workforce census

Mayfield School is a council special school in Torquay for boys and girls aged 2 to 19. It has 304 pupils, 104 more than it has places for. About 56 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Moor Lane, Watcombe, Torquay, TQ2 8NH01803 328375mayfieldtorbay.orgMr Stuart Heron headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 5 June 2024 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

14 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE scoreOfficial name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.41In each subject, pupils here finished about a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2015/16, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018TorbayEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 1114161871815

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

30 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score98.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017TorbayEngland
Pupils tested302625263213
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%62%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score98.091.088.095.0102.0105.4105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score89.095.091.099.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score90.093.089.090.0104.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard3%8%0%0%3%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%4%4%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%3%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-6.6-3.2-8.1-15.7
Maths progressMaths progress score-5.6-3.3-8.7-18.0
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%0%0%0%0%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Torbay council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll304Census January 2026
Places200152% full
Pupils from low-income families56%56% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support1%3 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan99%301 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)51%£183,450 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls216 / 88
White British pupils86%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, severe learning difficulties.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Torbay with profound and multiple learning difficulties provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (119), language and communications needs (55), Severe learning difficulty (47), emotional and mental health (32), Physical disability (24), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (16).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll304264265266264259
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals56%52%53%54%57%56%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%4%5%3%3%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%2%2%1%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%99%98%99%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance90.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school36.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils6.12024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence10.0%11.2%10.9%11.4%13.9%8.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence9.7%10.6%10.5%10.6%12.5%7.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.4%0.7%0.4%0.8%1.4%0.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence36.2%40.5%43.6%41.3%50.0%31.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate6.16.04.99.16.2
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00010

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 18 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training100%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 100%, compared with 100% for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training100%100%100%100%
Education100%100%100%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%0%0%0%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers51.0full-time equivalent, 56 people
Pupils per teacher6.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers75%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants135.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£49,933
Teachers who left in the year7%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.72024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£30,358England £32,258. Total £8.0m
Income per pupil£30,212England £32,367. Total £8.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£11,150England £11,930
Money in reserve8%A healthy amount put by: £639k, £2,422 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out-£38kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£30,358spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m8812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate95 per 1,000 peopleabout the England average
Typical house price£250,000Torbay
Nearest bus stop190 mTeignmouth Road, 5 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Combe Pafford SchoolAcademy230 m239Good 2024Compare
Watcombe Primary SchoolCouncil260 m221Good 202411Compare
St Marychurch Church of England Primary and Nursery SchoolAcademy0.8 miles241Good 202424Compare
Lift Barton HillAcademy0.8 miles568Good 202364Compare
St Cuthbert Mayne SchoolRoman Catholic/Church of England0.9 miles1,001No overall grade 202518Compare
Priory Roman Catholic Primary School, TorquayAcademy0.9 miles107Good 202215Compare
The Lodestar AcademyAcademy alternative provision sponsor led1.0 miles38Good 2023Compare
Abbey SchoolIndependent1.0 miles128Not inspectedCompare

Questions parents ask

Is Mayfield School a good school?

Mayfield School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in June 2024.

What is Mayfield School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Mayfield School good at its last full inspection on 5 June 2024.

How good are Mayfield School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Mayfield School have?

304 pupils aged 2 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 200 places, so it is 152% full.

What is attendance like at Mayfield School?

Pupils were in school 90.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 36% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Mayfield School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for profound and multiple learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Mayfield School have a sixth form?

Yes.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Moor Lane, Watcombe, Torquay, TQ2 8NH
Telephone
01803 328375
Website
www.mayfieldtorbay.org
Headteacher
Mr Stuart Heron
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 2-19, with nursery, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Torbay
Ward
Barton with Watcombe
Constituency
Torbay
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
URN
113641 · LAESTAB 8807042 · UKPRN 10016472

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from