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In 1857, a Catholic elementary school was built adjacent to the Church of the Assumption, Abbey Road, Torquay. In 1953, the school stopped teaching children of all ages and became a primary school.
During the 1960's, Devon County Council looked for a piece of land for a site for a new school to replace the one at Abbey Road because the buildings had become antiquated and the playground inadequate. A suitable site was reserved on Queensway situated beside playing fields at Shiphay Manor. Previously, the road now known as "Queensway" was only a short road starting at the junction with Sherwell Valley Road and was called Sherwell Rise North. The plan, however, had existed to lengthen the road to meet Shiphay Lane. In 1953, the year of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, Sherwell Rise North was renamed Queensway. As the school was intended to be associated with more than one parish it was felt by the Governors that "The School of the Holy Angels" was not a suitable name, despite the fact that it was only a short distance from the Chelston Parish Church. Therefore, it was considered appropriate to name the school after the road in which it stood, especially as that name would lead the thoughts of teachers, pupils and parents to Mary, the Mother of Our Lord, Queen of Angels, and also to our earthly sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II in whose honour the road was named.
After many false hopes and disappointments, the Director of Education Services of the County Borough of Torbay at last obtained from the Department of Education the permission to proceed with the building of the new school.
Gibbs and Lugg of Paignton began the construction work in the Autumn of 1972, the foundation stone being laid by Bishop Cyril Restieaux on 20th June 1973 and the building completed in April 1974. On 1st May the pupils moved from Abbey Road to our new school. The school now jointly serves the Parishes of the Assumption, Abbey Road and Holy Angels, Chelston.
In addition to many minor internal alterations and improvements over the years, a classroom was added in 1990 to cater for the growing number of pupils.
Part of the above is a précis from an account written by the late Canon A. E. Boers, former Parish Priest of the Church of the Assumption, Abbey Road, Torquay.
Internal modifications continue to this day but during the summer of 1999 we were fortunate enough to gain funding from the government to build a new classroom to accommodate our rising numbers of Reception children. However, the increase in our numbers has continued unabated and as such we have built a seventh classroom which has allowed us to have discrete teaching groups throughout the school. During 2004 the school also managed to fund the creation of an ICT suite, a new staff room and also a new administration area. These developments will serve to improve the facilities on offer to all who work and learn at Queensway School. This year the school, with the support of the Diocese, has been granted £400 000 to replace the mobile classroom and to provide other facilities including new toilets, changing rooms and an extension to the school hall. This project will certainly enhance greatly the facilities on offer to our children.