School Chooser

Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedChurch of England196 pupilsSaltashCornwall
School Chooser Score
16
Below
similar schools
Likely range 7 to 33
Out of 100. Better than 4% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, March 2022
Reached the expected level at 1128%England 63%
Attendance95.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families18%A bit fewer than most schools
Places14 spare196 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher22.8School workforce census

Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary aided) in Saltash for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 196 pupils and room for 210. About 18 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 16 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 4% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Lynher Drive, Saltash, PL12 4PA01752 845463bishop-cornish.cornwall.sch.ukMrs Tracey Fletcher headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 16 March 2022 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.

This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1128%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level3%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score100.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 68%68%20172018: 72%72%20182019: 73%73%20192023: 56%56%20232024: 43%43%20242025: 28%28%2025
Since 2017: -40%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017CornwallEngland
Pupils tested323032302931
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths28%43%56%73%72%68%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths3%7%6%7%3%26%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0104.0105.0105.0107.0105.0105.4105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score100.0104.0100.0103.0104.0103.0103.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0105.0105.0104.0104.0107.0103.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard66%57%69%73%93%71%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard44%73%59%80%79%68%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)78%63%75%80%86%81%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.6+0.7-0.2-1.0
Maths progressMaths progress score-4.5-1.7-1.8-2.4
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged9%22%33%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged38%70%83%

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. 1 of the 3 gaps 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
9%38%
Gap 29 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
36%24%
Gap 12 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%3%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 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. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

A few spare places191 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
91% full

About 19 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 3% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

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 Cornwall council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll196Census January 2026
Places21093% full
Pupils from low-income families18%18% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English1%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support16%31 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%8 pupils with a plan
Average class size28.07 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils29%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)16%£48,050 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls93 / 103
White British pupils92%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 27.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 28.3 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (16), emotional and mental health (8), language and communications needs (8), Other difficulty or disability (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Hearing impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll196192187194195203
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals18%18%14%15%15%11%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language1%2%2%2%2%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support18%19%17%18%16%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%3%3%2%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school9.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils6.32024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.4%5.6%5.9%8.1%2.4%3.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.8%4.7%5.1%7.7%2.3%3.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.7%0.9%0.8%0.4%0.1%0.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence9.7%13.3%11.2%25.7%3.9%5.0%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate6.32.72.64.60.5
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers8.6full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher22.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,822
Teachers who left in the year16%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher9.32024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£7,055England £7,738. Total £1.4m
Income per pupil£6,938England £7,697. Total £1.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,310England £3,480
Money in reserve14%A healthy amount put by: £180k, £937 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£23kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,055spent 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 m11912 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate70 per 1,000 people23% lower than the England average
Typical house price£289,950Cornwall
Nearest bus stop70 mLynher Drive, 10 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 primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Stephens (Saltash) Community Primary School & NurseryCouncil640 m349Good 202267Compare
Brunel Primary & Nursery AcademyAcademy790 m211Good 202250Compare
Burraton Community Primary SchoolCouncil1.0 miles343Good 202351Compare
Riverside Community Primary SchoolFoundation1.2 miles370Good 202368Compare
St Paul's Roman Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy1.3 miles136Good 202214Compare
Victoria Road PrimaryAcademy1.4 miles172No overall grade 202510Compare
Carbeile Junior SchoolCouncil1.8 miles268Report card 202619Compare
Marine Academy PrimaryFree school1.8 miles506Outstanding 202299Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School with the 47 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats4%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 16 is 39 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 55 · highest 95100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 47 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Plympton St Maurice Primary SchoolAcademy7.8 miles179Not inspected31Compare
Dobwalls Community Primary SchoolAcademy13.6 miles192Good 202355Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 16 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 16% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 7 to 33. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%below
-0.16
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 32 pupils
Ofsted inspection16% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 4.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.10
DfE progress measure; 32 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.14
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.05
2024/25; 176 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.17
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 32 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School scores 16 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 4% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 7 to 33, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School good at its last full inspection on 16 March 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How good are Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 28% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 3% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School have?

196 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 93% full.

Is Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 19 places were empty in 2024/25 (9% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 10% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School?

The average class had 28.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 29% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
Lynher Drive, Saltash, PL12 4PA
Telephone
01752 845463
Website
www.bishop-cornish.cornwall.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Tracey Fletcher
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Truro
Local authority
Cornwall
Ward
Saltash Essa
Constituency
South East Cornwall
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
112034 · LAESTAB 9083888 · UKPRN 10075897

Where these figures come from