School Chooser

Coverack Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy22 pupilsHelstonCornwall
School Chooser Score
7
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 3 to 21
Out of 100. Better than 17% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedRequires improvementLast Ofsted inspection, May 2024
Attendance94.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families9%Far fewer than most schools
Places27 spare22 pupils, 49 places
Pupils per teacher14.6School workforce census
Pupils on roll22Census January 2026

Coverack Primary School is a converter academy in Helston for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 22 pupils and room for 49. About 9 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 7 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 17% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2024.

School Hill, Coverack, Helston, TR12 6SA01326 280529coverackschool.orgMrs Jane Talbot headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 21 May 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Requires improvement overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Requires improvement
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
18 July 2023UngradedSchool remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

1 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 11Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected levelOfficial name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017CornwallEngland
Pupils tested175745
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths14%57%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score100.0100.0105.4105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score96.0102.0103.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score97.0104.0103.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard57%57%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard14%71%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)14%57%
Reading progressReading progress score-3.0
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.6

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.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places20 pupils for 49 places, 2024/25
41% full

29 places were empty (59% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 26% 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 roll22Census January 2026
Places4945% full
Pupils from low-income families9%9% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support41%9 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan0%0 pupils with a plan
Average class size11.02 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)9%£3,100 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls6 / 16
White British pupils100%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (5), Hearing impairment (1), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (1), emotional and mental health (1), language and communications needs (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll222228322335
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals9%9%14%16%17%20%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support27%14%19%22%17%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans0%0%0%0%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school14.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.6%6.1%7.1%8.6%8.7%4.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.7%4.2%6.3%8.3%8.4%3.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%1.9%0.8%0.3%0.3%0.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence14.3%17.9%24.1%29.2%38.2%5.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers1.5full-time equivalent, 3 people
Pupils per teacher14.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants1.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,253
Teachers who left in the year100%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.02024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£13,273England £7,128. Total £292k
Income per pupil£13,682England £7,587. Total £301k
Spent on teachers per pupil£5,909England £3,405
Money in reserve2%Very little put by: £6,384, £290 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£9,000it took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£13,273spent 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 m1312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate47 per 1,000 people49% lower than the England average
Typical house price£289,950Cornwall
Nearest bus stop560 mCar Park, 0 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 Keverne Primary SchoolAcademy2.0 miles53Requires improvement 20242Compare
Grade-Ruan CofE Primary SchoolAcademy4.2 miles72Requires improvement 202411Compare
Manaccan Primary SchoolAcademy4.5 miles32Requires improvement 20244Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Coverack Primary School with the 41 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 41 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats17%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 7 is 52 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 59 · highest 98100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 7 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 7% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 3 to 21. 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 years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%well below
-1.35
Ofsted grade, 2.3 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well above
+0.58
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.04
2024/25; 21 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
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 Coverack Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Coverack Primary School scores 7 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 17% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 3 to 21, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is Coverack Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Coverack Primary School requires improvement at its last full inspection on 21 May 2024.

How many pupils does Coverack Primary School have?

22 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 49 places, so it is 45% full.

Is Coverack Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 29 places were empty in 2024/25 (59% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Coverack Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 14% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Coverack Primary School?

The average class had 11.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class 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
School Hill, Coverack, Helston, TR12 6SA
Telephone
01326 280529
Website
www.coverackschool.org
Headteacher
Mrs Jane Talbot
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
ASPIRE Academy Trust (38 schools)
Local authority
Cornwall
Ward
Mullion & St Keverne
Constituency
St Ives
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 March 2014 (academy converter)
URN
140630 · LAESTAB 9082121 · UKPRN 10045180
Formerly
Coverack Community Primary School

Where these figures come from