School Chooser

Mullion School

Secondary · ages 11-16MixedAcademy548 pupilsHelstonCornwall
School Chooser Score
43
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 32 to 54
Out of 100. Better than 62% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, November 2023
Strong pass in English and maths41%England 46%
Attendance90.9%England 91.4%
Pupils from low-income families25%About the same as most schools in England
Places34 spare548 pupils, 582 places
Pupils per teacher17.2School workforce census

Mullion School is a converter academy in Helston for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 548 pupils and room for 582. About 25 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 43 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 62% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Meaver Road, Mullion, Helston, TR12 7EB01326 240098mullionschool.org.ukMrs Michelle Dunleavy headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 8 November 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

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

Average GCSE score43.7
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths41%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths58%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11+0.15In each subject, pupils here finished a little ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2023/24, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 49.449.420182019: 43.743.720192022: 52.352.320222023: 48.948.920232024: 42.942.920242025: 43.743.72025
Since 2018: -5.7Declining overall
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018CornwallEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 1110711410911410599
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 843.742.948.952.343.749.444.846.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8+0.15+0.41+0.26-0.12+0.18
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths41%33%47%54%33%40%42%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths58%67%68%79%61%68%63%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score3.743.574.144.603.814.193.854.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry39%15%22%38%28%28%28%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged32.737.643.641.735.335.2
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged46.644.250.653.346.353.0
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers31.533.539.128.830.1
Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers60.163.172.258.460.7

Subjects

Results came out for 16 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.

Strongest subjects

Religious Studies78%grades 9 to 5, England 60% · 369th of 1,825 schools

Subjects that did worse than the England average: Spanish (19% here, 54% across England), History (24% here, 52% across England), Biology (58% here, 82% across England), Art and Design (38% here, 58% across England).

What is taught hereOffers triple science, 2 languages, computer science, music.

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
Mathematics107 entries · 17th of 31 in Cornwall
50%England 53%
English Language107 entries · 25th of 31 in Cornwall
44%England 54%
English Literature104 entries · 24th of 31 in Cornwall
47%England 58%
Combined Science73 entries · 22nd of 31 in Cornwall
26%England 36%
Geography59 entries · 24th of 31 in Cornwall
42%England 51%
History51 entries · 31st of 31 in Cornwall
24%England 52%
Art and Design37 entries · 28th of 29 in Cornwall
38%England 58%
Biology31 entries · 22nd of 26 in Cornwall
58%England 82%
Spanish31 entries · 18th of 18 in Cornwall
19%England 54%
Physics31 entries · 15th of 25 in Cornwall
65%England 82%
Chemistry30 entries · 15th of 25 in Cornwall
63%England 81%
Design & Technology23 entries · 12th of 17 in Cornwall
35%England 50%
Religious Studies23 entries · 2nd of 5 in Cornwall
78%England 60%
French15 entries
53%England 60%
Music12 entries
67%England 61%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Mathematics10718%50%68%53%1,721 of 3,211
English Language10714%44%59%54%2,277 of 3,210
English Literature10411%47%65%58%2,246 of 3,202
Combined Science738%26%45%36%2,182 of 3,084
Geography5919%42%61%51%1,943 of 3,116
History516%24%41%52%2,976 of 3,126
Art and Design3719%38%57%58%2,304 of 2,818
Biology3123%58%87%82%2,268 of 2,570
Spanish317%19%32%54%1,852 of 1,941
Physics3123%65%74%82%2,118 of 2,546
Chemistry3023%63%87%81%2,121 of 2,537
Design & Technology234%35%48%50%1,059 of 1,478
Religious Studies2339%78%83%60%369 of 1,825
French1527%53%67%60%
Music1225%67%75%61%
Computer Science729%71%86%56%

In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.

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. None of the 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 GCSE, 2025

Average GCSE scoreLow-income pupils vs other pupils
32.746.6
Gap 13.9England 12.2
Strong pass in English and mathsLow-income pupils vs other pupils
18%47%
Gap 29 ptsEngland 22 pts
Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
38.848.7
Gap 9.9England 3.0
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

Open to all. There is no entrance test.

A few spare places555 pupils for 616 places, 2024/25
90% full

About 61 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

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 roll548Census January 2026
Places58294% full
Pupils from low-income families25%25% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English1%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support21%115 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%32 pupils with a plan
Average class size20.623 classes, January 2026; England 22.8
Classes with more than 30 pupils9%share of one-teacher classes; England 12%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)24%£147,400 extra funding in 2026/27; England 30%
Boys and girls286 / 262
White British pupils94%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (48), Autistic spectrum disorder (21), Moderate learning difficulty (21), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (20), language and communications needs (15), Physical disability (6).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll548557561555564565
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals25%23%21%21%14%12%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language1%1%1%1%1%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support22%20%20%14%17%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%4%3%3%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.

Attendance90.9%
England 91.4%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school26.1%
England 23.9%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils28.42024/25, 3 permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.6%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence9.1%9.9%10.3%9.0%6.4%5.9%8.6%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence6.5%7.2%7.9%7.5%5.3%4.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.6%2.6%2.4%1.6%1.1%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence26.1%33.6%34.9%32.8%19.3%17.8%23.9%
SuspensionsSuspension rate28.421.014.27.63.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions32020

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 109 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training92%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 96%, compared with 90% for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training92%96%96%97%
Education86%86%92%88%
Apprenticeship4%8%3%6%
Work2%2%1%4%
Not in education, work or training6%4%3%2%

Staff and money

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

Teachers31.9full-time equivalent, 37 people
Pupils per teacher17.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers97%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£53,668
Teachers who left in the year19%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.72024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£7,729England £7,965. Total £4.3m
Income per pupil£8,142England £8,423. Total £4.5m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,567England £4,444
Money in reserve-1%In the red: -£41k, -£74 per pupil. England 10%
Money in against money out+£230kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,729spent 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 m3812 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 stop90 mMullion School, 9 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 secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored

No other schools of this phase within 8 km.

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Mullion School with the 50 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 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats62%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 43 is 9 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 4 · middle 34 · highest 77100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 43 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 43% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 32 to 54. 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 years20%below
-0.08
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 107 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.02
Ofsted grade, 2.8 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.00
DfE progress measure; 107 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.15
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.03
2024/25; 571 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.11
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 107 pupils
What pupils do next5%in line
+0.00
109 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 Mullion School a good school?

It is about average. Mullion School scores 43 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 62% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 32 to 54, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Mullion School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Mullion School good at its last full inspection on 8 November 2023.

How good are Mullion School's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 41% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 43.7, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished a little ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How many pupils does Mullion School have?

548 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 582 places, so it is 94% full.

Is Mullion School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 61 places were empty in 2024/25 (10% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Mullion School?

Pupils were in school 90.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 26% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Mullion School?

The average class had 20.6 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 9% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Mullion School have a sixth form?

No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 92% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.

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

Contact and details

Address
Meaver Road, Mullion, Helston, TR12 7EB
Telephone
01326 240098
Website
www.mullionschool.org.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Michelle Dunleavy
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Secondary school, ages 11-16
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Truro & Penwith Academy Trust (41 schools)
Local authority
Cornwall
Ward
Mullion & St Keverne
Constituency
St Ives
Setting
Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 June 2017 (academy converter)
URN
143993 · LAESTAB 9084164 · UKPRN 10063120
Formerly
Mullion School

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from