Penryn College
similar schools
Penryn College is a converter academy in Penryn for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 1,140 pupils, 90 more than it has places for. About 20 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 52 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 2022.
Kernick Road, Penryn, TR10 8PZ01326 372379penryn-college.cornwall.sch.ukMrs Claire Croxall headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 15 June 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
GCSE results, summer 2025
226 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 226 | 226 | 225 | 216 | 214 | 212 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 49.2 | 45.7 | 49.0 | 46.5 | 52.2 | 49.8 | 44.8 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.14 | +0.27 | -0.03 | +0.51 | +0.38 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 49% | 41% | 45% | 46% | 51% | 48% | 42% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 69% | 62% | 66% | 71% | 75% | 70% | 63% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.11 | 3.85 | 4.06 | 3.89 | 4.55 | 4.29 | 3.85 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 20% | 23% | 15% | 21% | 36% | 37% | 28% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 33.7 | 34.0 | 34.8 | 34.5 | 41.0 | 39.7 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 53.4 | 48.5 | 51.9 | 50.6 | 54.5 | 52.8 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 25.8 | 28.2 | 29.2 | 21.9 | 25.0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 69.3 | 70.9 | 66.1 | 66.2 | 62.6 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 20 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
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Design & Technology (36% here, 50% across England), Computer Science (42% here, 56% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 220 | 28% | 63% | 76% | 54% | 808 of 3,210 |
| Mathematics | 219 | 16% | 54% | 74% | 53% | 1,338 of 3,211 |
| English Literature | 218 | 24% | 67% | 83% | 58% | 794 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 150 | 5% | 36% | 61% | 36% | 1,407 of 3,084 |
| Religious Studies | 116 | 47% | 79% | 82% | 60% | 344 of 1,825 |
| Geography | 113 | 32% | 64% | 76% | 51% | 673 of 3,116 |
| History | 91 | 36% | 62% | 68% | 52% | 859 of 3,126 |
| Biology | 66 | 39% | 88% | 96% | 82% | 1,239 of 2,570 |
| Physics | 65 | 35% | 88% | 100% | 82% | 1,230 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 64 | 41% | 89% | 98% | 81% | 1,152 of 2,537 |
| Art and Design | 57 | 21% | 56% | 70% | 58% | 1,553 of 2,818 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 46 | 15% | 67% | 76% | 52% | 273 of 1,098 |
| Physical Education | 39 | 46% | 90% | 95% | 56% | 123 of 1,559 |
| French | 32 | 41% | 72% | 75% | 60% | 649 of 1,974 |
| Design & Technology | 28 | 4% | 36% | 57% | 50% | 1,025 of 1,478 |
| Engineering | 26 | 15% | 39% | 54% | 46% | 31 of 51 |
| Spanish | 20 | 75% | 95% | 95% | 54% | 41 of 1,941 |
| Computer Science | 19 | 26% | 42% | 63% | 56% | – |
| Drama | 11 | 0% | 27% | 73% | 60% | – |
| Music | 6 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 61% | – |
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
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.
The school is full, with 53 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. 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.
What parents say
From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 32 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for secondary schools with enough answers to publish.
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.
Specialist SEND provision. SEN unit with 30 pupils, for moderate 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 Cornwall with moderate learning difficulties provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (95), Autistic spectrum disorder (65), Moderate learning difficulty (53), language and communications needs (32), Specific learning difficulty (29), Physical disability (9).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,140 | 1,153 | 1,154 | 1,147 | 1,140 | 1,154 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 20% | 19% | 19% | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 1% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 16% | 17% | 17% | 16% | 13% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 7% | 6% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 89.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 10.5% | 9.6% | 9.6% | 9.5% | 6.5% | 5.4% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 7.7% | 7.2% | 6.7% | 6.8% | 4.8% | 4.1% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.8% | 2.4% | 2.9% | 2.7% | 1.7% | 1.3% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 28.3% | 26.4% | 28.6% | 28.5% | 18.3% | 12.1% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 33.8 | 19.2 | 12.4 | 15.5 | 8.8 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 225 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 72%, compared with 92% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 88% | 89% | 95% | 95% |
| Education | 78% | 79% | 83% | 90% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 5% | 6% | 3% |
| Work | 4% | 6% | 6% | 2% |
| Not in education, work or training | 9% | 10% | 3% | 5% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
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.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falmouth School | Academy | 1.1 miles | 923 | No overall grade 2025 | 40 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Penryn College 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.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Penryn College, 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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Lander School | Council | 6.5 miles | 1,561 | Good 2023 | 61 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 52 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 52% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 42 to 62. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | in line | -0.01 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 226 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 17% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 4.2 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | +0.04 | DfE progress measure; 226 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | in line | +0.03 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | below | -0.06 | 2024/25; 1,179 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | above | +0.07 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 226 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | below | -0.03 | 225 pupils |
| What parents say | 5% | below | -0.04 | Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 32 responses |
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 Penryn College a good school?
It is about average. Penryn College scores 52 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 42 to 62, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Penryn College's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Penryn College good at its last full inspection on 15 June 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 Penryn College's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 49% 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 49.2, 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 Penryn College have?
1,140 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,050 places, so it is 109% full.
Is Penryn College oversubscribed?
Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 53 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.
What is attendance like at Penryn College?
Pupils were in school 89.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 28% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
What do parents say about Penryn College?
59% of the 32 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 56% say their child is happy there. Across England, 77% of parents would recommend their child's school.
How big are the classes at Penryn College?
The average class had 22.4 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 4% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Penryn College have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It has sen unit for moderate learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Penryn College have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 88% 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
- Kernick Road, Penryn, TR10 8PZ
- Telephone
- 01326 372379
- Website
- www.penryn-college.cornwall.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Claire Croxall
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Single-academy trust
- Penryn College (1 schools)
- Local authority
- Cornwall
- Ward
- Penryn
- Constituency
- Truro and Falmouth
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 July 2011 (academy converter)
- URN
- 136852 · LAESTAB 9084149 · UKPRN 10034115
- Formerly
- Penryn College
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.