School Chooser

Polruan Primary Academy

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademy21 pupilsNurseryCornwall
School Chooser Score
9
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 3 to 26, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 52% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, January 2025
Attendance91.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families60%Far more than most schools
Places45 spare21 pupils, 66 places
Pupils per teacher9.2School workforce census
Pupils on roll21Census January 2026

Polruan Primary Academy is a converter academy in Polruan for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 21 pupils and room for 66. About 60 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 9 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 52% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

St Saviour's Hill, Polruan, PL23 1PS01726 870402polruanprimary.co.ukMrs Jane Wills executive headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 21 January 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

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

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

4 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
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2019
2017: 29%29%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 33%33%2019
Since 2017: +4%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017CornwallEngland
Pupils tested415667
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths33%0%29%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score101.091.0101.0105.4105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score97.094.099.0103.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score98.091.098.0103.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard83%0%57%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard33%0%57%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)67%33%71%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.9-7.9-4.9
Maths progressMaths progress score-7.3-5.0-2.3

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 places22 pupils for 66 places, 2024/25
33% full

44 places were empty (67% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 8% 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 roll21Census January 2026
Places6632% full
Pupils from low-income families57%60% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English14%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support48%10 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan0%0 pupils with a plan
Average class size10.52 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)55%£17,050 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls8 / 13
White British pupils91%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (6), language and communications needs (2), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll212122242827
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals57%43%50%42%36%26%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language14%14%14%17%11%7%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support38%41%29%25%15%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans0%0%0%0%4%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance91.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school26.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission4.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence8.2%7.1%7.0%6.8%4.7%5.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.9%4.3%5.1%4.5%4.0%3.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence4.3%2.8%1.9%2.2%0.7%1.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence26.3%21.1%31.8%27.3%13.0%21.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.04.60.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers2.2full-time equivalent, 4 people
Pupils per teacher9.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants1.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£45,210
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.32023/24

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£14,190England £7,128. Total £298k
Income per pupil£13,238England £7,587. Total £278k
Spent on teachers per pupil£7,190England £3,405
Money in reserve6%Not much put by: £16k, £747 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out-£20kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£14,190spent 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 m5612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate51 per 1,000 people44% lower than the England average
Typical house price£289,950Cornwall
Nearest bus stop140 mSt Saviour's Hill, 6 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
Fowey Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles127Requires improvement 20239Compare
Tywardreath SchoolAcademy3.6 miles300Good 202454Compare
Lerryn CofE Primary SchoolAcademy4.0 miles21Good 20233Compare
Biscovey Nursery and Infants' AcademyAcademy4.2 miles150Not inspectedCompare
Biscovey AcademyAcademy4.2 miles198No overall grade 202535Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Polruan Primary Academy with the 46 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 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats52%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 9 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 8 · highest 92100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 9 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 9% 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 26. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 1.6 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.37
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.38
2024/25; 19 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 Polruan Primary Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. Polruan Primary Academy scores 9 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 52% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 3 to 26, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Polruan Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Polruan Primary Academy not judged at its last full inspection on 21 January 2025.

How many pupils does Polruan Primary Academy have?

21 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 66 places, so it is 32% full.

Is Polruan Primary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 44 places were empty in 2024/25 (67% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Polruan Primary Academy?

Pupils were in school 91.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 26% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Polruan Primary Academy?

The average class had 10.5 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
St Saviour's Hill, Polruan, PL23 1PS
Telephone
01726 870402
Website
www.polruanprimary.co.uk
Executive Headteacher
Mrs Jane Wills
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Bridge Multi-Academy Trust (15 schools)
Local authority
Cornwall
Ward
Looe West, Pelynt, Lansallos & Lanteglos
Constituency
South East Cornwall
Setting
Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 August 2016 (academy converter)
URN
142959 · LAESTAB 9082404 · UKPRN 10057158
Formerly
Polruan Community Primary School

Where these figures come from