School Chooser

St Levan Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedFoundation37 pupilsPenzanceCornwall
School Chooser Score
28
Below
similar schools
Likely range 11 to 60, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 32% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, February 2024
Reached the expected level at 1188%England 63%
Attendance92.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families14%Far fewer than most schools
Places5 spare37 pupils, 42 places
Pupils per teacher14.2School workforce census

St Levan Primary School is a foundation school in Penzance for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 37 pupils and room for 42. About 14 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 28 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 32% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

The Bottoms, St Levan, Penzance, TR19 6HD01736 810486st-levan-primary-school.org.ukMr Ben Chalwin headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 27 February 2024, 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”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

8 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 1188%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level13%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score112.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score109.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2018 to 2025
2018: 86%86%20182023: 100%100%20232025: 88%88%2025
Since 2018: +2%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017CornwallEngland
Pupils tested818573
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths88%100%86%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths13%38%29%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score112.0114.0108.0105.4105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score109.0111.0109.0103.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score108.0114.0109.0103.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard100%100%86%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard100%100%100%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)88%100%100%
Reading progressReading progress score+4.2
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.

A few spare places38 pupils for 42 places, 2024/25
91% full

About 4 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 roll37Census January 2026
Places4288% full
Pupils from low-income families14%14% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English8%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support22%8 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan0%0 pupils with a plan
Average class size18.52 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)13%£7,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls15 / 22
White British pupils87%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Moderate learning difficulty (2), emotional and mental health (2), Specific learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll373835393640
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals14%13%14%13%8%10%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language8%3%3%3%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support16%9%10%22%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%3%3%3%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance92.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school27.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.9%7.2%7.0%7.3%7.2%5.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence6.1%6.2%6.4%6.3%6.5%5.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.8%1.0%0.6%1.0%0.8%0.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence27.8%21.2%37.1%26.5%25.0%11.1%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.

Teachers2.6full-time equivalent, 3 people
Pupils per teacher14.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants2.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,473
Teachers who left in the year17%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.32021/22

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£12,017England £7,738. Total £457k
Income per pupil£11,348England £7,697. Total £431k
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,942England £3,480
Money in reserve-11%In the red: -£48k, -£1,268 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£25kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£12,017spent 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 m112 months to June 2026, mostly burglary
Local crime rate45 per 1,000 people51% lower than the England average
Typical house price£289,950Cornwall
Nearest bus stop590 mTrethewey, 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 Buryan Primary SchoolAcademy1.8 miles61Good 202315Compare
Sennen Community Primary AcademyAcademy1.8 miles98Report card 202613Compare
St Just Primary SchoolAcademy4.6 miles163Good 202462Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Levan 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.

Beats32%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 28 is 27 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 55 · highest 94100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 28 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 28% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 11 to 60. 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, 2.5 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.02
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.29
2024/25; 36 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 St Levan Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. St Levan Primary School scores 28 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 32% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 11 to 60, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is St Levan Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Levan Primary School good at its last full inspection on 27 February 2024.

How good are St Levan Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 88% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 13% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does St Levan Primary School have?

37 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 42 places, so it is 88% full.

Is St Levan Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 4 places were empty in 2024/25 (10% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St Levan Primary School?

Pupils were in school 92.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 28% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Levan Primary School?

The average class had 18.5 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
The Bottoms, St Levan, Penzance, TR19 6HD
Telephone
01736 810486
Website
www.st-levan-primary-school.org.uk
Headteacher
Mr Ben Chalwin
Type of school
Foundation school (Foundation school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Trust
The Penwith Education Trust (PET) (5 schools)
Local authority
Cornwall
Ward
Land's End
Constituency
St Ives
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
URN
111803 · LAESTAB 9082025 · UKPRN 10069352

Where these figures come from