School Chooser

St Mellion Church of England Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademyChurch of England33 pupilsNurserySaltashCornwall
School Chooser Score
4
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 2 to 12
Out of 100. Better than 23% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, May 2023
Attendance91.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families23%A bit fewer than most schools
Places37 spare33 pupils, 70 places
Pupils per teacher16.0School workforce census
Pupils on roll33Census January 2026

St Mellion Church of England Primary School is a converter academy in Saltash for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 33 pupils and room for 70. About 23 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 5 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 23% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Church Lane, St. Mellion, Saltash, PL12 6RG01579 350567st-mellion.cornwall.sch.ukMr Adam Richards headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 4 May 2023 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.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

3 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: 56%56%20172018: 73%73%20182019: 33%33%2019
Since 2017: -23%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232019†2018†2017†CornwallEngland
Pupils tested3229119
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths33%73%56%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths22%9%0%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score101.0109.0104.0105.4105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score101.0106.0102.0103.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0109.0103.0103.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard56%91%89%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard56%82%67%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)100%73%67%
Reading progressReading progress score-3.2+0.7+0.4
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.9-1.0-1.0
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged73%

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.

† These results are for St Mellion CofE VA School, the school this one replaced in September 2021. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places25 pupils for 70 places, 2024/25
36% full

45 places were empty (64% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 31% 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 roll33Census January 2026
Places7047% full
Pupils from low-income families21%23% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support3%1 pupil with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan9%3 pupils with a plan
Average class size11.03 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)23%£9,300 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls19 / 14
White British pupils82%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 12.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 8.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (2), emotional and mental health (1), language and communications needs (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census20262025202420232022
Pupils on roll3344413239
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals21%23%20%16%5%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%0%0%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support18%24%34%21%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%2%0%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance91.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school16.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils38.62024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission1.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence8.8%8.6%6.7%4.8%2.9%4.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence7.0%5.8%4.5%3.7%2.4%3.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.8%2.8%2.2%1.1%0.5%1.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence16.1%27.6%22.6%5.9%2.3%7.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate38.60.00.02.6
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions1000

† These attendance figures are for St Mellion CofE VA School, the school this one replaced in September 2021. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

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

Teachers2.0full-time equivalent, 4 people
Pupils per teacher16.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants1.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£41,318
Teachers who left in the year20%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0

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£7,864England £7,128. Total £346k
Income per pupil£9,477England £7,587. Total £417k
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,000England £3,405
Money in reserve15%A healthy amount put by: £61k, £1,381 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£71kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,864spent 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

Local crime rate37 per 1,000 people59% lower than the England average
Typical house price£289,950Cornwall
Nearest bus stop150 mThe Old Post Office, 4 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 Dominic CofE Primary SchoolAcademy1.6 miles83No overall grade 202484Compare
Harrowbarrow Primary AcademyAcademy2.8 miles91Requires improvement 20235Compare
Callington Primary SchoolAcademy2.9 miles354Good 202226Compare
Landulph SchoolAcademy3.0 miles58Good 202423Compare
Sir Robert Geffery's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy3.2 miles202Good 202478Compare
Bere Alston Primary AcademyAcademy3.5 miles106Good 202415Compare
Calstock Community Primary SchoolCouncil3.6 miles60Report card 202644Compare
Copper Valley Infant and Nursery AcademyAcademy3.8 miles70Not inspected14Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Mellion Church of England Primary School with the 44 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 44 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats23%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 5 is 13 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 18 · highest 94100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 5 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 5% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 2 to 12. 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 inspection19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.02
Ofsted grade, 3.4 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.77
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.26
2024/25; 31 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 Mellion Church of England Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. St Mellion Church of England Primary School scores 5 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 23% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 2 to 12, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is St Mellion Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Mellion Church of England Primary School good at its last full inspection on 4 May 2023.

How many pupils does St Mellion Church of England Primary School have?

33 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 70 places, so it is 47% full.

Is St Mellion Church of England Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 45 places were empty in 2024/25 (64% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St Mellion Church of England Primary School?

Pupils were in school 91.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 16% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Mellion Church of England 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
Church Lane, St. Mellion, Saltash, PL12 6RG
Telephone
01579 350567
Website
www.st-mellion.cornwall.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Adam Richards
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Truro
Multi-academy trust
St Barnabas Church of England Multi Academy Trust (14 schools)
Local authority
Cornwall
Ward
Lynher
Constituency
South East Cornwall
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2021 (academy converter)
URN
148696 · LAESTAB 9083884 · UKPRN 10088892
Formerly
St Mellion CofE VA School

Where these figures come from