The Five Islands Academy
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The Five Islands Academy is a sponsored academy in St Mary's for boys and girls aged 3 to 16. It has 243 pupils and room for 285. About 4 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 69 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 68% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Church Road, Old Town, St Mary's, TR21 0NA01720 424850fiveislands.scilly.sch.ukMrs Rachel Lewin headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 11 October 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
22 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† | Isles Of Scilly | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 22 | 17 | 32 | 15 | 14 | 15 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 48.7 | 52.8 | 53.2 | 52.5 | 52.4 | 64.8 | 48.7 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +1.07 | +0.72 | +0.49 | +0.31 | +0.85 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 46% | 65% | 63% | 67% | 43% | 80% | 46% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 82% | 88% | 78% | 87% | 79% | 93% | 82% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.09 | 4.25 | 4.45 | 4.47 | 4.37 | 5.89 | 4.09 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 14% | 6% | 31% | 27% | 29% | 53% | 14% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 41.0 | 43.7 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | – | 56.9 | – | – | 73.6 | – | – |
† These results are for The Five Islands School, the school this one replaced in January 2019. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Subjects
Results came out for 13 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.
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Religious Studies (30% here, 60% 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 | 23 | 17% | 61% | 83% | 54% | 920 of 3,210 |
| Mathematics | 22 | 9% | 50% | 82% | 53% | 1,691 of 3,211 |
| English Literature | 21 | 14% | 62% | 76% | 58% | 1,130 of 3,202 |
| Religious Studies | 20 | 5% | 30% | 50% | 60% | 1,738 of 1,825 |
| Geography | 16 | 19% | 56% | 81% | 51% | – |
| Combined Science | 13 | 8% | 31% | 77% | 36% | – |
| History | 10 | 10% | 60% | 60% | 52% | – |
| Physics | 9 | 22% | 78% | 100% | 82% | – |
| Chemistry | 9 | 11% | 89% | 100% | 81% | – |
| Biology | 9 | 11% | 67% | 89% | 82% | – |
| Design & Technology | 8 | 25% | 88% | 100% | 50% | – |
| Physical Education | 7 | 0% | 14% | 43% | 56% | – |
| Art and Design | 7 | 29% | 43% | 71% | 58% | – |
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.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
28 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Isles Of Scilly | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 28 | 23 | 19 | 19 | 34 | 17 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 57% | 57% | 37% | 47% | 56% | 35% | 57% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 4% | 5% | 5% | 9% | 6% | 7% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 108.0 | 107.0 | 102.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 | 108.0 | 108.0 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 104.0 | 102.0 | 104.0 | 101.0 | 104.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 103.0 | 104.0 | 99.0 | 102.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 | 103.0 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 93% | 96% | 53% | 84% | 76% | 82% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 71% | 61% | 74% | 47% | 82% | 71% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 71% | 83% | 37% | 74% | 71% | 41% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -2.9 | +0.2 | -0.7 | +0.7 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +1.4 | -6.3 | -1.7 | -3.8 | – | – |
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 The Five Islands School, the school this one replaced in January 2019. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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. 1 of the 2 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
At the end of primary school, 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. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
About 40 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 6% 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 Isles Of Scilly 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.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 15.5 pupils (England 26.2); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 24.3 (England 28.2).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (15), emotional and mental health (7), Autistic spectrum disorder (6), Specific learning difficulty (6), language and communications needs (3), Moderate learning difficulty (2).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 243 | 251 | 248 | 263 | 263 | 259 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 4% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 14% | 12% | 5% | 6% | 8% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 4% | 5% | 3% | 4% | 4% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.5% 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 | 6.5% | 6.5% | 6.5% | 6.4% | 4.3% | 4.4% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.4% | 4.7% | 4.4% | 5.4% | 3.7% | 3.6% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.1% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 17.8% | 14.5% | 15.8% | 12.2% | 8.8% | 7.6% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 32 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 84% | 100% | 87% | 94% |
| Education | 84% | 87% | 73% | 94% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 7% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 7% | 13% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 13% | 0% | 7% | 6% |
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.
No other schools of this phase within 8 km.
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares The Five Islands Academy with the 48 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 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 69 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 69% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 51 to 81. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | below | -0.08 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 22 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 2.9 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | +0.06 | DfE progress measure; 22 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | below | -0.04 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | above | +0.07 | 2024/25; 241 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well above | +0.32 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 22 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | below | -0.04 | 32 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | 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 The Five Islands Academy a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. The Five Islands Academy scores 69 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 68% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 51 to 81, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is The Five Islands Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated The Five Islands Academy good at its last full inspection on 11 October 2023.
How good are The Five Islands Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 46% 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 48.7, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about a grade ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How good are The Five Islands Academy's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 57% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 7% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does The Five Islands Academy have?
243 pupils aged 3 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 285 places, so it is 85% full.
Is The Five Islands Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 40 places were empty in 2024/25 (14% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at The Five Islands Academy?
Pupils were in school 93.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 18% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at The Five Islands Academy?
The average class had 14.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. No class had more than 30 pupils.
Does The Five Islands Academy have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 84% 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
- Church Road, Old Town, St Mary's, TR21 0NA
- Telephone
- 01720 424850
- Website
- www.fiveislands.scilly.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Rachel Lewin
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- All-through school, ages 3-16, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England, Diocese of Truro
- Multi-academy trust
- Truro & Penwith Academy Trust (41 schools)
- Local authority
- Isles Of Scilly
- Ward
- St Mary's
- Constituency
- St Ives
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 January 2019 (new provision)
- URN
- 144638 · LAESTAB 4204002 · UKPRN 10068296
- Formerly
- The Five Islands School
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.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- 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.