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Schools across Cornwall

Local authority · 299 schools across 46 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Cornwall (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Cornwall (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in Cornwall →

Schools in Cornwall (299)

Showing 20 of 299 schools

Total Schools

299

236 primary · 31 secondary

Total Pupils

73,481

84% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

83

5 outstanding · 78 good

Capacity

87,477

13,996 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

78
207
Outstanding: 5
Good: 78
Requires Improvement: 9
Not inspected: 207

Best Schools in Cornwall

View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

40.5

GCSE Eng+Maths

34.2%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

83% full
40,017 pupils48,327 capacity

8,310 spare places

Secondary Schools

89% full
30,273 pupils34,130 capacity

3,857 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

5.9%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

14.1%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

269

2024/25

Absence trend across Cornwall schools

4.7%
18/19
3.9%
20/21
7.4%
21/22
6.8%
22/23
6.7%
23/24
5.9%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

34%

Plans Issued

829

Assessment Requests

1,544

Tribunal Cases

43

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

89%
2019
95%
2020
89%
2021
26%
2022
2%
2023
7%
2024
34%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

6,166 admissions

35

Lodged

(0.6%)

20

Heard

4

Successful

(20%)

Primary (infant classes)

5,189 admissions

21

Lodged

(0.4%)

12

Heard

0

Successful

(0%)

Secondary

6,224 admissions

65

Lodged

(1.0%)

46

Heard

19

Successful

(41%)

Total

12,390 admissions

100

Lodged

(0.8%)

66

Heard

23

Successful

(35%)

Total appeals lodged per year

517
2019
530
2020
434
2021
492
2022
445
2023
480
2024
339
2025
221
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Towns in Cornwall

Truro

39 schools

Penzance

24 schools

Helston

20 schools

St Austell

20 schools

Bodmin

20 schools

Redruth

16 schools

Launceston

16 schools

Liskeard

15 schools

Newquay

12 schools

Camborne

12 schools

Falmouth

11 schools

Saltash

9 schools

Hayle

8 schools

Bude

8 schools

Torpoint

7 schools

Wadebridge

6 schools

Looe

4 schools

Gunnislake

4 schools

Par

4 schools

St Ives

4 schools

Questions parents ask about schools in Cornwall

How many schools are there in Cornwall?

Cornwall has 299 open schools: 236 state primary, 37 state secondary or all-through, 6 independent, 14 special and 6 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Cornwall are rated Outstanding?

20 schools in Cornwall were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Cornwall College, The Lowen School, St Agnes Academy, Newquay Primary Academy, Trenance Learning Academy and 15 more. Counting Good as well, 86% of the 267 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Cornwall CollegeThe Lowen SchoolSt Agnes AcademyNewquay Primary AcademyTrenance Learning Academy

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Cornwall get the best GCSE results?

Of the 32 schools in Cornwall with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Richard Lander School, with an Attainment 8 score of 53.7 and 62% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Camborne Science and International Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 53.6 and 60% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Penair School, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.4 and 51% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Richard Lander SchoolCamborne Science and International AcademyPenair School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Cornwall have the best SATs results?

3 of the 209 primary schools in Cornwall with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths: Mousehole School, St Levan Primary School and Trythall Community Primary School. Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Mousehole SchoolSt Levan Primary SchoolTrythall Community Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Cornwall?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Cornwall selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Cornwall have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Cornwall have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Cornwall allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Cornwall?

Apply to Cornwall through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.

Explore More

The Great School Divide
Anatomy of Outstanding
League Tables