Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School, Truro
Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Truro, part of Aspire Academy Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 15th-highest of the 24 schools in Truro with published results, and 9,396th of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Cornwall (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School in detail
Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils at Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 69% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 73% in Cornwall and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (75% in reading, 75% in maths).
Getting a place at Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 50 families put Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School as their first choice and 122 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School are St Mary's CofE School, Truro (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 47% reading, 43% maths); Tregolls Academy (0.6 miles, Inadequate, 56% reading, 50% maths); Bosvigo School (0.8 miles, Good, 68% reading, 70% maths); and Truro Learning Academy (1.2 miles, Good, 71% reading, 75% maths).
Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
St Mary's CofE School, TruroTregolls AcademyBosvigo SchoolTruro Learning Academy
The trust
Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School is one of 38 schools run by Aspire Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
11.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (80%) and Asian (6%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Truro Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Archbishop Benson School (ne-bound), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 219 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cornwall (14), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School issued 9 suspensions, 2.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from June 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2014 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
17.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 76% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 75% to 69% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 71% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.1
Avg class size
29.5
Infant (KS1)
30.5
KS2
10
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School.
- Player Ready Truro950m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Cornwall's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School is in Cornwall; for families living there:
- Cornwall's school travel policy: Home to School Travel Assistance Policy 2026/27
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Cornwall is 3 (the median across 299 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Cornwall, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Cornwall got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
98%
Near capacity
427 pupils
434 places
7 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Truro
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Truro
Across Cornwall council
Places available
6,475
Applications
4,732
Got 1st preference
95.9%
Got preferred school
99.6%
All primary applications across Cornwall council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
70
SEN Support
13
EHC Plans
19.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
421
Total Pupils
202
Boys
219
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
19.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,264
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£2321k
Total funding
£115k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.5%
Overall absence
10.9%
Persistent absence
384
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School
Questions parents ask about Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 76% reached the expected standard in reading and 69% did so in maths.
What is Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School is oversubscribed, Cornwall allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School?
Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School?
Classes at Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School average 30.1 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School?
Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School has around 421 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School?
4.5% of sessions were missed at Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 10.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School?
Apply through Cornwall's coordinated admissions process, naming Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School: Player Ready Truro (950m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Cornwall is 3 (the median across 299 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School?
Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School is at Bodmin Road, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 1BN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)