Biscovey Academy, Par
Biscovey Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 7 to 11 in Par, part of Aspire Academy Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 108th-highest of the 209 schools in Cornwall with published results, and 8,749th of 14,452 across England. It was 62% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Capacity
- 62% full
- Attendance
- In line with England
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Biscovey Academy in detail
Biscovey Academy in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, rugby, cricket, tennis, athletics, gymnastics, basketball and swimming.
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils at Biscovey Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 74% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 73% in Cornwall and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 82% in reading and 82% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Biscovey Academy
Across Cornwall, 96% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 100% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Cornwall lodged 35 appeals against primary school offers; 20 reached a hearing and 4 succeeded (20% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Biscovey Academy are Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy (under 0.1 miles, Good); Tywardreath School (1.3 miles, Good, 87% reading, 83% maths); Charlestown Primary School (1.5 miles, Good, 76% reading, 64% maths); and Bishop Bronescombe CofE School (1.6 miles, Good, 72% reading, 65% maths).
Biscovey Academy's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Biscovey Nursery and Infants' AcademyTywardreath SchoolCharlestown Primary SchoolBishop Bronescombe CofE School
The trust
Biscovey Academy is one of 38 schools run by Aspire Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
66 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Biscovey Academy (as of September 2025): 89% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 59% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (59%).
Who goes there
7.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 35 pupils (17.7%) received SEN support and 4 (2%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Par Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is School Close (w-bound), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 44 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and other theft. 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, Biscovey Academy issued 14 suspensions, 6.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from November 2014, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Biscovey Academy excels at balancing academic success with a rich, broad education. Pupils benefit from warm relationships with staff, consistent reading support, and wonderful enrichment experiences including international trips, recording in professional studios, and resilience-building residential visits. The school ensures every child is well cared for and prepared for their future.
Key Strengths
- High academic expectations with pupils achieving well and being well prepared for secondary school
- Strong focus on reading with consistent approaches across all year groups helping pupils learn and apply skills
- Ambitious, well-established curriculum with precise support for pupils with SEND
- Rich wider development offer including international visits, sports tournaments, and arts experiences
- Calm and orderly school environment with warm staff-pupil relationships
Areas for Improvement
- Sometimes activities set for pupils do not help them deepen and extend their knowledge as well as they could
- Teaching occasionally does not sufficiently consider what pupils already know and can do before planning activities
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
International rugby match attendance, annual May fayre, sports tournaments, clubs, professional recording studio sessions, residential trips
Biscovey Academy is a junior school that promotes its 'Dare to Dream' vision with a laser-like focus on academic success. The school has a calm, orderly feel where most pupils engage well with their learning and feel safe and cared for.
At a Glance
33.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
66 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 82% to 74% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 82% to 74% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 76% to 64% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.3
Avg class size
28.3
KS2
7
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Biscovey Academy
Term dates
Biscovey Academy 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 Biscovey Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Biscovey Academy 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
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 5 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
62%
Available places
224 pupils
360 places
136 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Par
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Par
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.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
35
SEN Support
4
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
198
Total Pupils
115
Boys
83
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
18.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,800
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,516
Per pupil
£1423k
Total funding
£120k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.0%
Overall absence
9.1%
Persistent absence
230
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Biscovey Academy
What are SATs results like at Biscovey Academy?
Of the pupils at Biscovey Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 74% reached the expected standard in reading and 74% did so in maths.
What is Biscovey Academy's Ofsted rating?
Biscovey Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Biscovey Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Biscovey Academy is oversubscribed, Cornwall allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Biscovey Academy?
Biscovey Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 62% of its 360 places.
How big are the classes at Biscovey Academy?
Classes at Biscovey Academy average 28.3 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Biscovey Academy?
Biscovey Academy has around 198 pupils on roll. 33% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Biscovey Academy?
5% of sessions were missed at Biscovey Academy in 2024/25. 9.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Biscovey Academy?
Apply through Cornwall's coordinated admissions process, naming Biscovey Academy on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Biscovey Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 5 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 Biscovey Academy?
Biscovey Academy is at Lamellyn Road, Par, Cornwall, PL24 2DB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)