Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy, Par
Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 7 in Par, part of Aspire Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. It was 39% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
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.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy in detail
Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy in its own words
In its own words: "A t Biscovey Primary Academy - Infants and Nursery we aim f or every child to flourish in a nurturing environment, demonstrate respect and kindness, whilst building resilience and ambition for the future ."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy
For September 2026 entry, 44 families put Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy as their first choice and 57 named it as one of their preferences, for 44 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy are Biscovey Academy (under 0.1 miles, Outstanding, 74% reading, 74% maths); Tywardreath School (1.2 miles, Good, 87% reading, 83% maths); Charlestown Primary School (1.5 miles, Good, 76% reading, 64% maths); and Bishop Bronescombe CofE School (1.7 miles, Good, 72% reading, 65% maths).
Biscovey AcademyTywardreath SchoolCharlestown Primary SchoolBishop Bronescombe CofE School
The trust
Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy is one of 38 schools run by Aspire Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
43 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy (as of September 2025): 98% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 88% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that pupils behave well (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (88%).
Who goes there
3.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 29 pupils (19.3%) received SEN support and 1 (0.7%) 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.
Staffing
Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Par Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is School Close (w-bound), 250 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
Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from March 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Your child will thrive at Biscovey where staff create a caring environment where pupils feel happy and secure. The school excels at teaching reading, with pupils reaching significantly above average results in phonics. Children with additional needs receive early identification and tailored support to help them progress well alongside their peers.
Key Strengths
- Pupils display very high standards of behaviour and are highly engaged in lessons
- Strong reading programme with well-trained staff - pupils' phonics screening results were significantly above national average
- Improved systems for identifying and supporting children with SEND needs early, including dedicated speaking and listening support in Nursery
- Broad and ambitious curriculum that builds knowledge logically across year groups
- Strong partnership with parents and carers who feel their concerns are addressed
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers do not always address errors in letter formation quickly enough
- Assessment checks on recent learning need to be more effective
- Teachers need to check precisely what pupils have learned over the longer term to identify and address gaps
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective with safeguarding concerns being handled appropriately.
Extracurricular Activities
Choir, computing, sewing, inter-school sporting events, school council, Biscovey ACEs roles
Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy has maintained good standards since its previous inspection. Pupils thrive in this caring environment where high expectations help them to feel happy, secure and engaged in their learning.
At a Glance
28.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
43 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
28.0
Avg class size
28.3
Infant (KS1)
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy
Term dates
Biscovey Nursery and Infants' 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 Nursery and Infants' Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Biscovey Nursery and Infants' 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
- 1
- 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, 1 serious and 7 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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 Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy
Will you get a place at Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Cornwall, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy for 2017 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
39%
Available places
106 pupils
270 places
164 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.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
29
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
20.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
150
Total Pupils
74
Boys
76
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
21.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,438
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,088
Per pupil
£748k
Total funding
£38k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.0%
Overall absence
3.7%
Persistent absence
81
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy
What is Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy's Ofsted rating?
Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Biscovey Nursery and Infants' 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 Nursery and Infants' Academy?
Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 39% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy?
Classes at Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy average 28 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy?
Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy has around 150 pupils on roll. 28% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy?
4% of sessions were missed at Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy in 2024/25. 3.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy?
Apply through Cornwall's coordinated admissions process, naming Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy 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.
How many road collisions happen near Biscovey Nursery and Infants' 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, 1 serious and 7 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 Nursery and Infants' Academy?
Biscovey Nursery and Infants' Academy is at Lamellyn Road, Par, Cornwall, PL24 2DB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)