Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School, Saltash

Ofsted's report card from its 9 June 2026 inspection grades Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School on 7 areas: 1 strong standard, 1 expected standard and 5 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "The school's personal development programme supports pupils' welfare very effectively."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "The school's warm, welcoming ethos encourages pupils to attend regularly."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Pupils' outcomes in national tests at the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics are below the national average."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Teaching is inconsistent across the school."

Early years - Needs attention. "Children's knowledge, skills and understanding of early reading, writing and mathematics are not developed consistently well or taught securely during their time in the early years."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Teaching does not match pupils' academic needs consistently or accurately."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Leaders, including governors, have not secured necessary improvements to the curriculum and teaching, and achievement."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that teachers have high expectations of pupils' learning so that all pupils achieve well"; "Leaders should ensure that teaching is highly effective and consistent across subjects and classes, including in the early years"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers use assessment information accurately to inform teaching, adapt learning and design suitable interventions for pupils when needed"; "Leaders should support staff in the early years to make the most of their interactions with children so that children develop and extend their vocabulary and communication skills effectively"; "Leaders should ensure that activities in the early years provision, both indoors and outdoors, consistently enhance children's experiences across all areas of learning"; "Leaders and governors should improve their strategic oversight of school improvement priorities and ensure leaders' actions to improve curriculum and teaching lead to sustained improvements in pupils' achievement at the end of Year 6".

From the headteacher's welcome: "Bishop Cornish School is a Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School. It is named after Bishop John Rundle Cornish who was the first Suffragan Bishop of St. Germans in 1905. At Bishop Cornish School we provide a Christian-based education for children aged 4-11 years. Bishop Cornish School is well known for the high standards that it achieves."

The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care.

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils at Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 44% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 73% in Cornwall and 77% and 75% across England.

Results fell from 57% in reading and 73% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 16 families put Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School as their first choice and 37 named it as one of their preferences, for 16 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School are St Stephens (Saltash) Community Primary School & Nursery (0.4 miles, Good, 81% reading, 78% maths); Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 78% reading, 66% maths); Burraton Community Primary School (1 mile, Good, 70% reading, 70% maths); and Riverside Community Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 84% reading, 81% maths).

Each of them had higher 2025 results than Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School.

1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The nearest railway station is Saltash Rail Station, about 790 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).

10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lynher Drive (w-bound), 70 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 85 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cornwall (14), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Bishop Cornish CofE VA Primary School issued 12 suspensions, 6.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.