Mabe Community Primary School, Penryn
Mabe Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Penryn, part of Kernow Learning Multi Academy Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2022. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 152nd-highest of the 209 schools in Cornwall with published results, and 10,901st of 14,452 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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 27 Oct 2026
Mabe Community Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils at Mabe Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 73% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 73% in Cornwall and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 76% in reading and 67% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Mabe Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 17 families put Mabe Community Primary School as their first choice and 34 named it as one of their preferences, for 19 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Mabe Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Mabe Community Primary School are Penryn Primary Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 67% reading, 77% maths); St Francis CofE Primary School (1.9 miles, Good, 67% reading, 74% maths); St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Falmouth (2.1 miles, Requires improvement, 70% reading, 70% maths); and Kennall Vale School (2.2 miles, Good, 87% reading, 73% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Mabe Community Primary School.
Penryn Primary AcademySt Francis CofE Primary SchoolSt Mary's Catholic Primary School, FalmouthKennall Vale School
The trust
Mabe Community Primary School is one of 21 schools run by Kernow Learning Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
35 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Mabe Community Primary School (as of September 2025): 89% would recommend the school, 89% say their child is happy there and 80% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (74%).
Who goes there
5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 28 pupils (15.6%) received SEN support and 5 (2.8%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Staffing
Mabe Community Primary School had 12 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Penryn Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Carnsew Close (opposite), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 30 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, other theft and criminal damage and arson. 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, Mabe Community Primary School issued 5 suspensions, 2.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Mabe Community Primary School are Penryn College (0.6 miles) and Falmouth School (1.6 miles).
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; 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school has transformed significantly and now provides a strong, ambitious education. Teachers use proven methods to help pupils learn deeply, and the school places reading and speaking skills at the heart of everything. Pupils are happy, well-behaved, and given real responsibilities through school council and other leadership roles.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading and oracy skills, with pupils becoming articulate and confident communicators
- Ambitious curriculum that clearly states what pupils should know and when, supported by effective staff training
- Early identification and appropriate support for pupils with SEND, helping them to learn well
- Well-considered offer beyond academics including clubs, residentials, and leadership roles
- Calm, orderly school environment with effective behaviour systems
Areas for Improvement
- Some pupils still have gaps in knowledge from historical curriculum weaknesses, affecting their ability to reach higher standards at key stage 2
- Too few pupils achieve the higher standard due to not acquiring sufficient depth of knowledge over time
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear policies and staff training in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Clubs, residentials, school council, playtime leaders
Mabe Community Primary School is a much-improved school that has made rapid and sustained changes since its previous inspection. Pupils now benefit from an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum and show positive attitudes to learning with good behaviour throughout the school.
At a Glance
18.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
35 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 76% to 64% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 67% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 86% to 82% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.5
Avg class size
21.3
Infant (KS1)
26.8
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Mabe Community Primary School
Term dates
Mabe Community 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 Mabe Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Mabe Community 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
- 12
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 10 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
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 Mabe Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Mabe Community Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Mabe Community Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Mabe Community Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Mabe Community 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 Mabe Community Primary School 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.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
93%
Near capacity
168 pupils
180 places
12 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Penryn
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Penryn
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(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
28
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
18.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
180
Total Pupils
92
Boys
88
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
15.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,997
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,561
Per pupil
£985k
Total funding
£41k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
9.4%
Persistent absence
149
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
Mabe Community Primary School
Questions parents ask about Mabe Community Primary School
What are SATs results like at Mabe Community Primary School?
Of the pupils at Mabe Community Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 64% reached the expected standard in reading and 73% did so in maths.
What is Mabe Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Mabe Community Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2022, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Mabe Community Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Mabe Community 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 Mabe Community Primary School?
Mabe Community Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 180 places.
How big are the classes at Mabe Community Primary School?
Classes at Mabe Community Primary School average 22.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Mabe Community Primary School?
Mabe Community Primary School has around 180 pupils on roll. 19% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Mabe Community Primary School?
4.7% of sessions were missed at Mabe Community Primary School in 2024/25. 9.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Mabe Community Primary School?
Apply through Cornwall's coordinated admissions process, naming Mabe Community 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.
How many road collisions happen near Mabe Community Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 10 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 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 Mabe Community Primary School?
Mabe Community Primary School is at Cunningham Park, Mabe Burnthouse, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9HB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)