Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School is proposed to close (Thursday 31 December 2026).
The Department for Education lists this school as open but proposed to close. Check with the school or the council before applying.
Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School, Penzance
Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Penzance. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2022. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2024 Key Stage 2 results were the 17th-highest of the 17 schools in Penzance with published results, and 13,717th of 13,912 across England. It was 61% 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 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
Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School in detail
Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School in its own words
The school runs after-school care.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2024, 43% of Year 6 pupils at Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School reached the expected standard in reading and 43% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 70% in Cornwall and 76% and 74% across England.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School
For September 2026 entry, 4 families put Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School as their first choice and 10 named it as one of their preferences, for 4 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 Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School are Madron Daniel Church of England School (under 0.1 miles); Heamoor Community Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 67% reading, 67% maths); Pensans Community Primary School (0.9 miles, Requires improvement, 58% reading, 67% maths); and St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance (1.3 miles, Good, 67% reading, 71% maths).
Madron Daniel Church of England SchoolHeamoor Community Primary SchoolPensans Community Primary SchoolSt Mary's Catholic School, Penzance
Who goes there
40% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 2.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (95%) and Mixed (5%).
In 2026, 9 pupils (22.5%) received SEN support and 3 (7.5%) 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
Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School had 3 teachers in 2026, one for every 11 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Penzance Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Fore Street (w-bound), 180 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 29 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and public order offences. 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, Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School issued 2 suspensions, 4.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School are Mounts Bay Academy (0.4 miles) and Humphry Davy School (1.1 miles).
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; DfE school workforce census; 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 · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a calm, kind school where children feel safe and valued. The staff prioritise teaching children to read well and provide exciting trips and experiences that bring learning to life. Pupils show positive attitudes to learning and take on leadership roles that help them make a real difference in the school community.
Key Strengths
- Warm, caring relationships between staff and pupils create a safe, inclusive environment free from bullying concerns
- Strong focus on reading - careful phonics teaching helps pupils become confident, fluent readers
- Wide range of enrichment opportunities including trips and experiences that deepen learning
- Positive pupil behaviour and high attendance due to strong school routines and emphasis on the importance of regular attendance
- New leadership has established clear vision and is taking action to improve the school
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects, the school has not identified precisely enough what knowledge pupils need to learn and remember, so pupils are not building secure knowledge
- Teaching quality varies across the school and early years, meaning some pupils are not learning as well as others
- Support for pupils with SEND is in early stages and not yet precise enough to help all these pupils progress well through the curriculum
- Governors are new and do not yet have deep enough knowledge of the school to check that improvements are working effectively
- Some weaknesses from the previous inspection have not been addressed quickly enough
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff building warm relationships and pupils knowing adults will help with any worries.
Extracurricular Activities
Museum visits, St Piran's Day parade attendance, residential trip to London, play leaders roles, before-school club
Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School is a small primary school where pupils feel safe and valued in a calm, kind environment. Under new leadership, the school has raised its ambition for what pupils can achieve, but much of its improvement work is still in early stages and the quality of education requires improvement.
At a Glance
40.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2023/24KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
2023/24 academic year
Class Sizes
14.5
Avg class size
2
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School
Before and after school care
Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Cornwall
Term dates
Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School is a voluntary aided school, 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 Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Madron Daniel CofE (VA) 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)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
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 Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School
Will you get a place at Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Cornwall, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Madron Daniel CofE (VA) 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
61%
Available places
34 pupils
56 places
22 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Penzance
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Penzance
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(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
9
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
30.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
40
Total Pupils
22
Boys
18
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
3
Teachers
13.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,863
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£9,331
Per pupil
£414k
Total funding
£30k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
12.9%
Persistent absence
31
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
Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School
Questions parents ask about Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School
What are SATs results like at Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School?
Of the pupils at Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School who took the 2024 Key Stage 2 assessments, 43% reached the expected standard in reading and 43% did so in maths.
What is Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School's Ofsted rating?
Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2022, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School?
No fixed boundary. When Madron Daniel CofE (VA) 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 Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School?
Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School was not full in 2025: it ran at 61% of its 56 places.
How big are the classes at Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School?
Classes at Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School average 14.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School?
Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School has around 40 pupils on roll. 40% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School?
4.9% of sessions were missed at Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School in 2024/25. 12.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School?
Apply through Cornwall's coordinated admissions process, naming Madron Daniel CofE (VA) 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 Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Cornwall is 3 (the median across 299 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School?
Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School is at Bellair Road, Madron, Penzance, Cornwall, TR20 8SP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)