Manaccan Primary School, Helston
Manaccan Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Helston, part of Aspire Academy Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 16th-highest of the 16 schools in Helston with published results, and 14,448th of 14,452 across England. It was 71% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- 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
Manaccan Primary School in detail
Manaccan Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Lunch break is between 12.00pm-1.00pm. Children eat their lunch in the main hall from 12:00pm until 12:30pm. Collective Worship [often referred to as School Assembly] is legally required to take place every school day and ‘shall be wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character’ (1988 Education Act)."
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Busy Bees, our integrated nursery provision for 3 to 4 year olds within our EYFS/KS1 class at Manaccan Primary School. Manaccan Nursery serves the village of Manaccan on The Lizard plus its surrounding communities including Helford, St Anthony-in-Meneage, Porthallow, Gillan, Carne, and St Martin Newtown."
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 17% of Year 6 pupils at Manaccan Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 17% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 73% in Cornwall and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 71% in reading and 57% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Manaccan Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 4 families put Manaccan Primary School as their first choice and 9 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 Manaccan Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Manaccan Primary School are Mawnan CofE VA Primary School (2.3 miles, Good, 94% reading, 89% maths); St Keverne Primary School (3 miles, Requires improvement, 71% reading, 43% maths); Constantine Primary School (3.4 miles, Good, 88% reading, 92% maths); and Garras Community Primary School (3.9 miles, Good, 75% reading, 92% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Manaccan Primary School.
Mawnan CofE VA Primary SchoolSt Keverne Primary SchoolConstantine Primary SchoolGarras Community Primary School
The trust
Manaccan Primary School is one of 38 schools run by Aspire Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
6.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 2 pupils (6.3%) received SEN support and 2 (6.3%) 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
Manaccan Primary School had 5 teachers in 2026, one for every 7 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Manaccan Primary School.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Church (sw-bound), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 0 crimes within a mile of the school. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Cornwall (14).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Manaccan Primary School issued 1 suspension, 2.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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
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's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils get along well together in this close-knit village school. They play and learn harmoniously. However, the education they receive is not yet good. Over recent years, support and challenge for the school to improve the quality of education has been weak. Since joining Aspire Academy Trust, pupils' learning is improving significantly but there is more work to do.
Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and encouraging. This is appreciated by parents. Pupils are respectful towards one another. This begins in the early years where children share, play and collaborate together well. Pupils know the rules and the expectations. They understand the consequences of the choices they make.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The trust has added significant capacity to the school. Trust leaders and Hub councillors are committed to ensuring their vision for a high quality of education becomes a reality for pupils. They strategically drive the focus on curriculum and standards. They have taken some decisive actions, are evaluating the impact of these actions and are astute in their understanding of next steps. Subject and phase experts are supporting curriculum development. This has been hampered by changes to staffing. However, arrangements for the new academic year promise greater stability. Staff feel invested in since joining this trust. They benefit from curriculum networks and quality professional development.
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its June 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Behaviour & attitudes.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Personal development (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement), Early years (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
6.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 71% to 17% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 57% to 17% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 43% to 33% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
13.5
Avg class size
19.0
KS2
2
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Manaccan Primary School
Term dates
Manaccan 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 Manaccan Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Manaccan 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
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Manaccan Primary School
Will you get a place at Manaccan Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Manaccan Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Manaccan Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Manaccan 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 Manaccan Primary School for 2015 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
71%
Available places
37 pupils
52 places
15 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Helston
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Helston
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(4)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
2
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
12.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
32
Total Pupils
19
Boys
13
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
5
Teachers
6.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,861
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£8,939
Per pupil
£334k
Total funding
£2k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.1%
Overall absence
11.8%
Persistent absence
34
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Manaccan Primary School
What are SATs results like at Manaccan Primary School?
Of the pupils at Manaccan Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 17% reached the expected standard in reading and 17% did so in maths.
What is Manaccan Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Manaccan Primary School was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2013 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Manaccan Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Manaccan 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 Manaccan Primary School?
Manaccan Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 71% of its 52 places.
How big are the classes at Manaccan Primary School?
Classes at Manaccan Primary School average 13.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Manaccan Primary School?
Manaccan Primary School has around 32 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Manaccan Primary School?
5.1% of sessions were missed at Manaccan Primary School in 2024/25. 11.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Manaccan Primary School?
Apply through Cornwall's coordinated admissions process, naming Manaccan 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 Manaccan Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Manaccan Primary School?
Manaccan Primary School is at Church Town, Manaccan, Helston, Cornwall, TR12 6HR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)