Oak Tree School, Truro
Oak Tree School is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 18 in Truro.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Oak Tree School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Oak Tree School are Three Bridges (2.4 miles, selective); Cardrew Court School (4.4 miles, Good, selective); Curnow School (4.8 miles, Outstanding); and Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change (4.9 miles).
Three BridgesCardrew Court SchoolCurnow SchoolCornwall Neighbourhoods for Change
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Oak Tree School has an education, health and care plan (133 of 133 in 2026).
Oak Tree School is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Truro Rail Station, about 2.7 miles away in a straight line.
1 bus stop is within a five-minute walk; the closest is Retail Park (e-bound), 400 metres away.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport)
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's September 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Oak Tree School excels at building strong relationships with pupils and creating a supportive, calm environment where they feel valued and secure. The school offers excellent enrichment activities like surfing, gardening and camping that boost pupils' confidence and resilience. Staff work hard to remove barriers to attendance and progression, with a strong careers programme helping pupils successfully move into further education and training.
Key Strengths
- Pupils feel safe, secure and have a strong sense of belonging with staff forming trusting relationships
- Behaviour and attitudes are good, with a calm and purposeful learning environment
- Wide range of enriching activities tailored to pupils' needs and interests help build confidence and resilience
- Personal development is a strength, including effective careers programme supporting progression to further education and training
- All pupils receive appropriate support to address barriers to learning and attendance
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching quality is inconsistent across the curriculum, with some teachers lacking required skills to teach effectively
- Assessment approaches are not consistently effective - staff do not regularly check pupils' understanding or address knowledge gaps
- Reading curriculum is not carefully tracked and has not been prioritised, leaving some pupils with gaps in literacy skills
- Recent staffing changes have affected engagement with stakeholders including parents and some staff members
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with clear policies and procedures in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
School camp, gardening, surfing, first-aid training, team games, weekly votes on important society issues
Oak Tree School is an independent special school for pupils aged 5-18 with education, health and care plans. The school requires improvement overall, though it has recently appointed new leadership and demonstrates capacity to make necessary changes.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Approved
Section 41
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from Oak Tree School
Summer Term Newsletter
8 Sep 2026
Newsletter - Easter
2 Apr 2026
Newsletter - February
11 Mar 2026
Christmas Newsletter
6 Jan 2026
Newsletter - December
8 Dec 2025
Newsletter - Oct 1 2025
7 Oct 2025
From Oak Tree School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Oak Tree School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
133 pupils
135 places
2 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Truro
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Truro
Across Cornwall council
Places available
6,387
Applications
5,542
Got 1st preference
97.4%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All secondary applications across Cornwall council (2026/27), not just this school.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
133
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Oak Tree School is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
133
Total Pupils
121
Boys
12
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Oak Tree School
Questions parents ask about Oak Tree School
What are GCSE results like at Oak Tree School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Oak Tree School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
How many pupils go to Oak Tree School?
Oak Tree School has around 133 pupils on roll.
Does Oak Tree School have specialist SEN provision?
Oak Tree School is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
How do I apply to Oak Tree School?
Oak Tree School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Oak Tree School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Oak Tree School?
Oak Tree School is at Truro Business Park, Threemilestone, Truro, Cornwall, TR4 9NH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)