Pencalenick School, Truro
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Pencalenick School creates a warm, nurturing environment where pupils feel safe, respected and valued. Staff know pupils exceptionally well and work hard to support their emotional wellbeing and confidence. The school offers exciting opportunities to challenge pupils and prepare them for adult life, with post-16 destinations well-matched to each pupil's future goals.
Key Strengths
- Strong relationships between staff and pupils create a calm, safe learning environment where pupils feel valued and confident
- Excellent reading programme that helps all pupils become fluent and confident readers
- Well-designed personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum woven through daily learning
- Rich range of extracurricular experiences including orchestra, sailing, and volunteering opportunities
- Effective support for pupils' emotional wellbeing and behaviour management
Areas for Improvement
- Academic curriculum lacks clear structure and doesn't identify the important knowledge pupils should learn
- Staff are unclear about expectations for what pupils should achieve in lessons
- Assessment information gathered about pupils is not being used effectively to improve teaching and learning
- Progress tracking systems are not closely linked to individual subjects
- Academic outcomes are not as strong as the school's social and emotional provision
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff and pupils showing clear understanding of how to keep pupils safe and protected.
Extracurricular Activities
Orchestra, sailing, Jubilee Challenge, volunteering roles
Pencalenick School is a special school for pupils aged 3-16 with a wide range of needs. While the school excels at supporting pupils' social and emotional development in a nurturing environment, the quality of academic education requires improvement.
At a Glance
58.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, VI - Visual Impairment, OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, HI - Hearing Impairment
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
41 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
0.0
Avg class size
0
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
101%
Over capacity
200 pupils
199 capacity
1 places over capacity
Area Demand Pressure - Truro
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Truro
Admissions Demand - Cornwall
Places available
6,490
Applications
5,640
Got 1st preference
97.1%
Got preferred school
99.5%
Secondary admissions across Cornwall (2025/26)
Inspection History(5)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
Pupil Absence2024/25
11.85813%
Overall absence
32.59669%
Persistent absence
181
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Pencalenick School
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