Penrice Academy, St Austell

In its own words: "Welcome to Penrice, a kind and caring community, built on our core values of being Proud, Respectful and Successful ; where students come to learn and develop their character, to grow into confident, independent young adults. Our students take immense pride in being part of the vibrant Penrice community."

From the headteacher's welcome: "Penrice Academy is a happy, safe and welcoming school community with highly effective support, care and guidance to allow all students to flourish and excel. Alongside the support we provide, we are relentless in our expectations and ambitions for each and every one of our students, because your child is incredible and deserves the very best life has to offer."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include drama, coding and Duke of Edinburgh.

In 2026, pupils at Penrice Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 49.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.7 in Cornwall and 47 across England.

48% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 42% in Cornwall and 47% in England.

That is down from 50.9 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.32: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 40.4, against 51.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 11.4 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 28 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Spanish.

For September 2026 entry, 251 families put Penrice Academy as their first choice and 503 named it as one of their preferences, for 273 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

Penrice Academy is one of 16 schools run by Cornwall Education Learning Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.7 in 2024/25.

229 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Penrice Academy (as of September 2025): 70% would recommend the school, 71% say their child is happy there and 47% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (88%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (47%).

Of the 269 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 87% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 51% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

2.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The nearest railway station is St Austell Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Penrice School (w-bound), 80 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 153 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cornwall (14), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Penrice Academy issued 94 suspensions, 6.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Penrice Academy are Mount Charles School (0.3 miles), Sandy Hill Academy (0.4 miles), Charlestown Primary School (0.7 miles) and Bishop Bronescombe CofE School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.