Polperro Primary Academy, Looe
Polperro Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Looe, part of Bridge Multi-Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 156th-highest of the 209 schools in Cornwall with published results, and 11,035th of 14,452 across England. It was 63% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Cornwall (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Polperro Primary Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils at Polperro Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 71% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 73% in Cornwall and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 67% in reading and 89% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Polperro Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 13 families put Polperro Primary Academy as their first choice and 23 named it as one of their preferences, for 13 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 Polperro Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Polperro Primary Academy are Pelynt Primary Academy (2.4 miles, Good, 70% reading, 90% maths); Looe Primary Academy (3.3 miles, Good, 81% reading, 81% maths); Duloe CofE VA Primary Academy (4.3 miles, Good, 91% reading, 91% maths); and Lerryn CofE Primary School (5.7 miles, Good).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Polperro Primary Academy.
Pelynt Primary AcademyLooe Primary AcademyDuloe CofE VA Primary AcademyLerryn CofE Primary School
The trust
Polperro Primary Academy is one of 15 schools run by Bridge Multi-Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
29 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Polperro Primary Academy (as of September 2025): 90% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (75%).
Who goes there
15.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 23 pupils (22.3%) received SEN support and 1 (1%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Staffing
Polperro Primary Academy had 6 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Looe Rail Station, about 3 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Junction Brentwartha (e-bound), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 5 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Cornwall (14).
Suspensions and exclusions
Polperro Primary Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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 agoThis judgement is from June 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This caring village school excels at making pupils feel valued and safe while maintaining high behaviour expectations. Teachers build strong relationships with children and deliver high-quality teaching in reading and mathematics. The school offers a broad curriculum with excellent enrichment experiences including theatre visits, swimming, sports tournaments, and community projects that bring learning to life.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading from nursery onwards with effective phonics teaching and exposure to high-quality books
- Excellent personal development including healthy lifestyles, relationships, online safety, and British values
- Rich curriculum experiences through theatre visits, residential trips, museum outings, and community projects
- Swift identification and support for pupils with special educational needs
- Positive relationships and behaviour - pupils feel safe and trust staff to resolve issues fairly
Areas for Improvement
- Some subjects in the wider curriculum lack clearly identified important knowledge, which limits depth of pupil understanding
- Some safeguarding records lack clarity about specific actions the school has taken
- Mathematics curriculum is stronger than some other subjects - consistency needed across all areas
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, though some records do not clearly document actions taken to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Art club, mindfulness club, football, cross country tournaments, swimming lessons, theatre visits, residential experiences, beach trips, curriculum-themed days, community art projects
Polperro Primary Academy has maintained the good standards from its previous inspection. This friendly village school has high expectations for behaviour and creates a caring environment where pupils thrive and feel valued.
At a Glance
15.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
29 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 65% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 89% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 67% to 76% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
16.3
Avg class size
21.5
KS2
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Polperro Primary Academy
Term dates
Polperro Primary Academy 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 Polperro Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Polperro Primary Academy 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 Polperro Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Polperro Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Polperro Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Polperro Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Polperro Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Cornwall, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Polperro Primary Academy for 2017 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
63%
Available places
89 pupils
141 places
52 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Looe
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Looe
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(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
23
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
23.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
103
Total Pupils
56
Boys
47
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
6
Teachers
17.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,660
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,737
Per pupil
£677k
Total funding
£30k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.6%
Overall absence
10.8%
Persistent absence
83
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Polperro Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Polperro Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Polperro Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 65% reached the expected standard in reading and 71% did so in maths.
What is Polperro Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Polperro Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Polperro Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Polperro Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Cornwall allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Polperro Primary Academy?
Polperro Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 63% of its 141 places.
How big are the classes at Polperro Primary Academy?
Classes at Polperro Primary Academy average 16.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Polperro Primary Academy?
Polperro Primary Academy has around 103 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Polperro Primary Academy?
5.6% of sessions were missed at Polperro Primary Academy in 2024/25. 10.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Polperro Primary Academy?
Apply through Cornwall's coordinated admissions process, naming Polperro Primary Academy 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 Polperro Primary Academy?
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 Polperro Primary Academy?
Polperro Primary Academy is at Brentfields, Looe, Cornwall, PL13 2JJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)