Porthleven School, Helston
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 8 months agoReport card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Porthleven is a warm, welcoming school where children genuinely want to be. The school excels at creating a supportive community where every child belongs, with particularly strong phonics and reading teaching. The curriculum is rich and thoughtfully designed to connect pupils' local coastal community to the wider world, while personalised support ensures children with additional needs thrive alongside their peers.
Key Strengths
- High pupil attendance and very positive behaviour with a strong sense of community ('The Porthleven Way')
- Effective phonics teaching and reading standards now above the national average by Year 6
- Well-designed, rich curriculum that connects local community to the wider world
- Strong inclusive practices with personalised support for pupils with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils
- High-quality early years provision that prepares children well for Year 1
Areas for Improvement
- Older pupils need to develop better writing skills - composing longer pieces with speed and accuracy across subjects
- Standards in mathematics need to improve so more pupils achieve well from their starting points
- Pupils' knowledge across wider curriculum subjects is not secure and they struggle to recall and apply prior learning
- Some planned activities for pupils with education, health and care plans do not precisely meet their individual learning needs
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - the school has created an open, positive culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils are made safer and feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Coding club, gardening club, surfing club, sailing club, school council, trust parliament, buddy system, educational trips including visits to London, international Porthleven Food Festival participation
Porthleven School is a happy, inclusive community where pupils have high attendance and positive behaviour. While the school has made strong improvements in reading, standards in writing and mathematics remain below national averages and need further development.
At a Glance
21.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 79%. Maths has improved from 67% to 75%. Writing has improved from 71% to 79%.
Class Sizes
25.9
Avg class size
25.3
Infant (KS1)
26.3
KS2
7
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
58%
Available places
175 pupils
300 capacity
125 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Helston
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Helston
Admissions Demand - Cornwall
Places available
6,695
Applications
4,808
Got 1st preference
95.7%
Got preferred school
99.3%
Primary 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.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.09104%
Overall absence
3.68098%
Persistent absence
163
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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