Restormel Academy, St Austell

Ofsted's report card from its 13 January 2026 inspection grades Restormel Academy on 6 areas: 3 strong standard and 3 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Inclusion - Strong standard. "The school identifies pupils' needs swiftly and accurately."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders, including trust leaders, use their detailed and insightful analysis of the school's performance to evaluate the effectiveness of their provision."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "The school prioritises pupils' personal development."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils achieve well from their starting points."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "The school's emphasis on inclusion is reflected in the improvement of pupils' attendance and behaviour."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The curriculum is appropriately broad and designed to help pupils achieve ambitious goals."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "• Leaders should ensure that highly effective teaching is embedded across the school so that pupils recall and build on their prior learning consistently well. • Leaders should continue their work to ensure pupils have the strategies they need to overcome challenges and display appropriate conduct and self-discipline consistently well".

Across Cornwall, 97% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.

In 2026, families in Cornwall lodged 65 appeals against secondary school offers; 46 reached a hearing and 19 succeeded (41.3% of those heard).

The nearest other state secondary schools to Restormel Academy are Poltair School (0.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.7); and Penrice Academy (0.5 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 49.1).

Restormel Academy is one of 11 schools run by Wave Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.

Of the 7 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 43% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 29% to a further education college.

60% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 30 pupils (85.7%) received SEN support and 2 (5.7%) 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.

The nearest railway station is St Austell Rail Station, about 580 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).

20 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Alexandra Rd jctn Trevithick Rd (opposite), 90 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Restormel Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 203 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.

The primary schools closest to Restormel Academy are Mount Charles School (0.3 miles), Sandy Hill Academy (0.5 miles), Carclaze Community Primary School (0.8 miles) and Pondhu Primary School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.