Sir James Smith's School, Camelford
Sir James Smith's School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Camelford, part of Westcountry Schools Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 27th-highest of the 31 schools in Cornwall with published results, and 2,647th of 3,298 across England. It was 85% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2016)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Cornwall (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Sir James Smith's School in detail
Sir James Smith's School in its own words
Coming up: an open evening on Monday 21 December 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Cornwall
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Sir James Smith's School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 39.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.7 in Cornwall and 47 across England.
41% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 42% in Cornwall and 47% in England.
That is down from 42.7 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.43: pupils made below 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 28.6, against 45.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 16.7 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 17 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.
Getting a place at Sir James Smith's School
For September 2026 entry, 91 families put Sir James Smith's School as their first choice and 132 named it as one of their preferences, for 94 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Sir James Smith's School
The trust
Sir James Smith's School is one of 31 schools run by Westcountry Schools Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 49.4 in 2024/25.
Where pupils go next
Of the 107 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 78% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 32% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 6% into work.
Who goes there
1.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Sir James Smith's School.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Sir James Smith School (s-bound), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 24 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cornwall (14), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Sir James Smith's School issued 448 suspensions, 74 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; 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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from April 2016, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its April 2016 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
About
Sir James Smith's School is a coeducational secondary school located in the town of Camelford, North Cornwall, England. The headteacher is Marc Cooper.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
26.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around -0.43 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 37.5 to 39.9 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 29% to 41% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 39.9 | 41.4% |
| Disadvantaged(32) | - | 28.6 | 21.9% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(67) | - | 45.3 | 50.7% |
| Boys(48) | - | 38.5 | 35.4% |
| Girls(51) | - | 41.2 | 47.1% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(94) | - | 40.4 | 42.6% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 107 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.50%
Exclusion rate
448
Suspensions
74.05%
Suspension rate
113 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 605 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Social & online
Keep up with Sir James Smith's School
Term dates
Sir James Smith's School 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 Sir James Smith's School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Sir James Smith's School 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
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 7 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 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 Sir James Smith's School
Will you get a place at Sir James Smith's School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Sir James Smith's School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Sir James Smith's School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Sir James Smith's School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Cornwall, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Sir James Smith's School for 2019 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.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
85%
Available places
592 pupils
696 places
104 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Camelford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Camelford
Across Cornwall council
Places available
6,387
Applications
5,542
Got 1st preference
97.4%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All secondary applications across Cornwall council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
107
SEN Support
22
EHC Plans
21.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
588
Total Pupils
298
Boys
290
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
36
Teachers
16.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,138
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,096
Per pupil
£4664k
Total funding
£185k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
12.7%
Overall absence
38.1%
Persistent absence
637
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Sir James Smith's School
Questions parents ask about Sir James Smith's School
What are GCSE results like at Sir James Smith's School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Sir James Smith's School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 39.9. 41% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Sir James Smith's School's Ofsted rating?
Sir James Smith's School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2016, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Sir James Smith's School?
No fixed boundary. When Sir James Smith's School is oversubscribed, Cornwall allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Sir James Smith's School?
Sir James Smith's School was not full in 2025: it ran at 85% of its 696 places.
How big are the classes at Sir James Smith's School?
Classes at Sir James Smith's School average 26.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Sir James Smith's School?
Sir James Smith's School has around 588 pupils on roll. 27% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Sir James Smith's School?
12.7% of sessions were missed at Sir James Smith's School in 2024/25. 38.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Sir James Smith's School?
Apply through Cornwall's coordinated admissions process, naming Sir James Smith's School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Sir James Smith's School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 7 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 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 Sir James Smith's School?
Sir James Smith's School is at Dark Lane, Camelford, Cornwall, PL32 9UJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)