St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance, Penzance
St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Penzance, part of Plymouth Cast. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 13th-highest of the 18 schools in Penzance with published results, and 10,716th of 14,452 across England. It was 69% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Cornwall (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance in detail
Results
In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance 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 85% in reading and 100% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance
For September 2026 entry, 13 families put St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance as their first choice and 26 named it as one of their preferences, for 14 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 St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance are Pensans Community Primary School (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, 58% reading, 67% maths); Gulval School (0.7 miles, Good, 83% reading, 79% maths); St Mary's CofE Primary School, Penzance (0.9 miles, Good, 73% reading, 47% maths); and Heamoor Community Primary School (1 mile, Good, 67% reading, 67% maths).
St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Pensans Community Primary SchoolGulval SchoolSt Mary's CofE Primary School, PenzanceHeamoor Community Primary School
The trust
St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance is one of 34 schools run by Plymouth Cast, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
21 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance (as of September 2025): 81% would recommend the school, 86% say their child is happy there and 78% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (95%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (76%).
Who goes there
56.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 5.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (83%), Asian (8%) and Mixed (5%).
In 2026, 33 pupils (23.7%) received SEN support and 12 (8.6%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance had 10 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 Penzance Rail Station, about 570 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lower Peveril Road (w-bound), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 166 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. 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, St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance issued 11 suspensions, 6.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance are Humphry Davy School (0.2 miles) and Mounts Bay Academy (0.9 miles).
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; 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from October 2018, 8 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 December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Mary's builds a genuinely caring community where pupils feel safe and develop strong friendships from early years onwards. Teachers have high expectations of all pupils, including those with additional needs, and provide tailored support so every child makes rapid progress. The school offers rich experiences like trips to the cinema, surfing lessons, learning instruments and residential visits that broaden pupils' horizons and help them develop confidence and independence.
Key Strengths
- Warm, supportive relationships where pupils feel safe and valued - 'be ready, respectful and safe' values run through all learning
- High-quality phonics teaching leading to above-average results, with strong support for struggling readers
- Broad curriculum with ambitious knowledge-based learning in most subjects, particularly maths and English
- Strong personal development offer including trips, clubs, residential visits and learning about cultures, religions and respecting differences
- Effective support for pupils' attendance and those who struggle to manage behaviour
Areas for Improvement
- In some wider curriculum subjects, key knowledge is not clearly identified, leaving pupils with knowledge gaps
- Assessment in a few subjects does not consistently check whether pupils have learned what was intended, so some pupils continue with gaps in their learning
- Need to ensure consistent assessment practices across all subjects to identify and address knowledge gaps
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Hockey, tag rugby, choir, cinema trips, surfing, learning an instrument, residential visits, GIFT team litter picks, library visits, before- and after-school clubs
St Mary's Catholic School in Penzance has maintained the good standards from its previous inspection. The school has warm relationships, high expectations for all pupils including those with SEND, and a broad curriculum that helps pupils make rapid progress.
At a Glance
56.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
21 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 declined from 85% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 100% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 85% to 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
21.2
Avg class size
18.5
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance
Term dates
St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance 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
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle.
2 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 St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance
Will you get a place at St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Cornwall, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance for 2015 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
69%
Available places
145 pupils
210 places
65 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Penzance
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Penzance
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(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
33
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
32.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
139
Total Pupils
65
Boys
74
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
13.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,257
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,384
Per pupil
£1060k
Total funding
£106k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.2%
Overall absence
29.2%
Persistent absence
137
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance
Questions parents ask about St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance
What are SATs results like at St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance?
Of the pupils at St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 67% reached the expected standard in reading and 71% did so in maths.
What is St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance's Ofsted rating?
St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance is oversubscribed, Cornwall allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance?
St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance was not full in 2025: it ran at 69% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance?
Classes at St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance average 21.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance?
St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance has around 139 pupils on roll. 57% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance?
9.2% of sessions were missed at St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance in 2024/25. 29.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance?
Apply through Cornwall's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance 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 St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle. 2 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 St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance?
St Mary's Catholic School, Penzance is at Peverell Road, Penzance, Cornwall, TR18 2AT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)