Penrice Academy Review 2026: Outstanding judgements, long school day, high expectations

A school day that runs well beyond the national minimum sets the tone here. Compulsory learning finishes at 3:00pm, but the timetable is designed to run through to 4:00pm with twilight sessions, enrichment and revision built into the rhythm of the week.

The most recent Ofsted inspection (11 and 12 February 2025; report published 12 March 2025) judged Quality of education, Behaviour and attitudes, Personal development, and Leadership and management as Outstanding.

Academically, the school’s GCSE outcomes sit in line with the middle 35% of secondary schools in England (25th to 60th percentile) on FindMySchool’s rankings based on official data, yet it also ranks 1st locally within the St Austell area for GCSE outcomes on the same measure.

The school’s identity is built around three core values, Pride, Respect and Success, which are explained plainly rather than presented as slogans. Pride is framed as how students present themselves and the quality of work they produce; Respect is positioned as allowing others to grow without fear of prejudice; Success is defined as progress over time, not just exam grades.

That framing matters because it gives staff and students a shared language for day to day expectations. When a school is explicit about what “success” looks like on a Tuesday morning, it usually translates into consistent routines and fewer surprises for families. External evidence supports this: the current inspection report describes a calm, disruption free learning climate alongside very high expectations for behaviour.

Leadership is clearly structured. The current headteacher is Tanya Coleman, and the trust structure includes an executive headteacher role as well as local leadership. Where the precise appointment date is not published in a single official line, internal school documentation shows Tanya Coleman named as Headteacher in policies dated March 2023, indicating she has been in post since at least 2023.

For a non selective, 11 to 16 state secondary, the headline picture is one of solid performance with some notable strengths.

GCSE ranking context (FindMySchool)

Ranked 1278th in England and 1st in St Austell for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data). This places the school in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile) on that measure.

Core indicators (most recent dataset in the input)

• Attainment 8 score: 48.5.

• Progress 8 score: 0.32 (above zero indicates students, on average, made more progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally).

• EBacc average point score: 4.64 (England average shown: 4.08).

• Percentage achieving grades 5 or above across EBacc: 25.7.

The school’s local rank of 1 within St Austell suggests it is a leading option for families wanting a strong mainstream secondary without selection. The national percentile band indicates it is not an outlier across England overall, which is a useful reality check for parents comparing across counties rather than within Cornwall.

The curriculum is set out with a clear two phase structure, Key Stage 3 followed by Key Stage 4. Where the detail becomes distinctive is in how specific subject programmes are described and sequenced.

For example, Year 8 curriculum documentation sets out discrete units in Design Technology and Engineering such as “Awesome Architecture” and “3-2-1 Blast Off!”, alongside drama texts including Blood Brothers and Blackout. Geography units include earthquakes and volcanoes, development over time, and biomes; history moves from the British Empire into modern Britain. The implication for families is that lesson content is planned as a coherent journey rather than a loose set of topics, which tends to reduce gaps when students move between teachers or sets.

Language learning is also positioned as a meaningful strand. The school publishes a dedicated Mandarin Excellence Programme page, and Mandarin also appears within the wider curriculum structure for Key Stage 3. For students with an aptitude for languages, that opens up a pathway that many 11 to 16 schools do not offer in such a deliberate way.

The timetable itself is designed around 75 minute lessons, which allows time for extended explanations, practice, and individual coaching within a single period. That structure often suits students who benefit from settling into an activity before producing higher quality work.

As an 11 to 16 school, the main transition point is post GCSE. The school’s materials repeatedly emphasise preparation for “next stages in education and beyond”, and the inspection report highlights careers advice that starts early and links to students’ interests and ambitions.

In practice, families should expect students to progress into a mix of local sixth forms and colleges for A-levels and vocational routes. Because no verified destination numbers are published in the provided dataset for this school, it is best to treat the post 16 picture as pathway focused rather than statistics focused.

Year 7 entry route

Applications are made through the family’s home local authority rather than directly to the school. The school’s admissions page is explicit about this, and the trust admissions policy reinforces that Year 7 applications go through the local authority scheme.

Key dates for September 2026 entry (Cornwall residents)

• Application deadline: 31 October 2025.

• National Offer Day: 2 March 2026.

Cornwall also describes its handling of late applications in rounds, with outcomes for the second round by 3 April 2026.

Open events and tours

The school has promoted open events and has also advertised daytime tours led by students. Where specific future dates are not yet published for the next cycle, families should expect open events to typically run in early autumn based on the pattern of prior communications, and confirm the current year’s dates via the school’s official channels.

Because this is a mainstream, non selective school, the practical admissions work for most families is understanding the oversubscription criteria, then checking what that means for their address and transport options. FindMySchool’s Map Search can help families sense check the practicalities around travel time and local alternatives, especially where several schools are plausible options.

Pastoral systems are presented as part of the everyday timetable, rather than an add on. Assemblies are scheduled weekly by year group in the main hall, which creates a predictable space for messages, praise, reminders, and year group culture setting.

There is also visible investment in inclusion. The school publishes a named list of SEND specialists and describes specialist roles focused on Key Stage 3 support and Year 7 transition, as well as a Learning Pathways Centre specialist function. This is the kind of staffing architecture that often helps students settle quickly after primary school, particularly those who need additional scaffolding in organisation, confidence, or routines.

Safeguarding arrangements were found to be effective in the most recent inspection report.

This is a school that tries to systematise enrichment rather than leaving it to chance.

Penrice Plus and structured extension

The school describes Penrice Plus as an enrichment offer with over 30 clubs each term across sport, arts, wellbeing and academic areas. One example that is unusually specific is Fiction Addiction, a library based reading activity that includes quiet reading, discussion, making books, writing reviews, story time, author visits, and reading support. The benefit is straightforward: students who enjoy reading get a social structure around it, and students who are developing confidence can access support without it feeling remedial.

Outdoor education and challenge

The school links its character programme to outdoor education pathways, including the Ten Tors Event and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (Bronze and Silver). These activities tend to appeal to students who learn best through doing, and they provide an alternative form of achievement for those whose strengths are not purely academic.

Sport and facilities

The Zone (Gym) is highlighted as a refurbished gym space (refurbished in 2022) designed to support both curriculum physical education and clubs. Importantly, the school positions it as a place for elite athletes and for students who are less enthusiastic about sport, which signals an intent to make participation broad rather than exclusive.

Culture and events

The school regularly communicates about concerts, performances and charity challenges, including a Year 11 fundraising challenge that raised over £5,000 for Cornwall Air Ambulance. These events give families visible moments in the year where achievement is celebrated outside exam grades.

School day and hours. The timetable runs from arrivals and breakfast provision at 8:00am, registration and assembly at 8:30am, and ends at 3:00pm for the compulsory day, with twilight sessions, Penrice Plus and revision running to 4:00pm. The school describes this as 8:00am to 4:00pm each weekday, totalling 40 hours per week.

Library access. The school library publishes opening times, including early opening through the week, which supports students who want a quieter space before or after lessons.

Transport. Cornwall Council operates dedicated school buses serving surrounding villages, and the school directs families to Cornwall’s home to school transport eligibility criteria.

• A long day is part of the model. With structured provision running to 4:00pm, this suits students who benefit from routine and supervised time after lessons; it can feel demanding for those who rely on downtime immediately after school.

• No sixth form on site. Families should plan early for post 16 options and visits, because the transition after Year 11 is a genuine change of setting rather than continuity.

• Popularity can affect certainty. Year 7 entry is coordinated through the local authority and the school’s trust admissions policy is clear on that route; families should still read the oversubscription criteria carefully and have realistic back up preferences.

• Commitment to values comes with expectations. Pride, Respect and Success are used as behavioural and cultural anchors; students who prefer very loose boundaries may find the school’s clarity challenging at first.

Penrice Academy combines explicit high expectations with a deliberately structured day and a visible enrichment framework. The current Ofsted judgements across all key areas reinforce the picture of a school where learning and behaviour are taken seriously, and where personal development is planned rather than incidental.

Who it suits: families seeking a mainstream 11 to 16 secondary in the St Austell area with clear routines, a strong culture around behaviour and effort, and enrichment that is built into the week rather than bolted on.