Poltair School Review 2026: A St Austell secondary with calm conduct and strong inclusion

Poltair School serves students aged 11 to 16 in the Poltair area of St Austell, with a published capacity of 900. It sits in a competitive local market and is oversubscribed on its main Year 7 entry route, with 440 applications for 175 offers in the latest admissions data provided. That level of demand tends to shape the day to day experience: clear routines, consistent expectations, and a strong focus on readiness for learning.

The most recent inspection evidence aligns with that picture. The February 2024 inspection outcome was Good overall, with Outstanding judgements for Behaviour and attitudes, Personal development, and Leadership and management. Safeguarding arrangements were judged effective.

Poltair does not run a sixth form, so post 16 progression is an important part of the story. The school places visible emphasis on character, enrichment, reading, and careers guidance, including structured after school provision through its Poltair+ programme and a range of transition events for incoming Year 7s.

The organising idea at Poltair is that students should feel safe, known, and held to clear standards. External evidence strongly supports a culture where conduct is taken seriously, with incidents recorded carefully and responded to quickly, and bullying framed as unacceptable. This matters for parents because it points to a school that prioritises predictability and emotional safety, which is often the difference between a child merely attending and a child engaging.

A second defining feature is inclusion. Poltair’s public information and inspection evidence place students with special educational needs and disabilities close to the centre of provision, not at the margins. The inspection evidence points to accurate identification and effective support in mainstream lessons, with additional personalised help where needed, alongside well trained staff supporting reading catch up. For families navigating SEND, the implication is that support is likely to be structured and joined up, rather than dependent on informal goodwill.

Leadership is also worth reading carefully because there is a timing nuance. The February 2024 inspection report names a different headteacher, while the school’s current published staff information identifies Mr Richard Cardigan as headteacher. That suggests a leadership change after the inspection. The school does not prominently publish an appointment date for the current headteacher on its main public pages, so it is more reliable to treat the appointment as recent in context, rather than assign a start year.

Finally, Poltair’s tone is strongly shaped by enrichment. Poltair+ is presented not as a fringe set of clubs for a small minority, but as an organising structure for participation, leadership, and belonging. Where that is done well, it usually reduces behaviour issues after school and improves attendance, because students feel they have a reason to be there beyond lessons.

Poltair’s secondary performance indicators present a broadly middle of the pack England profile, with signs of above average progress. The Progress 8 score is 0.26, which indicates students, on average, make more progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally.

On attainment, the Attainment 8 score is 43.4. EBacc average point score is 3.79, and 10.5% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across the EBacc measure in the period shown.

In the FindMySchool ranking for GCSE outcomes, Poltair is ranked 2506th in England and 2nd in St Austell. That places it in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), which is consistent with a school where overall outcomes are broadly typical, while progress and culture can be a differentiator for individual students.

For parents comparing options locally, the practical takeaway is this: Poltair’s results profile is unlikely to be the sole reason to choose it or avoid it. Instead, fit will come down to the behaviour culture, the quality of teaching consistency across subjects, and how well your child responds to structure and enrichment. Parents comparing multiple local secondaries can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to view these metrics side by side.

The most useful evidence here is about curriculum intent and consistency. Poltair is described as offering a broad, carefully designed curriculum that remains academically ambitious while keeping creative and practical subjects firmly in view. Staff expertise and clear explanations come through as a strength, alongside a structured approach to sequencing what students learn and when.

The main developmental challenge is not about ambition, it is about implementation consistency across all subjects. Where implementation is less consistent, the issue described is that activities do not always help students remember key information or deepen their thinking in response to feedback. This type of improvement point often translates into a fairly specific parental question for visits: how is the school supporting teachers to align day to day classroom practice with the intended curriculum, particularly in the subjects where outcomes have historically been weaker.

Reading is a visible thread in the school’s published materials. The prospectus sets out a dedicated tutor reading programme, described as tutors reading aloud to groups multiple times per week, with the aim of strengthening vocabulary, comprehension, and discussion. The inspection evidence also references reading ambassadors raising the profile of reading, including older students supporting younger peers. For families, this suggests literacy is treated as everybody’s job, not only the English department’s responsibility.

Where Students Go Next

Because Poltair finishes at 16, the outcomes that matter most are readiness and informed choice at the Year 11 transition point. The inspection evidence describes a strong focus on aspirations and next steps, with students prepared for what comes after key stage 4, and the school meeting provider access requirements for technical education and apprenticeships pathways.

The school’s careers materials are framed around work experience and apprenticeship awareness, which is the right balance for a 11 to 16 setting. The implication for parents is that you should expect structured guidance around post 16 options, but you may need to be proactive about visits and applications to colleges, sixth forms, and training providers, particularly for competitive vocational routes.

Where Poltair appears especially strong is the way enrichment is tied to confidence and employability. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is offered (with Bronze currently highlighted, and an intention to support progression to Silver for those who complete Bronze). That programme is a useful proxy for sustained commitment, volunteering, and independence, which can matter as much as grades in post 16 interviews and apprenticeship recruitment.

Poltair is a state funded school with no tuition fees. Admissions for the normal entry point, Year 6 into Year 7, are managed through the local authority route, and the school signposts families to apply via their home local authority.

Demand is high. The admissions dataset indicates Poltair is oversubscribed on the Year 7 route, with 440 applications for 175 offers, which is a subscription proportion of 2.51 applications per place. That is a meaningful competitive level for a non selective secondary. The implication is that families should take admissions criteria seriously and avoid relying on anecdotal assumptions about who “usually gets in”.

For September 2026 entry in Cornwall, the on time deadline for secondary transfer applications is 31 October 2025, with National Offer Day on 2 March 2026. Cornwall’s published timetable also sets out later processing windows for late applications and preference changes, with outcomes for round two issued by 3 April 2026.

Poltair’s own transition materials reinforce the same overall rhythm: open evening in early autumn, applications closing at the end of October, and offers confirmed in March, followed by primary visits and transition events through April, May, and June, and a transition day and evening in July. Dates can shift slightly year to year, so families should use the school’s transition hub as the operational reference point for events.

Pastoral support is positioned as a major strength. The inspection evidence describes exceptionally strong pastoral care supporting students’ mental and physical health, with achievements celebrated publicly and students describing pride in belonging. It also notes that attendance is treated as everyone’s responsibility, with patterns analysed and action taken to remove barriers for students and families.

In practice, that kind of model usually shows up in two places. First, you should expect clear thresholds for when concerns are escalated and what support looks like, especially around attendance and wellbeing. Second, you should expect a culture where staff know students well enough to intervene early, which is especially important in a 11 to 16 school without the stabilising effect of a sixth form cohort.

SEND support is woven into pastoral systems rather than being standalone. The public Inclusion hub content is aimed at reducing anxiety around joining, particularly for students with SEND arriving at a key transition point. If your child has additional needs, it is worth asking about transition tours with the inclusion team and what support begins before the first day.

Poltair’s extracurricular provision is unusually concrete in its published detail. Poltair+ is described as a programme spanning sport, performing arts, science, music, and academic clubs, with a clear expectation that most students can find a route in. Inspection evidence also notes a practical inclusion lever: the school removing barriers to participation, including transport for after school clubs and enabling disadvantaged students to take part fully.

The prospectus offers a useful snapshot of named examples. Creative Arts options include Drama Club, The Howlers, Textiles Club, and Jewellery Making Club. Sports examples include Netball and Rugby Club, Dance Club, Fitness Club, Social Football Club, and Basketball Club. Academic examples include Homework Club, Unlocking Potential, STEM Club, Spoken Word, Literacy Society, and Poltair Press. These names matter because they indicate a culture where enrichment is organised and branded, rather than left to informal goodwill.

Drama and performance appear to be a visible pillar. A current example is the student production of The Addams Family Musical (Young@Part), staged at The Keay Theatre at Cornwall College St Austell in early February 2026. That sort of external venue booking is usually a sign that the school expects productions to be taken seriously, not treated as an internal only event.

For younger students approaching secondary transfer, there is also evidence of outreach and bridging work. The Transition Timeline includes structured tours and events through spring and early summer, and the school runs activities for Years 5 and 6, such as an October Holiday Club with sporting activities and food provided, priced at £5 per day in the published example. While this is not a substitute for regular wraparound care, it does show practical engagement with feeder primaries and transition confidence building.

Poltair publishes detailed timings for the school day. Tutor time runs 08:45 to 09:15, lessons run through to 15:15, and Poltair+ provision is shown 15:15 to 16:15. The school also notes that the site opens earlier in the morning, and governance documentation indicates a breakfast club opening time of 08:10, with the main school day finishing at 15:15.

On transport, the school describes itself as a short walk from the mainline railway station, which is helpful for families commuting across the wider St Austell area. For bus users, Transport for Cornwall lists dedicated services including the 24S school service associated with Poltair School. Parents should still verify routes and timings for their child’s specific journey, particularly if relying on school day specific services.

Wraparound care, in the primary sense, is not a standard feature of secondary schools. What Poltair does publish is a structured after school programme (Poltair+) and specific holiday activities for feeder year groups at points in the year.

• Competition for Year 7 places. With 440 applications for 175 offers in the admissions data provided, entry is competitive. Families should align expectations to the published admissions criteria and keep alternative preferences realistic.

• Leadership change timing. The February 2024 inspection report names a different headteacher from the school’s current published headteacher. That is not a problem in itself, but it is a reason to ask how priorities and improvement work have been sustained through any leadership transition.

• Curriculum consistency is the next improvement lever. The clearest development point in the inspection evidence is consistency of curriculum implementation in a few subjects. For some students this will not matter, for others it can be the difference between steady progress and frustration. It is worth probing how subject leaders monitor and support classroom practice.

• No sixth form. If your child values continuity into Years 12 and 13, you will need to plan early for post 16 routes, visits, and applications, and make sure the careers programme aligns with your preferred pathways.

Poltair School combines a settled culture, clear expectations, and a well defined enrichment programme with a results profile that is broadly typical for England overall, and a Progress 8 measure that indicates students make above average progress from their starting points. It suits families who want a structured, calm secondary where behaviour and personal development are treated as central, and where students are encouraged to build confidence through participation as well as lessons. Admission is the obstacle; the education is strongest for students who respond well to routines, reading culture, and consistent expectations.