Penrice AcademyPoltair School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in St Austell.
Summary of the comparison
Penrice Academy and Poltair School are secondary schools in St Austell.
Penrice Academy scores 71 out of 100 (grade B, strong) and Poltair School scores 59 out of 100 (grade C, average). Penrice Academy is ahead on our composite score.
Penrice Academy was judged exceptional and Poltair School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 49.1 for Penrice Academy and 41.7 for Poltair School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Penrice Academy (57.1 in 2021-22, 49.1 in 2025-26) and has fallen at Poltair School (43.7 in 2021-22, 41.7 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | St AustellPenrice Academy | St AustellPoltair School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | B71/100Stronger figure | C59/100 | |
| Local ranking | 1st of 31 in Cornwall Stronger figure | 8th of 31 in Cornwall | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: OutstandingStronger figure | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy sponsor led | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,405 | 882 | |
| Capacity | 1,440 | 900 | |
| Location | St Austell, PL25 3NR | St Austell, PL25 4BZ | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 49.1 Stronger figure | 41.7 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 47.6% Stronger figure | 37.7% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 66.5% Stronger figure | 54.8% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 275 | 146 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,422 | 877 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 21.6% | 33.3% | |
| English as an additional language | 2.7% | 4.8% | |
| SEN support | 16.2% | 15.3% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.6% | 3.8% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 6.9% Stronger figure | 9.6% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 17.8% Stronger figure | 26.6% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Penrice Academy
Poltair School
Full profiles: Penrice Academy · Poltair School