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Best primary schools in Penzance
Best primary schools in Truro & Falmouth
Best primary schools in North Cornwall
Best primary schools in St Austell & South East Cornwall
Lifestyle choices are echoed in the wonderful primary schools in this area. Mousehole School is set just off the picture-perfect harbour and is the centre of the vibrant village community. St John’s Catholic in Camborne is an academic superstar catering inclusively for all faiths or none, whilst Nancledra School near St Ives is popular due to its outdoor focused educational approach.
Best state secondary schools in Penzance
Best private schools in Penzance
Mount Hawke Academy in St Agnes is the shining primary school star in this area with Grade-Ruan CofE Primary in Helston hot on its heels in terms of academic results. In central Truro you have the highly popular and often over-subscribed St Mary’s CofE, whilst in Falmouth it’s hard to look beyond the pastoral care of St Francis CofE Primary School.
Best state secondary schools in Truro & Falmouth
Best private schools in Truro & Falmouth
Best nurseries in Truro & Falmouth
Tregadillet Primary School is a wonderful rural school in North Cornwall that performs well academically; another highlight is the idyllic riverside setting and outdoor focus at Mawgan-in-Pydar Primary School near Newquay. Nearer to the magnetic Padstow, you have the popular St Kew ACE Academy in Wadebridge.
Best state secondary schools in North Cornwall
Best private schools in North Cornwall
Best nurseries in North Cornwall
Saltash is spoilt for choice with three Ofsted ‘outstanding’ primaries: Sir Robert Gefferey’s CofE Primary School has its own community farm; Sandy Hill Academy is one of the biggest primaries in the county and usually oversubscribed due to its strong academic results. Gaining a nursery place here can secure your admission to the school. Gorran Primary, just outside picturesque Gorran Haven, is a popular choice for its gentle pastoral care.
Best state secondary schools in St Austell & South East Cornwall
Best private schools in St Austell & South East Cornwall
Best nurseries in St Austell & South East Cornwall
Many Cornish primary schools have good SEND provision but some shine with strong local praise or specific SEND units: Burraton Community Primary School near Saltash has a long-established Eden base for 20 children with complex needs, housed in extensive purpose-built classrooms, including a sensory room and calm spaces. Gulval School in Penzance has links with a Child Development Centre on the same site and benefits from their expertise; Roskear School in Camborne has a specialist support department for hearing impairment.
There are some fantastic state-run special schools which are all-through. These include Nancealverne School in Penzance, which has personalised learning programmes for 3–19-year-olds with moderate to complex learning difficulties. Oak Tree School in Truro, which specialises in working with children with autism and a range of moderate learning difficulties. Red Moor School in Lanlivery near Bodmin, offers specialist provision for children aged 5-18 with social, emotional, mental health and communication difficulties.
Need help? Perhaps you suspect your child has some learning difficulty and you would like advice on what you should do. Or perhaps it is becoming clear that your child's current school is not working for him or her, and you need help to find a mainstream school which has better SEN provision, or to find a special school which will best cater for your child's area of need. Our SEN consultancy team advises on both special schools, and the mainstream schools with good SEN support, from reception through to the specialist colleges for 19+. Special Educational Needs Index
Find top international, British, IB and American schools in over 40 countries. The Good Schools Guide International publishes impartial and forthright reviews of international schools across the world.
We examined the value-added from KS2 to GCSE for 2022 to see which state selective grammar schools added the most value to their offspring. A note of caution - the more highly selective a grammar school, the less scope there will be to add value.
Grammar schools are state-funded, academically selective senior schools. The education a child receives at grammar school is paid for by the state unlike at private schools which provide education for a fee. There are currently around 163 located in 36 English local authorities, with around 167,000 pupils between them. Northern Ireland has a further 67 grammar schools, but there are none in Wales or Scotland. A word of caution: there are private schools that have the word 'grammar' in their name but this is purely for historical reasons.
At specialist music, dance or performing arts schools, the arts aren't optional extras. They’re intrinsic to the school curriculum. Students are expected to fit in high level training and hours of practice alongside a full academic provision. It's a lot to ask any child to take on, but for those with exceptional performing ability this kind of education can be transformative.