Pennycross Primary School
Arden Grove, Pennycross, Plymouth, PL2 3RL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Stuart Tulloch-Thomas
- Constituency
- Plymouth Moor View
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 402
- URN
- 113297
- Local authority
- Plymouth
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01752705137
About this school
Pennycross Primary School is a community primary school in Plymouth. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 402 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Pennycross Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 18 November 2021, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 58 | 57 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 55% | 46% | 82% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 4% | 12% |
| Expected standard in reading | 64% | 60% | 87% |
| Expected standard in maths | 71% | 58% | 88% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 71% | 47% | 80% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 102.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 101.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | -3.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.20 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Pennycross Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Plymouth average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 55% | 54.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 46% | 58.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 82% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 394 |
| 2023/24 | 403 |
| 2024/25 | 420 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Pennycross Primary School compares
Pennycross Primary School ranked 7th of 66 primary schools in Plymouth for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 90% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 82% | 4.9% | 28.1% | 402 | — |
| Montpelier Primary School | 64% | 4.7% | 16.6% | 624 | 0.4 miles |
| Mayflower Academy | 84% | 7% | 41.2% | 441 | 0.7 miles |
| Manadon Vale Primary School | 74% | 4.5% | 12.3% | 412 | 0.7 miles |
| Shakespeare Primary School | 50% | 7.1% | 45.8% | 381 | 0.9 miles |
| Ford Primary School | 66% | 8% | 48.6% | 171 | 1.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 28.1%
- English as an additional language
- 11.4%
- Overall absence
- 4.87%
- Persistent absence
- 12.53%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Montpelier Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Mayflower Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Manadon Vale Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Shakespeare Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Ford Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Plymouth
Other schools in Plymouth
Pennycross Primary School ranks 9th of the 72 ranked primary schools in Plymouth.
- Austin Farm Academy Primary
- Beechwood Primary Academy Primary
- Bickleigh Down Church of England Primary School Primary
- Boringdon Primary School Primary
- Chaddlewood Primary School Primary
- College Road Primary School Primary
- Compton CofE Primary School Primary
- Drake Primary Academy Primary
- Eggbuckland Vale Primary School Primary
- Elburton Primary School Primary
- Ernesettle Community School Primary
- Ford Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Pennycross Primary School teach?
- Pennycross Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Plymouth.
- Who is the headteacher of Pennycross Primary School?
- The headteacher of Pennycross Primary School is Mr Stuart Tulloch-Thomas, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Pennycross Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Pennycross Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Pennycross Primary School?
- Pennycross Primary School has 402 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Pennycross Primary School full?
- Pennycross Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 402 on roll (96%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Pennycross Primary School a faith school?
- No. Pennycross Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Pennycross Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Pennycross Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Pennycross Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 55% in 2022/23 and 82% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Pennycross Primary School compare with other schools in Plymouth?
- Pennycross Primary School ranked 7th of 66 primary schools in Plymouth for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 90% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Pennycross Primary School's absence rate?
- Pennycross Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Pennycross Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Pennycross Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.