St Buryan Primary School
Rectory Road, St Buryan, Penzance, TR19 6BB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- TRURO & PENWITH ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Joshua McDonald
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Truro and Penwith College
- Constituency
- St Ives
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 140
- Pupils on roll
- 61
- URN
- 136269
- Local authority
- Cornwall
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01736810480
About this school
St Buryan Primary School is a primary academy in Penzance. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 61 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Buryan 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 11 July 2023, 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 | 13 | 7 | 8 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 46% | 86% | 50% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 62% | 100% | 63% |
| Expected standard in maths | 69% | 100% | 88% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 77% | 100% | 63% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 111.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -5.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.00 | - | - |
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 St Buryan 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 | Cornwall average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 46% | 56.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 86% | 56.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 50% | 59.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 73 |
| 2023/24 | 59 |
| 2024/25 | 62 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Buryan Primary School compares
St Buryan Primary School ranked 164th of 209 primary schools in Cornwall for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 38% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 50% | 6.1% | 28.3% | 61 | — |
| St Levan Primary School | 88% | 7.9% | 13.2% | 37 | 1.8 miles |
| Sennen Community Primary Academy | 59% | 6.4% | 17% | 98 | 2.9 miles |
| Mousehole School | 92% | 5.6% | 27.3% | 94 | 3.7 miles |
| Newlyn School | 78% | 6.1% | 41.3% | 152 | 4.0 miles |
| Alverton Primary School | 77% | 5.6% | 20.6% | 386 | 4.2 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)
- 28.3%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 6.08%
- Persistent absence
- 23.4%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Levan Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Penzance
-
Sennen Community Primary Academy2.9 miles
Primary · Penzance
-
Mousehole School3.7 miles
Primary · Penzance
-
Newlyn School4.0 miles
Primary · Penzance
-
Alverton Primary School4.2 miles
Primary · Penzance
Other schools in Penzance
St Buryan Primary School ranks 14th of the 18 ranked primary schools in Penzance.
- Alverton Primary School Primary
- Germoe Community Primary School Primary
- Gulval School Primary
- Heamoor Community Primary School Primary
- Ludgvan School Primary
- Madron Daniel Church of England School Primary
- Madron Daniel CofE (VA) School Primary
- Mousehole School Primary
- Nancledra School Primary
- Newlyn School Primary
- Pendeen School Primary
- Pensans Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Buryan Primary School teach?
- St Buryan Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Penzance.
- Who is the headteacher of St Buryan Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Buryan Primary School is Headteacher Joshua McDonald, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Buryan Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Buryan 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 St Buryan Primary School?
- St Buryan Primary School has 61 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St Buryan Primary School full?
- St Buryan Primary School has capacity for 140 pupils and 61 on roll (44%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Buryan Primary School a faith school?
- No. St Buryan Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does St Buryan Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Buryan Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is St Buryan Primary School part of an academy trust?
- St Buryan Primary School is part of TRURO & PENWITH ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Buryan Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 46% in 2022/23 and 50% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Buryan Primary School compare with other schools in Cornwall?
- St Buryan Primary School ranked 164th of 209 primary schools in Cornwall for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 38% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Buryan Primary School's absence rate?
- St Buryan Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Buryan Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Buryan 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 1 July 2026.