St Michael's Church of England Primary School
Penberthy Road, Helston, TR13 8AR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE RAINBOW MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Miss Sarah Luff
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of Truro
- Sponsor
- The Rainbow Academy Trust
- Constituency
- St Ives
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 330
- URN
- 140027
- Local authority
- Cornwall
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01326572386
About this school
St Michael's Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Helston. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 330 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Michael's Church of England 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 February 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 61 | 61 | 57 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 61% | 62% | 53% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 11% | 7% | 5% |
| Expected standard in reading | 74% | 79% | 74% |
| Expected standard in maths | 70% | 70% | 65% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 82% | 74% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 104.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.20 | - | - |
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 St Michael's Church of England 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 | 61% | 56.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 62% | 56.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 53% | 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 | 5.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 363 |
| 2023/24 | 350 |
| 2024/25 | 323 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Michael's Church of England Primary School compares
St Michael's Church of England Primary School ranked 150th of 209 primary schools in Cornwall for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 53% | 5.9% | 30% | 330 | — |
| Parc Eglos School | 49% | 5.5% | 11% | 398 | 0.4 miles |
| Nansloe Academy | 63% | 5.1% | 22.8% | 233 | 0.4 miles |
| Boskenwyn Community Primary School | 33% | 7.8% | 19.2% | 102 | 1.5 miles |
| Trannack Primary School | 13% | 6.9% | 33.3% | 33 | 1.9 miles |
| Porthleven School | 63% | 3.1% | 21% | 175 | 2.1 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)
- 30.03%
- English as an additional language
- 5%
- Overall absence
- 5.87%
- Persistent absence
- 16.72%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Parc Eglos School0.4 miles
Primary · Helston
-
Nansloe Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Helston
-
Boskenwyn Community Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Helston
-
Trannack Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Helston
-
Porthleven School2.1 miles
Primary · Helston
Other schools in Helston
St Michael's Church of England Primary School ranks 8th of the 16 ranked primary schools in Helston.
- Boskenwyn Community Primary School Primary
- Breage CofE Primary School Primary
- Coverack Primary School Primary
- Garras Community Primary School Primary
- Godolphin Primary School Primary
- Grade-Ruan CofE Primary School Primary
- Halwin School Primary
- Landewednack Community Primary School Primary
- Manaccan Primary School Primary
- Mullion Primary School Primary
- Nansloe Academy Primary
- Parc Eglos School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Michael's Church of England Primary School teach?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Helston.
- Who is the headteacher of St Michael's Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Michael's Church of England Primary School is Miss Sarah Luff, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Michael's Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Michael's Church of England 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 Michael's Church of England Primary School?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School has 330 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Michael's Church of England Primary School full?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 330 on roll (79%), 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 Michael's Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Michael's Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Truro.
- Does St Michael's Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Michael's Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is St Michael's Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School is part of THE RAINBOW MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Michael's Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 61% in 2022/23 and 53% 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 Michael's Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Cornwall?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School ranked 150th of 209 primary schools in Cornwall for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% 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 Michael's Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- St Michael's Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Michael's Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Michael's Church of England 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.