St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry
Downderry, Torpoint, PL11 3LF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- ST BARNABAS CHURCH OF ENGLAND MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Christine Gardiner
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of Truro
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Askel Veur - Diocese of Truro
- Constituency
- South East Cornwall
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 109
- URN
- 140342
- Local authority
- Cornwall
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01503250565
About this school
St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry is a Church of England primary academy in Torpoint. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 109 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry, 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 45% | 58% | 38% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 0% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 100% | 92% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 64% | 67% | 69% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 64% | 75% | 54% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 101.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +4.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.50 | - | - |
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 Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry 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 | 45% | 56.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 58% | 56.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 38% | 59.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 109 |
| 2023/24 | 105 |
| 2024/25 | 109 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry compares
St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry ranked 190th of 209 primary schools in Cornwall for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 10% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 38% | 4.5% | 7.3% | 109 | — |
| St Germans Primary School | 79% | 4.8% | 15.7% | 41 | 3.1 miles |
| Trenode CofE VA Primary Academy | 83% | 5.5% | 25.6% | 40 | 3.6 miles |
| Looe Primary Academy | 65% | 7.3% | 33.6% | 238 | 3.7 miles |
| Antony Church of England School | 82% | 3.9% | 8.5% | 94 | 5.0 miles |
| Sir Robert Geffery's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School | 79% | 3.8% | 12.9% | 202 | 5.5 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.
Inspection history
- 9 July 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report16 May 2023
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 7.29%
- English as an additional language
- 0.9%
- Overall absence
- 4.54%
- Persistent absence
- 8.64%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Germans Primary School3.1 miles
Primary · Saltash
-
Trenode CofE VA Primary Academy3.6 miles
Primary · Looe
-
Looe Primary Academy3.7 miles
Primary · Looe
-
Antony Church of England School5.0 miles
Primary · Torpoint
-
Sir Robert Geffery's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School5.5 miles
Primary · Saltash
Other schools in Torpoint
St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry ranks 5th of the 5 ranked primary schools in Torpoint.
- Antony Church of England School Primary
- Carbeile Junior School Primary
- Fourlanesend Community Primary School Primary
- Millbrook CofE Primary School Primary
- Torpoint Nursery and Infant School Primary
- Torpoint Community College Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry teach?
- St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Torpoint.
- Who is the headteacher of St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry?
- The headteacher of St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry is Mrs Christine Gardiner, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry, 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 Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry?
- St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry has 109 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry full?
- St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry has capacity for 105 pupils and 109 on roll (104%), so it is at or above 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 Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry a faith school?
- Yes. St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Truro.
- Does St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry as having nursery classes.
- Is St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry part of an academy trust?
- St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry is part of ST BARNABAS CHURCH OF ENGLAND 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 Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 45% in 2022/23 and 38% 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 Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry compare with other schools in Cornwall?
- St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry ranked 190th of 209 primary schools in Cornwall for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 10% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% 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 Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry's absence rate?
- St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Nicolas' CofE VA School, Downderry'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.