Curnow School
Drump Road, Redruth, TR15 1LU
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy special converter
- Ages
- 3 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- SPECIAL PARTNERSHIP TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Robert Armstrong
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Special Partnership Trust
- SEN provision
- SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Camborne and Redruth
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 93
- Pupils on roll
- 115
- URN
- 143166
- Local authority
- Cornwall
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01209215432
About this school
Curnow School is a special academy in Redruth. It teaches children aged 3 to 19 and has 115 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Curnow 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 13 November 2024, 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 | 9 | 7 | 8 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
| Reading progress | -6.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -5.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -6.50 | - | - |
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.
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 8 | 4 | 11 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | - | - |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | - | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | - | - |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Curnow 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 | 0% | 56.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 56.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 59.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 13.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 14.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 12% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 100 |
| 2023/24 | 104 |
| 2024/25 | 112 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 46.74%
- English as an additional language
- 2.7%
- Overall absence
- 12%
- Persistent absence
- 34.09%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Cardrew Court School0.6 miles
Special schools · Redruth
-
Three Bridges3.3 miles
Special schools · Truro
-
Nine Maidens Alternative Provision Academy3.5 miles
Academies · Redruth
-
Oak Tree School4.8 miles
Special schools · Truro
-
Truro School Preparatory School6.6 miles
Independent schools · Truro
Other schools in Redruth
- Cardrew Court School Special schools
- Nine Maidens Alternative Provision Academy Academies
- Illogan School Primary
- Lanner Primary School Primary
- Pencoys Primary School Primary
- Pennoweth Primary School Primary
- Portreath Community Primary School Primary
- St Day and Carharrack Community School Primary
- Treleigh Community Primary School Primary
- Treloweth Community Primary School Primary
- Trewirgie Infants' School Primary
- Trewirgie Junior School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Curnow School teach?
- Curnow School teaches children aged 3 to 19. It is a special school in Redruth.
- Who is the headteacher of Curnow School?
- The headteacher of Curnow School is Mr Robert Armstrong, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Curnow School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Curnow 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 Curnow School?
- Curnow School has 115 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 19.
- Is Curnow School full?
- Curnow School has capacity for 93 pupils and 115 on roll (124%), 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 Curnow School a faith school?
- No. Curnow School has no designated religious character.
- Is Curnow School part of an academy trust?
- Curnow School is part of SPECIAL PARTNERSHIP TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Curnow School have?
- The schools register lists Curnow School's special educational needs provision as: SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Curnow School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Curnow School's absence rate?
- Curnow School's overall absence rate is 12% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Curnow School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Curnow 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 2 July 2026.