Nancealverne School
Madron Road, Penzance, TR20 8TP
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy special converter
- Ages
- 2 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- SPECIAL PARTNERSHIP TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Ruth Carpenter
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Special Partnership Trust
- SEN provision
- SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, VI - Visual Impairment, OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, HI - Hearing Impairment, SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, PD - Physical Disability, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- St Ives
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 83
- Pupils on roll
- 138
- URN
- 143167
- Local authority
- Cornwall
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01736365039
About this school
Nancealverne School is a special academy in Penzance. It teaches children aged 2 to 19 and has 138 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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 22 January 2025, where inspectors found the school has improved significantly. 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 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 4 | 10 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | - | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | - | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | - | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | - | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | - | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - |
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 6 | 9 | 5 |
| 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 Nancealverne 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 94 |
| 2023/24 | 96 |
| 2024/25 | 128 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 45.45%
- English as an additional language
- 2.3%
- Overall absence
- 7.92%
- Persistent absence
- 23.4%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Penwith Alternative Provision Academy0.5 miles
Academies · Penzance
-
The Cornwall Independent School6.6 miles
Independent schools · Hayle
-
Pensans Community Primary School0.1 miles
Primary · Penzance
-
Humphry Davy School0.4 miles
Secondary · Penzance
-
Heamoor Community Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Penzance
Other schools in Penzance
- Penwith Alternative Provision Academy Academies
- 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
Common questions
- What year groups does Nancealverne School teach?
- Nancealverne School teaches children aged 2 to 19. It is a special school in Penzance.
- Who is the headteacher of Nancealverne School?
- The headteacher of Nancealverne School is Mrs Ruth Carpenter, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Nancealverne School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Nancealverne 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 big is Nancealverne School?
- Nancealverne School has 138 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 19.
- Is Nancealverne School full?
- Nancealverne School has capacity for 83 pupils and 138 on roll (166%), 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 Nancealverne School a faith school?
- No. Nancealverne School has no designated religious character.
- Who runs Nancealverne School?
- Nancealverne 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 Nancealverne School have?
- The schools register lists Nancealverne School's special educational needs provision as: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty; VI - Visual Impairment; OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability; HI - Hearing Impairment; SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health; MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment; PD - Physical Disability; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- What is Nancealverne School's absence rate?
- Nancealverne School's overall absence rate is 7.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Nancealverne School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Nancealverne 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.