Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School

About Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School

Archbishop Benson CofE Primary School in Cornwall is a Church of England primary for children aged 4 to 11, and it is a popular choice among local families. The school has 423 pupils on roll, just shy of its capacity of 436, and demand is strong: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 104 applications for 59 places, with 61 families putting it as their first preference. That oversubscription ratio of 1.76 tells you this is a school people actively want. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 18%, which is above the national average for primary schools and suggests a genuinely mixed intake. As a state-funded school with a Church of England character, it draws from a broad catchment, and the headteacher, Helen Giblett, leads a setting that is clearly well-regarded enough to turn families away at the admissions stage.

Academically, the school holds a Good rating from Ofsted, confirmed in an ungraded inspection in October 2023 that found it remains Good. The most recent graded inspection was in June 2014, where it also received Good overall, with leadership and management and early years provision both rated Good. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 61% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is slightly above the Cornwall local authority average of 58%. The school sits at 93rd out of 208 primaries in the county on this measure, placing it in the middle of the pack. Individual subject scores are solid: a reading average score of 106, maths at 103, and 75% of pupils met the expected standard in both reading and maths. At the higher end, 7% achieved the higher standard across all three subjects, with 34% hitting the higher mark in reading.

The school offers a decent range of facilities, including playing fields, a library, ICT suite, gymnasium, sports hall, art studios and a chapel, plus clubs like coding, science, drama and gardening. Sports on offer include athletics, swimming, netball, cross country and tennis. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists provisions for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities, social and emotional mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. It is not a boarding school and does not have a nursery. Given its oversubscribed status, parents should be prepared to apply early and consider the school’s admission criteria carefully. This is a solid, well-subscribed local primary that suits families who want a Church of England setting with a broad intake and a good range of activities beyond the classroom.

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