Charlestown Primary School

About Charlestown Primary School

Charlestown Primary School sits within the Cornwall local authority, a mixed state primary for children aged 4 to 11. Among the 208 primary schools in the county, it ranks 147th, placing it in the bottom half of local schools. For context, the top-performing peers in the area include Calstock Community Primary School, Landewednack Community Primary School, and St Buryan Primary School, all of which score higher on the same ranking metric. The school is led by headteacher Katie Lee-Elkins and has a capacity of 420 pupils, with 387 currently enrolled. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in October 2024, rated the school Good overall, with Good marks for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The early years provision also received a Good rating. This is consistent with its previous inspection in 2019, which also judged the school Good overall, though at that time early years provision was rated Requires Improvement.

Academically, the school's Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 academic year show that 52% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined. This is below the Cornwall local authority average of 58%. In reading, 73% reached the expected standard and 31% achieved a higher standard, while in writing, 73% met the expected standard and just 3% reached the higher standard. Maths saw 68% at the expected level and 18% at the higher level, with an average scaled score of 103. Reading averaged 105. Only 3% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom quarter of all primary schools on this measure, and within the South West region it sits in the 68th percentile. The school has a relatively low proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 10%.

Charlestown Primary offers a broad range of facilities including a library, sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, and a sensory room. Sports on offer include cricket, tennis, athletics, football, dance, and rounders, while clubs extend to drama, choir, eco club, chess, and coding. The school supports a wide range of SEND needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. However, the most recent Parent View responses, based on 70 responses collected between September 2024 and September 2025, show some notable concerns: only 43% of parents would recommend the school, and just 23% agreed that SEND children receive the support they need, with 68% disagreeing. The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 104 applications for 46 places and 36 first-preference offers. It is not a nursery or boarding school. For families seeking a nearby Outstanding-rated alternative, Sandy Hill Academy is 1.3 km away.

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