Richard Lander School

About Richard Lander School

Richard Lander School is a mixed state secondary in Cornwall, serving pupils aged 11 to 16. In the local authority’s rankings by Progress 8, it sits 8th out of 31 schools, placing it comfortably in the top quarter of its peers. The top three schools in the area are The Roseland Academy, Penrice Academy and Poltair School, all of which post higher Progress 8 scores, but Richard Lander holds its own as a solidly performing comprehensive. It’s a large school, with 1,525 pupils on roll, and it’s oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 593 applications for 332 places, with 329 of those going to first-preference applicants. That level of demand suggests it’s a popular choice among local families, and the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in October 2023, confirmed it remains Good — a rating it has held consistently across its previous graded inspections.

Academically, Richard Lander delivers results that are above the Cornwall average. Its Progress 8 score of 0.07 is positive, meaning pupils make slightly more progress than the national average, and it compares favourably with the local authority average of -0.12. Attainment 8 sits at 47.3, and 67.4% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths (the basics measure), though that drops to 47.2% at grade 5 or above. The EBacc entry rate is 31.3%, with 25% achieving the qualification at grade 4 or above. Looking at individual subjects, the school’s strongest Progress 8 scores are in maths (0.23) and the open bucket (0.18), while English comes in slightly below average at -0.19. Nationally, it ranks 1,367th out of 3,141 schools on Progress 8, placing it in the top half of all state secondaries. The school does not have a sixth form, so pupils leave at 16.

The school is well equipped, with facilities including an astro turf, theatre, tennis courts, music rooms, ICT suite, gymnasium, playing fields, library and a chapel. Sports on offer include football, cricket, hockey, rugby, swimming and dance, and there are clubs such as coding, art, Model UN, debate, science and chess. SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder, and a dedicated SEN unit. Parent View responses, based on 17 respondents between September 2024 and September 2025, were overwhelmingly positive: 88% would recommend the school, and 100% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy and that the school makes them aware of what their child will learn. This is a school that suits families looking for a large, well-regarded comprehensive with strong core results and a wide range of extracurricular opportunities, particularly those who want their child to finish at 16 rather than continue into a sixth form.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Richard Lander School

Helpful Guides for Parents