Sir James Smith's School

About Sir James Smith's School

Sir James Smith's School in Cornwall is a mixed secondary for pupils aged 11 to 16, currently educating 605 students against a capacity of 696. That leaves some physical room, but the school is clearly in demand: for the 2025/26 academic year, it received 144 applications for 114 places, with 113 of those coming as first preferences. The oversubscription ratio sits at 1.26, meaning roughly 26% more families wanted a place than were available. The pupil body is notably less affluent than the national average, with 28% of students eligible for free school meals — significantly above the typical state secondary figure. This context matters when reading the school's academic results, as schools with higher FSM percentages often face additional challenges in driving attainment.

Academically, the school's most recent Progress 8 score was -0.43, placing it in the 'Below average' band nationally. That means pupils here achieved nearly half a grade less per subject across eight GCSEs than students with similar starting points nationally. The Attainment 8 score was 38.8, and just 30.8% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths — the 'strong pass' benchmark. The school's EBacc average point score was 3.54, with 50.5% of pupils entering the EBacc suite of subjects. Compared with the Cornwall local authority average Progress 8 score of -0.12, Sir James Smith's sits well below the county norm. In fact, it ranks 26th out of 31 secondary schools in Cornwall on the Progress 8 measure, placing it in the bottom 20% of the local authority. Its previous Ofsted inspection in 2016 rated it Good overall, and an ungraded inspection in 2022 confirmed the school remains Good.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a gymnasium, astro turf, swimming pool, theatre, music rooms and playing fields. Sports provision covers hockey, football, rugby, rowing, swimming, martial arts and rounders, while clubs include Film Club, Newspaper, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Model United Nations and Gardening. For SEND, the school supports pupils with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, physical disabilities, and other difficulties. There is no sixth form or nursery provision, and the school is non-boarding with no religious character. This is a school that serves a relatively disadvantaged intake and is oversubscribed despite below-average academic outcomes, suggesting it is valued locally for reasons beyond raw exam results — perhaps its facilities, SEND support, or community feel. Families considering it should weigh the strong demand against the academic data.

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