St Hilary School

About St Hilary School

St Hilary School in Cornwall is a popular choice among local families, with 35 first-preference applications for its 36 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, making it officially oversubscribed with a ratio of 1.5 applicants per place. This level of demand suggests a strong reputation within the community, though the school does not publish a parent recommendation percentage. The school is a state primary for mixed genders aged 5 to 11, with a current roll of 197 pupils against a capacity of 245, so there is some room for growth. Headteacher Robin Hamshar leads a school that has held a Good rating from Ofsted across both its most recent inspections, the latest being in September 2023, where it scored Good across all five categories including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision.

Academically, St Hilary’s Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 year show a mixed picture. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined was 50%, which is below the Cornwall local authority average of 58%. In individual subjects, reading performed strongest with 77% reaching the expected standard and 29% achieving a higher standard, while maths saw 58% at expected and 15% at higher. Writing was the weakest area, with 60% at expected and 15% at higher. Average scores were 104 in reading and 101 in maths. The school ranks 154th out of 208 primary schools in Cornwall, placing it in the bottom half of the local authority, and 10868th nationally out of 13686 schools. Progress scores are not available for any subject, so it is unclear how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a sports hall, library, forest school, art studios, gymnasium, outdoor playground, sensory room, dining hall, and a chapel. Sports provision includes rounders, cross country, dance, and swimming, while extracurricular clubs cover drama, coding, and gardening. For families with children who have additional needs, St Hilary lists SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school does not have a nursery or boarding provision. Given its oversubscribed status and Good Ofsted rating, St Hilary is likely to suit families who prioritise a well-resourced local primary with strong community demand, though those focused on top-tier academic outcomes may want to compare results with higher-performing peers in the area.

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