St Winnow CofE School

About St Winnow CofE School

St Winnow CofE School is a small Church of England primary in Cornwall, currently teaching 95 pupils against a capacity of 105, so it is running close to full but with a little headroom. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 16.8%, which is slightly above the national average for primary schools and suggests a modestly above-average level of disadvantage in the intake. Demand for places is strong: for the 2025/26 academic year, the school received 39 applications for just 18 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.17. Of those, 25 were first-preference applications, and 18 first-preference offers were made, meaning the school is clearly popular with local families. The school is mixed-gender and serves children from age 4 to 11, with no nursery or sixth form provision. It is a state-funded primary under Cornwall local authority, with a Church of England religious character.

Academically, St Winnow holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2023, with all inspected categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — all judged Good. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 50% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the Cornwall local authority average of 58%. However, the school performed better in individual subjects: 90% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 90% in maths, with average scores of 108 and 107 respectively. Only 50% met the expected standard in writing, which pulled down the combined figure. At the higher standard, 10% achieved the higher benchmark across all three subjects, with 30% reaching it in reading and 30% in maths. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom half of primary schools on the combined expected standard metric.

The school offers a range of facilities including a library, ICT suite, sensory room, chapel, playing fields and an outdoor playground. Sports provision includes swimming, cricket, tennis and rounders, while clubs cover gardening, coding, drama, book club, choir and eco club. For children with additional needs, the school has identified provisions for moderate learning difficulty, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent feedback is very positive: 100% of respondents to the Parent View survey would recommend the school, and strong majorities agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy, feels safe, and that behaviour is good. The school is oversubscribed, so families considering it should be prepared to apply as a first preference. It suits families who value a small, church-affiliated primary with a strong sense of community and a good range of extracurricular activities, though those prioritising top-tier academic outcomes at KS2 may want to look at higher-performing schools in the area.

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