Poltair School

Academy sponsor led·Secondary school St Austell, Cornwall·PL25 4BZ
Composite score
59.2
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#1,288
National rank
#111
In South West
#10
In Cornwall
Top 41%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
47.4
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
48%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
69%
% EBacc grade 5+
18%
EBacc average points score
4.22

Ofsted judgements

Legacy framework · Read full report ↗

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Safeguarding effective?
Yes

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
84%
218 first choices, 183 places
First choices per place
1.19
more first choices than places
Applications naming the school
482
any preference, for 183 places
First preferences per place, last five years▲ 0.20
00.511.5
1 per place
0.8320220.8620230.9520240.9920251.192026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

Cornwall does not publish how far from the school the last child offered a Year 7 place lived, so there is no cut-off distance to show for Poltair School. Ask the school or the council how places were allocated this year.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–16
Pupils on roll
877
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Admissions
Non-Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
33.3%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
4.8%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
15.3%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
3.8%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
9.5%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
28.6%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
14.2
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£7,828
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
87%
143 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
73%
Apprenticeship
4%
Employment
10%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

School overview

Poltair School is a secondary school serving St Austell, Cornwall, classified by the DfE as a sponsor-led academy. It has 877 pupils aged 11 to 16 on roll. At its most recent graded inspection, Ofsted rated Poltair School 'Good'. In the most recent GCSE results, pupils achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 47.4, broadly in line with the national average of 46. That marks an improvement of 4.0 points in its Attainment 8 score on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the top 41% of secondary schools nationally.

48% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, in line with the national average of about 45%. 69% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Competition for places is real here - 84% of first-choice applicants were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026 (218 first choices for 183 places). After Year 11, 87% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 9.5%. There are about 14.2 pupils per teacher. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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