School profile

Humphry Davy School

Secondary · Foundation school · Penzance, TR18 2TG

Good

Map showing Humphry Davy School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#2,405 of 3,312

Worse than 72% of schools in England

Ranked by Attainment 8 score, state-funded mainstream schools.

Humphry Davy School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 4 May 2023

Ofsted rating
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeFoundation school
Ages11 to 16
Pupils740
GenderMixed
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr William Marshall
TrustThe Penwith Education Trust (PET)
Local authorityCornwall
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 112067.

GCSE results

2025/26

GCSE and equivalent results at the end of year 11. Attainment 8 averages results across 8 subjects.

MeasureThis schoolCornwallEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.41.7, worse than England, worse than Cornwall45.546.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.55.4%, worse than England, worse than Cornwall63.9%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.38.5%, worse than England, worse than Cornwall44.1%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.8.1%, worse than England, worse than Cornwall11.2%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths48.6%, worse than England, worse than Cornwall59%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4148--

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils740
Girls388
Boys352
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.37%
First language not English2.6%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.926
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.20.1%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.227
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.25
Average class size24.4

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
90.8%
Other White
2.3%
Other mixed
1.9%
White and Asian
0.7%
Other Asian
0.7%
African
0.7%
Other ethnic group
0.7%
White and Black Caribbean
0.3%
White and Black African
0.3%
Irish
0.1%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher14.9
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.10
Teachers (FTE)49.78
Teaching assistants (FTE)9.31
Support staff (FTE)47.9
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2545.3
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2543.2
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/251.1
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/251

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Year 7)Places offered on national offer day.166
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.293
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.164
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.164
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)0

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolCornwallEngland
Overall absence9.7%, worse than England, worse than Cornwall9%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.32.7%, worse than England, worse than Cornwall25.5%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.3.8%, similar to England, similar to Cornwall4.2%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate28.8%
Pupils with one or more suspensions12.1%
Permanent exclusion rate0.5%
Permanent exclusions4

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Destinations after GCSEs

2023/24

Where pupils went after year 11, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.91.9%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.87.4%
Further education86.4%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.5.6%
Employment2.5%
Apprenticeship2%
School sixth form0%
Sixth form college0%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Humphry Davy School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.2 miPrimarySt Mary's Catholic School, PenzanceAcademy converter
Good
0.3 miPrimaryPensans Community Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Requires improvement
0.7 miSecondaryMounts Bay AcademyAcademy converter
Requires improvement
0.8 miPrimarySt Mary's CofE Primary School, PenzanceVoluntary aided school
Good
0.8 miPrimaryHeamoor Community Primary SchoolFoundation school
Requires improvement
0.8 miPrimaryAlverton Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.9 miPrimaryGulval SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.1 miPrimaryMadron Daniel CofE (VA) SchoolVoluntary aided school
Requires improvement
1.2 miPrimaryNewlyn SchoolAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Humphry Davy School

What is Humphry Davy School's Ofsted rating?

Humphry Davy School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 4 May 2023.

How does Humphry Davy School rank in England?

Humphry Davy School ranks 2,405 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (worse than 72% of schools).

What are Humphry Davy School's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 38.5% of pupils at Humphry Davy School got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 41.7 (England 46.2).

How hard is it to get into Humphry Davy School?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, Humphry Davy School made 166 offers from 293 applications (1.8 per offer), and 164 of 164 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Humphry Davy School?

Humphry Davy School has 740 pupils aged 11 to 16.

What is the capacity of Humphry Davy School?

Humphry Davy School had 926 school places in 2024/25.

Does Humphry Davy School have a sixth form?

No, Humphry Davy School teaches pupils up to age 16.

How big are classes at Humphry Davy School?

At Humphry Davy School, the average class had 24.4 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 14.9 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Humphry Davy School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Humphry Davy School missed 9.7% of sessions (England 8%), and 32.7% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 21.6%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.