School profile

Pennycross Primary School

Primary · Community school · Plymouth, PL2 3RL

Good

Map showing Pennycross Primary School

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

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#1,446 of 15,057

Better than 90% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Pennycross Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 28 Apr 2026

Area360 rating
Good
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Expected standard
Early years
Expected standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages4 to 11
Pupils402
GenderMixed
Head teacherMr Stuart Tulloch-Thomas
Local authorityPlymouth
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 113297.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolPlymouthEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths82%, better than England, better than Plymouth65%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.12%, better than England, better than Plymouth8%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.108, better than England, better than Plymouth105106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.108, better than England, better than Plymouth105105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.105, similar to England, similar to Plymouth105105
Expected standard in reading87%, better than England, better than Plymouth75%76%
Expected standard in writing83%, better than England, better than Plymouth75%73%
Expected standard in maths88%, better than England, better than Plymouth75%75%
Pupils taking tests60--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils402
Girls201
Boys201
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.27.4%
First language not English11.4%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.420
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.4.3%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.62
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.18
Average class size29

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
80.6%
Other ethnic group
5.5%
African
3.7%
Other White
3.5%
White and Black Caribbean
1.7%
Indian
1.5%
Other Asian
1.2%
White and Black African
1%
White and Asian
0.5%
Other mixed
0.2%

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 teacher20.4
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.10.4
Teachers (FTE)19.71
Teaching assistants (FTE)17.36
Support staff (FTE)26.95
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2519.2
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2519.2
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/250

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 (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.52
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.108
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.50
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.50
Applications from another local authority (Reception)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 schoolPlymouthEngland
Overall absence4.5%, better than England, better than Plymouth5.1%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.13.5%, similar to England, similar to Plymouth12.7%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0.6%, similar to England, better than Plymouth1.1%1%

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 rate0.5%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0.2%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 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 Pennycross Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.4 miSecondaryDevonport High School for GirlsAcademy converter
Good
0.4 miSecondaryAll Saints Church of England AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.4 miPrimaryMontpelier Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miPrimaryMayflower AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Outstanding
0.7 miNurseryHam Drive Nursery School and Day CareLocal authority nursery school
Good
0.7 miPrimaryManadon Vale Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miNot applicableKing's SchoolOther independent school
Unrated
0.9 miPrimaryShakespeare Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.9 miSecondarySt Boniface's RC CollegeAcademy sponsor led
Requires improvement
1.0 miPrimaryFord Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Pennycross Primary School

What is Pennycross Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Pennycross Primary School is rated Good, last inspected on 28 Apr 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Pennycross Primary School rank in England?

Pennycross Primary School ranks 1,446 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (better than 90% of schools).

What are Pennycross Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 82% of pupils at Pennycross Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Pennycross Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Pennycross Primary School made 52 offers from 108 applications (2.1 per offer), and 50 of 50 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Pennycross Primary School?

Pennycross Primary School has 402 pupils aged 4 to 11.

What is the capacity of Pennycross Primary School?

Pennycross Primary School had 420 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Pennycross Primary School?

At Pennycross Primary School, the average class had 29 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 20.4 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Pennycross Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Pennycross Primary School missed 4.5% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 13.5% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

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.