School profile

Poltair School

Secondary · Academy sponsor led · St Austell, PL25 4BZ

Good

Map showing Poltair 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.

Poltair School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 27 Feb 2024

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

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeAcademy sponsor led
Ages11 to 16
Pupils882
GenderMixed
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr Richard Cardigan
TrustCORNWALL EDUCATION LEARNING TRUST
Local authorityCornwall
Opened01 Sept 2019
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 147442.

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.54.8%, worse than England, worse than Cornwall63.9%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.37.7%, worse than England, worse than Cornwall44.1%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.8.9%, worse than England, worse than Cornwall11.2%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths50.7%, worse than England, worse than Cornwall59%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4146--

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 pupils882
Girls427
Boys455
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.33.7%
First language not English4.6%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.1,077
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.18.1%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.155
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.22
Average class size23.9

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
88.5%
Other White
3.9%
African
2.4%
Gypsy/Roma
1.4%
Other mixed
0.7%
White and Black Caribbean
0.5%
White and Asian
0.5%
Other ethnic group
0.5%
White and Black African
0.3%
Other Asian
0.3%

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 teacher15
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.11
Teachers (FTE)58.75
Teaching assistants (FTE)9.03
Support staff (FTE)32.95
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2560.7
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2551.3
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/254.2
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/255.2

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.183
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.482
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.218
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.183
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 absence9.1%, worse than England, similar to Cornwall9%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.26.2%, worse than England, similar to Cornwall25.5%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.4.3%, worse than 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 rate4.3%
Pupils with one or more suspensions2.9%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

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.88.8%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.82.2%
Further education52%
Sixth form college28.3%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.8.6%
Employment5.3%
School sixth form1.3%
Apprenticeship1.3%

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 Poltair School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.6 miPrimaryCarclaze Community Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miPrimarySandy Hill AcademyAcademy converter
Outstanding
0.7 miPrimaryMount Charles SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.9 miSecondaryPenrice AcademyAcademy converter
Outstanding
0.9 miPrimaryPondhu Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.2 miPrimaryBishop Bronescombe CofE SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.4 miPrimarySt Mewan Community Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.5 miPrimaryCharlestown Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Poltair School

What is Poltair School's Ofsted rating?

Poltair School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 27 Feb 2024.

How does Poltair School rank in England?

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

What are Poltair School's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 37.7% of pupils at Poltair 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 Poltair School?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, Poltair School made 183 offers from 482 applications (2.6 per offer), and 183 of 218 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Poltair School?

Poltair School has 882 pupils aged 11 to 16.

What is the capacity of Poltair School?

Poltair School had 1,077 school places in 2024/25.

Does Poltair School have a sixth form?

No, Poltair School teaches pupils up to age 16.

How big are classes at Poltair School?

At Poltair School, the average class had 23.9 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 15 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Poltair School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Poltair School missed 9.1% of sessions (England 8%), and 26.2% 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.