OFSTED
29 March 2023
Latest ungraded inspection
Latest published outcome
School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Cornwall
Trust
PENAIR SCHOOL
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,223
1,223 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
615
50.3% of pupils
Male pupils
608
49.7% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
4.8 pts
below England
School
20.0%
Cornwall
22.8%
South West
20.1%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
14.2 pts
below England
School
6.1%
Cornwall
3.7%
South West
10.7%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.2 pts
below England
School
0.8%
Cornwall
1.3%
South West
1.5%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
81.0%
991
Any other White background
6.3%
77
African
2.9%
35
Any other Mixed background
2.5%
31
White and Asian
1.6%
20
Any other Asian background
1.5%
18
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
21.8%
266 of
1,223 pupils
0.9 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
5.1 pts
above
England
6.0%
4.2 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
49.1
9.9 pts
above England
Latest published: 0.05 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
8.17%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
1.95 pts
higher than
England
School
8.17%
Cornwall
5.87%
South West
6.20%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
22.07%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
6.26 pts
higher than
England
School
22.07%
Cornwall
14.15%
South West
15.08%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
4.24%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
2.44 pts
higher than
England
School
4.24%
Cornwall
1.49%
South West
1.90%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
92.7%
0.3 pts
above England
Penair School
92.7%
Cornwall
85.8%
South West
88.7%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.