SCHOOL PROFILE

Pool Academy

Secondary Academy converter URN 136614
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,050 Published school capacity
Capacity used 68.0% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

3 March 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Needs attention
Curriculum & teaching Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour Needs attention
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Needs attention
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

26 September 2023
Graded inspection Requires improvement
Published 9 November 2023
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Cornwall
Trust ATHENA LEARNING TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 714 714 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 343 48.0% of pupils
Male pupils 371 52.0% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

32.4%
7.6 pts above England
School 32.4%
Cornwall 22.8%
South West 20.1%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

9.9%
10.4 pts below England
School 9.9%
Cornwall 3.7%
South West 10.7%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

1.8%
0.8 pts above England
School 1.8%
Cornwall 1.3%
South West 1.5%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
81.7%
583
African
5.6%
40
Any other White background
4.8%
34
Unclassified
2.2%
16
Any other Asian background
1.1%
8
Any other Mixed background
0.8%
6
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 19.5% 139 of 714 pupils
1.4 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 19.5%
Cornwall 21.1%
South West 21.7%
England 20.8%
SEN support 14.4% 103 pupils
England 14.8% 0.4 pts below
EHC plans 5.0% 36 pupils
England 6.0% 1.0 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 36
Autistic spectrum disorder 32
Speech, language & communication 23
Moderate learning difficulty 18
No specialist assessment yet 10
Specific learning difficulty 7

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

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

41.8 2.6 pts above England
School 41.8
Cornwall 40.7
South West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 37.9% England 36.0% 1.9 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 61.2% England 51.4% 9.8 pts above England
EBacc entry 7.8% England 30.6% 22.8 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.57 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.59 · 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

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

8.19%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

1.97 pts higher than England
School 8.19%
Cornwall 5.87%
South West 6.20%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

26.96%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

11.14 pts higher than England
School 26.96%
Cornwall 14.15%
South West 15.08%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

4.40%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

2.60 pts higher than England
School 4.40%
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

68.0% 24.3 pts below England
Pool Academy
68.0%
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.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information