Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy

Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy has made significant strides since its previous inadequate inspection, now achieving a good overall effectiveness grade. The school is characterized as a welcoming environment where pupils feel safe and valued, with strong behavior management and high expectations set for student performance. The leadership team, supported by the trust, has focused on enhancing the quality of education, particularly in reading and early years, resulting in enthusiastic learners who are well-prepared for future stages of their education.

Strengths

• Pupils describe the school as kind and friendly.
• Bullying is rare and effectively managed by staff.
• There is a strong emphasis on reading and phonics across the curriculum.
• Early years provision is well-planned and supports children's development exceptionally well.
• Pupils have a deep understanding of important social issues such as consent and equality.
• Leadership of SEND provision is strong with good support in place.

Areas for Improvement

• The assessment systems in the wider curriculum are not well developed.
• Some pupils have low attendance, impacting their learning.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 4.1% of pupils at Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy had 22.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 20.9% of pupils at Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy received £7,678 and spent £7,545 for each of its 203 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £152,000 (£747 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of Bridge Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,573 and spending £7,633 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Saltash · Cornwall local authority: places and applications

Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy is part of Bridge Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Harrowbarrow Primary Academy Callington
• Copper Valley Infant and Nursery Academy Gunnislake
• Copper Valley Junior Academy Gunnislake
• Trenode CofE VA Primary Academy Looe
• Looe Primary Academy Looe
• Duloe CofE VA Primary Academy Liskeard
• Darite Primary Academy Liskeard
• St Cleer Primary Academy Liskeard
• Polperro Primary Academy Looe
• Pelynt Primary Academy

What is Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy is Good, from an inspection in September 2022.

When was Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy was last inspected in September 2022.

How many pupils does Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy have?

Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy has 211 pupils on roll.

What age range does Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy cover?

Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy?

Brunel Primary & Nursery Academy is at Callington Road, Saltash, Cornwall, PL12 6DX.