Ludgvan School

Ludgvan School is a friendly, welcoming primary where pupils are happy, attend well and benefit from supportive relationships with adults, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Inspectors found high expectations, typically calm and productive classrooms, and pupils who feel safe; safeguarding is effective and bullying is dealt with swiftly when it occurs. The broad, ambitious curriculum is logically ordered from the early years to Year 6, with particular strength in early reading and swift identification and support for pupils with SEND. Pupils’ personal development is enriched through residentials, the school farm, pupil leadership and visits that broaden their understanding of modern Britain. Attendance is improving because staff monitor it closely and support families, and staff feel leaders consider their workload and well-being. The trust and local academy committee provide appropriate support and challenge, and most parents are positive about the school. There are two main areas for improvement. In some subjects, curriculum end points are not precise enough, so the knowledge and skills pupils need to retain are unclear and some pupils develop gaps. A minority of pupils also need a clearer understanding of behaviour expectations because they sometimes disrupt others’ learning. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the principal took up post in September 2024. All inspected areas were judged good.

Strengths

• Friendly and welcoming school where pupils are happy and attend well.
• Positive, supportive relationships between staff and pupils, including those with SEND.
• High expectations and typically calm, productive classrooms.
• Pupils feel safe and know who to talk to; bullying is handled swiftly.
• Broad, ambitious curriculum logically sequenced from early years to Year 6.
• Strong focus on early reading with effective support for pupils who struggle.
• Swift identification of SEND and effective support through the ‘hive’ base.
• Personal development enriched by residentials, the school farm and pupil leadership.
• Pupils understand consent, puberty, diversity and discrimination and learn to stay healthy.
• Trust and local academy committee provide appropriate support and challenge.
• Leaders consider staff workload and well-being.
• Attendance is improving due to close monitoring and family support.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, curriculum end points are not defined precisely enough, so the knowledge and skills pupils need to retain are unclear and gaps develop.
• A minority of pupils do not behave as expected and sometimes disrupt others’ learning; the school must ensure pupils fully understand behaviour and attitudes expectations.

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 Ludgvan School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.8% 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, 1.5% of pupils at Ludgvan School 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 Ludgvan School had 24.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.4% 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, 18.1% of pupils at Ludgvan School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 Ludgvan School received £6,563 and spent £6,596 for each of its 202 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £88,000 (£435 per pupil).

Across all 41 schools of Truro & Penwith Academy Trust, income was £7,781 and spending £7,890 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 Penzance · Cornwall local authority: places and applications

Ludgvan School is part of Truro & Penwith Academy Trust, which runs 41 schools. The nearest others:

• Gulval School Penzance
• Nancledra School Penzance
• St Hilary School Penzance
• St Erth Community Primary School Hayle
• Pensans Community Primary School Penzance
• Mounts Bay Academy Penzance
• Alverton Primary School Penzance
• St Ives School St Ives
• Newlyn School Penzance
• Hayle Academy Hayle

What is Ludgvan School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ludgvan School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Ludgvan School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ludgvan School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Ludgvan School have?

Ludgvan School has 199 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ludgvan School cover?

Ludgvan School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Ludgvan School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ludgvan School?

Ludgvan School is at Lower Quarter, Ludgvan, Penzance, Cornwall, TR20 8EX.