Threemilestone School

Threemilestone School is a warm and inclusive primary where pupils are well cared for and learn in a calm, orderly environment. Inspectors found strong provision across the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years, with pupils' wider development described as exceptional. The school's ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum starts in the early years, reading is a high priority, and staff are well supported and trained. Safeguarding is effective. Pupils enjoy school, attend well, and benefit from a wide range of trips, clubs and leadership opportunities. The school celebrates diversity and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Staff identify SEND needs early and adapt learning carefully, while disadvantaged pupils participate strongly in the wider offer. The main area to improve is assessment practice: some checks on what pupils know are not precise enough to identify misconceptions, gaps or readiness for new learning, so some pupils do not deepen their knowledge fully. Leaders should ensure these checks are used more effectively to adapt subsequent teaching. The school is part of Truro & Penwith Academy Trust, and this was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic; no overall effectiveness grade is awarded under the current framework.

Strengths

• Warm, welcoming and inclusive school culture where every pupil belongs
• Calm and orderly learning environment with high attendance
• Ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum from the early years
• Clear 'launchpads' help teachers teach precise knowledge in a logical order
• Strong staff training and subject expertise, with staff feeling well supported
• Effective shared teaching approaches and regular retrieval practice
• Reading is a high priority, with strong phonics teaching and rigorous support
• Early identification and careful adaptation for pupils with SEND
• Exceptional wider development through trips, clubs, residentials and pupil leadership
• Clear behaviour routines and expectations, including in early years
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Strong leadership, trust and governance drive for improvement

Areas for Improvement

• Some teacher checks on pupils' knowledge are not precise enough to identify misconceptions or gaps
• Some pupils do not deepen their knowledge fully because assessment information is not used consistently to adapt learning
• The school needs to ensure checks on what pupils know are used effectively to shape subsequent 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 Threemilestone School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.5% 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, 0.7% of pupils at Threemilestone 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 Threemilestone School had 19.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 1.0% 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, 19.3% of pupils at Threemilestone School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 Threemilestone School received £6,430 and spent £6,277 for each of its 427 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £424,000 (£992 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 Truro · Cornwall local authority: places and applications

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

• Chacewater Community Primary School Truro
• Blackwater Community Primary School Truro
• Kennall Vale School Truro
• Mithian School St Agnes
• Trewirgie Infants' School Redruth
• Goonhavern Primary School Truro
• Perranporth Community Primary School Perranporth
• Kehelland Village School Camborne
• Helston Community College Helston
• Nanpean Community Primary School St Austell

What is Threemilestone School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Threemilestone School is Good, from an inspection in October 2024.

When was Threemilestone School last inspected by Ofsted?

Threemilestone School was last inspected in October 2024.

How many pupils does Threemilestone School have?

Threemilestone School has 409 pupils on roll.

What age range does Threemilestone School cover?

Threemilestone School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

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

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Threemilestone School?

Threemilestone School is at Polstain Road, Threemilestone, Truro, Cornwall, TR3 6DH.