Bodmin College
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,236 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.0
Academy converter
Penair School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,223of 1,320 places
- Free school meals
- 20.0%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 232
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 29 March 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Penair School A Science College (URN 112060, until 1 April 2011).
What the data says
Penair School has no sixth form. Of the 219 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, none moved to a sixth form college, 84% to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Photography is unusually popular at GCSE: 26% of the year group took it, against 6% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 49.1 against 46.1 across England and 45.2 in Cornwall, with 56% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
As an 11–16 school, Penair School is judged on where pupils go at 16 rather than on A level results.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Cornwall and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Penair School | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 219 | 5,628 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 94% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 88% | 81% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 4% | 15% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 11% | 13% |
| — further education college | 84% | 54% | 37% |
| — other education | — | 1% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 5% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 5% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 2% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Penair School | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 49.1 | 45.2 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 56% | 43% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 71% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 18% | 28% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.08 | 3.89 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 15% | 23% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 32.3 | 33.0 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 52.1 | 48.9 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 8% | 3% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 225 | 97% | 88% | 29% | 22% | 80% |
| English Language | 223 | 96% | 89% | 25% | 20% | 74% |
| English Literature | 214 | 92% | 86% | 18% | 21% | 79% |
| Combined Science | 140 | 60% | 65% | 9% | 9% | 60% |
| History | 107 | 46% | 41% | 36% | 26% | 69% |
| Geography | 90 | 39% | 41% | 40% | 25% | 70% |
| Biology | 82 | 35% | 23% | 29% | 45% | 80% |
| Chemistry | 81 | 35% | 23% | 26% | 47% | 78% |
| Physics | 80 | 34% | 23% | 26% | 46% | 78% |
| Photography | 60 | 26% | 6% | 27% | 19% | 85% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 58 | 25% | 8% | 36% | 21% | 84% |
| Business Studies | 48 | 21% | 18% | 13% | 20% | 69% |
| Computer Science | 42 | 18% | 13% | 17% | 30% | 55% |
| Sociology | 39 | 17% | 4% | 23% | 21% | 77% |
| Art and Design | 31 | 13% | 7% | 32% | 24% | 87% |
| Physical Education | 28 | 12% | 11% | 57% | 24% | 82% |
| Spanish | 27 | 12% | 19% | 19% | 27% | 67% |
| French | 20 | 9% | 18% | 40% | 29% | 90% |
| Graphic Communication | 19 | 8% | 1% | 21% | 23% | 95% |
| Textiles | 15 | 6% | 2% | 47% | 27% | 73% |
| German | 12 | 5% | 5% | 25% | 33% | 67% |
| Media Studies | 12 | 5% | 4% | 17% | 20% | 58% |
| Drama | 11 | 5% | 7% | 27% | 27% | 100% |
| Religious Studies | 9 | 4% | 31% | 44% | 32% | 89% |
| Design and Technology | 8 | 3% | 11% | 13% | 23% | 63% |
| Persian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 77% | — |
| Punjabi | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 48% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Studies | 55 | — | — |
| Small Business Management | 21 | — | — |
| Tourism | 16 | — | — |
| Sports Studies | 12 | — | — |
| Personal Health | 12 | — | — |
| Music performance: Group | 10 | — | — |
| Health Studies | 10 | — | — |
| Dance: General | 8 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Cornwall
Brannel School
Academy sponsor led · 888 pupils
72% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.6
Budehaven Community School
Foundation school · sixth form · 1,145 pupils
77% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.4
Callington Community College
Academy converter · sixth form · 887 pupils
75% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.0
Camborne Science and International Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,751 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.7
Cape Cornwall School
Academy sponsor led · 302 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 38.4
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.