Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #25 in Cornwall public Top 33% UK

Pool Academy

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Nick Ward

corporate_fareATHENA LEARNING TRUST

location_onRedruth, TR15 3PZ

language Visit Website phone 1209712220

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2023

groups

Students

562

trending_up

Attainment 8

41.8

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#25 in Cornwall

#2,281 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Pool Academy is a Academy converter secondary school in Redruth, serving ages 11-16. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards.

article

School Summary

Pool Academy is an academy converter in Redruth, Cornwall, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of ATHENA LEARNING TRUST. The school has approximately 681 pupils on roll, of whom 30% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 41.8, placing the school #25 in Cornwall and #2,281 of 3,216 nationally. 37.90% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 12.8% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. The school's current overall rating is Requires improvement. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Requires improvement, behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement, personal development Requires improvement, and leadership and management Requires improvement.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.7× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 5 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 40.1 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

41.8

Grade 5+ E&M

37.90%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)12.8%

Entering EBacc7.80%

EBacc APS3.57

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.59

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

36.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc6.80%

EBacc APS3.19

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.81

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

37.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc11%

EBacc APS3.20

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.89

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

38.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc15%

EBacc APS3.21

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc19%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.39

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

39.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc25%

EBacc APS3.42

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.66

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

40.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc16%

EBacc APS3.36

explore

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

88%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)84%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)11%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)74%

Apprenticeships13%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)86%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

26 September 2023

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

06 June 2017

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

01 April 2014

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

14 February 2012

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

02 November 2011

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2023-09-26

S5 Inspection EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Requires improvement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2017-06-06

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2014-04-01

Exempt School Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2010-05-12

None EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

34.8%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

8.7%(59 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 681 pupils. During this period, there were 237 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 34.8%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	681	237	34.8%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	691	314	45.4%	7.8%	5
2023/24 (Summer term)	630	232	36.8%	7.4%	2
2023/24 (Spring term)	632	222	35.1%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	633	579	91.5%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	574	45	7.8%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	562	27	4.8%	6.4%	2
2022/23 (Autumn term)	564	13	2.3%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	545	20	3.7%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	551	17	3.1%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	555	13	2.3%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	556	12	2.2%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	551	1	0.2%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	553	3	0.5%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	615	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	615	7	1.1%	3.2%	5
2019/20 (Autumn term)	616	18	2.9%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	685	10	1.5%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	691	4	0.6%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	706	9	1.3%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	746	29	3.9%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	757	14	1.8%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	764	57	7.5%	3.7%	2
2016/17 (Summer term)	798	40	5.0%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	798	31	3.9%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	804	58	7.2%	3.1%	3

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

accessibility_new

psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 25 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 24 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 22 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 18 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 13 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 6 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 1 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

Top Secondary Schools in Cornwall

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Penrice Academy

Outstanding

location_on St Austell, PL25 3NR

emoji_events #1 in LA

Richard Lander School

Good

location_on Truro, TR3 6LT

emoji_events #2 in LA

Camborne Science and International Academy

Good

location_on Camborne, TR14 7PP

emoji_events #3 in LA

Launceston College

Good

location_on Launceston, PL15 9JR

emoji_events #4 in LA

Penryn College

Good

location_on Penryn, TR10 8PZ

emoji_events #5 in LA

Penair School

Good

location_on Truro, TR1 1TN

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Cornwall arrow_forward

Pool Academy

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Cornwall

Penrice Academy

Richard Lander School

Camborne Science and International Academy

Launceston College

Penryn College

Penair School