Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #20 in Cornwall public Top 31% UK

Sir James Smith's School

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

personMr Kristien Carrington

corporate_fareNORTH CORNWALL LEARNING TRUST

location_onCamelford, PL32 9UJ

language Visit Website phone 1840213274

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2016

groups

Students

601

trending_up

Attainment 8

42.7

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GCSE Rank

#23 in Cornwall

#2,136 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Sir James Smith's School is a Academy converter secondary school in Camelford, serving ages 11-16. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.0×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Sir James Smith's School is an academy converter in Camelford, Cornwall, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of NORTH CORNWALL LEARNING TRUST. The school has approximately 605 pupils on roll, of whom 28% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 42.7, placing the school #23 in Cornwall and #2,136 of 3,216 nationally. 43.00% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 12.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2016. The school's current overall rating is Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.0× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.2:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 23.9 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

42.7

Grade 5+ E&M

43.00%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)12.6%

Entering EBacc19.00%

EBacc APS3.67

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.43

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

38.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc50.50%

EBacc APS3.54

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.47

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

37.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc51%

EBacc APS3.43

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.34

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc53%

EBacc APS4

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc63%

EBacc APS-

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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)70%

Apprenticeships9%

Employment10%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

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

Apprenticeships3%

Employment10%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)75%

Apprenticeships11%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

11 October 2022

Inspection Report

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11 October 2018

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2016-04-19

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2014-09-25

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

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

24.6%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

10.7%(65 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 605 pupils. During this period, there were 149 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 24.6%, 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)	605	149	24.6%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	617	143	23.2%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	593	49	8.3%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	600	78	13.0%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	608	41	6.7%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	597	35	5.9%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	601	107	17.8%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	603	34	5.6%	5.9%	2
2021/22 (Summer term)	580	20	3.4%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	575	22	3.8%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	572	18	3.1%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	548	9	1.6%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	541	7	1.3%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	548	11	2.0%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	543	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	543	11	2.0%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	548	22	4.0%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	495	1	0.2%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	495	14	2.8%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	490	9	1.8%	3.8%	0

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

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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 54 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 25 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 19 pupils

Physical Disability 8 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 6 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 5 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

71.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

86.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

20.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree14%

agree43%

disagree20%

strongly disagree10%

don't know13%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree18%

agree42%

disagree25%

strongly disagree12%

don't know4%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree18%

agree23%

disagree15%

strongly disagree15%

don't know5%

not applicable23%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes23%

no78%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree15%

agree22%

disagree19%

strongly disagree30%

dont know15%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree31%

agree33%

disagree16%

strongly disagree8%

don't know12%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree24%

agree41%

disagree12%

strongly disagree9%

don't know14%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree26%

agree43%

disagree17%

strongly disagree11%

don't know4%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree22%

agree49%

disagree21%

strongly disagree5%

don't know3%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree48%

agree45%

disagree6%

strongly disagree1%

don't know1%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree20%

agree33%

disagree22%

strongly disagree12%

don't know14%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes65%

no35%

Top Secondary Schools in Cornwall

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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Outstanding

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Good

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Good

location_on Camborne, TR14 7PP

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Launceston College

Good

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Penryn College

Good

location_on Penryn, TR10 8PZ

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Penair School

Good

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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)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

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