Pencalenick School is a special academy in Truro, Cornwall, for children and young people aged 3 to 16. It supports dyslexia and SpLD, vision, hearing and 5 other needs.
- Ages 3–16
- 200 pupils
School details
- Type
- Special academy
- Ages
- 3 to 16
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 200 (places for 199)
- Headteacher
- Mr Joseph McGovern (Head of School)
- Part of
- Special Partnership Trust
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Opened
- 1 September 2011
- Free school meals
- 58% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Cornwall
- School reference (URN)
- 137478
Needs it supports
9 needs: dyslexia and SpLD, vision and 7 more
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
Cognition and learning
- Specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia) Other schools for this in Cornwall (10)
- Moderate learning difficulty Other schools for this in Cornwall (13)
- Severe learning difficulty Other schools for this in Cornwall (13)
Social, emotional and mental health
- Social, emotional and mental health Other schools for this in Cornwall (13)
Sensory and physical
- Hearing impairment Other schools for this in Cornwall (8)
- Visual impairment Other schools for this in Cornwall (8)
- Physical disability Other schools for this in Cornwall (10)
It also lists other needs. Ask the school what these are.
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Cornwall council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Graded by area, May 2025
Inspected in May 2025. Inspections from September 2024 to November 2025 graded each area but gave no overall grade.
- Quality of educationRequires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- SafeguardingEffective
Contact and getting there
St Clement, Truro, TR1 1TE
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Tregolls Academy Mainstream + base · Ages 2–11 · Ofsted report card (2026) 1.2 miles
- Community & Hospital Education Service Ap Academy Alternative provision · Ages 4–16 · Ofsted: Outstanding 2.6 miles
- Richard Lander School Mainstream + base · Ages 11–16 · Ofsted: Good 4.2 miles
By need in Cornwall: Autism (18) · SEMH (14) · Moderate learning (14) · Severe learning (14) · Speech and language (13) · Dyslexia and SpLD (11) · Physical (11) · Hearing (9) · Vision (9) · Multi-sensory (9) · PMLD (8)
Questions about Pencalenick School
How do I get a place at Pencalenick School?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Pencalenick School. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What needs does Pencalenick School support?
Specific learning difficulty (such as dyslexia), visual impairment, hearing impairment, autism, social, emotional and mental health, physical disability, moderate learning difficulty and severe learning difficulty. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Pencalenick School take?
Aged 3 to 16, boys and girls.
What is Pencalenick School’s Ofsted rating?
There’s no overall grade to show. Read the school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.
Where is Pencalenick School?
St Clement, Truro, TR1 1TE, in Cornwall.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.