Copper Valley Infant and Nursery Academy is a mainstream primary school with an SEN unit in Gunnislake, Cornwall, for children and young people aged 2 to 7. Its SEN unit has 6 places for autism.
- Ages 2–7
- 70 pupils
- Ofsted: Good
School details
- Type
- Mainstream school with an SEN unit
- Ages
- 2 to 7
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Specialist base
- An SEN unit, 6 places, 3 pupils
- Pupils
- 70
- Headteacher
- Mr Paul Arnold
- Part of
- Bridge Multi-Academy Trust
- Council
- Cornwall
- School reference (URN)
- 142038
Needs its base supports
1 need: autism
As listed by the Department for Education, grouped the way EHC plans describe needs.
Communication and interaction
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places in an SEN unit or resourced provision are usually for children with 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 about the base
See the school and its specialist base, and ask how children split their time between the base and mainstream classes.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Cornwall council) that you want this school and its base, 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. Places in the base itself are agreed between the council and the school, so ask how they decide.
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
Rated Good, September 2018; standards maintained (April 2025)
Rated Good at its last graded inspection, in September 2018. That was some time ago, so read the latest report for the full picture.
- Leadership and managementGood
- Early yearsGood
- SafeguardingEffective
Since then: Standards maintained (ungraded inspection, April 2025).
Contact and getting there
Drakewalls, Gunnislake, PL18 9EN
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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
- Copper Fields School Independent · Ages 4–16 0.1 miles
- The Lowen School Independent · Ages 5–18 · Ofsted: Outstanding 0.9 miles
- Quay View School Independent · Ages 7–19 · Ofsted: Good 2.0 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 Copper Valley Infant and Nursery Academy
How do I get a place in Copper Valley Infant and Nursery Academy’s specialist base?
Places in an SEN unit or resourced provision usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult the school about its base. If the school is named in the plan it must admit your child; places in the base itself are agreed between the council and the school.
What needs does Copper Valley Infant and Nursery Academy support?
Autism. Every child is different, so ask the school how it would meet your child’s needs.
What ages does Copper Valley Infant and Nursery Academy take?
Aged 2 to 7, boys and girls.
What is Copper Valley Infant and Nursery Academy’s Ofsted rating?
There’s no overall grade to show. Read the school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.
Where is Copper Valley Infant and Nursery Academy?
Drakewalls, Gunnislake, PL18 9EN, 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.