Penrice Academy in St Austell has been hailed Cornwall’s top state school for a second year running for both Progress 8 and Attainment 8 scores.

Newly published school performance data shows the academy has the highest pass rates at Grade 4 and above in English and Maths at 81%, compared to the Cornwall average figure of 61%.

The Progress Score shows how much progress pupils made between the end of primary school and the end of secondary school, compared to pupils across England. The Attainment Score is based on pupils’ final grades. Both draw upon performance in up to eight qualifications, which include English, maths, sciences, computer science, history, geography and languages.

Penrice headteacher Lucy Gambier said: “We are incredibly proud to share that our Year 11s were the top-performing GCSE cohort in Cornwall for the second year in a row. We want to thank the whole Penrice community, especially our parents, carers, staff and governors, for the amazing care and support they gave to the Class of 2023.

“More important than grades, these fabulous young adults also leave us ready to be exceptional citizens. The Class of 2023’s Summer Prom was a shining example of this, with so many heartfelt words of thanks and expressions of gratefulness from students towards our teachers.

“Our Year 11s certainly left Penrice as proud, respectful and successful individuals; we have every confidence that they will go on to flourish in further education and beyond.”

Both Penrice Academy and Poltair School were among only four schools in Cornwall to achieve positive Progress 8 scores for disadvantaged pupils, who are outperforming non-disadvantaged classmates across the country.