A former pupil is now the head teacher successfully reviving the fortunes of this small first school

The school: A small primary of 174 pupils in Penzance, near the western tip of Cornwall, St Mary’s is part of the Plymouth CAST academy trust, a group of more than 30 schools in the south-west. The school is in one of the most deprived parts of Cornwall, with more than a third of pupils eligible for the pupil premium (a measure of disadvantage). The number who speak English as a second language is below average but increasing due to the arrival of families from Lithuania and Poland.

Top marks: The school was deemed “inadequate” by Ofsted at an inspection in 2016 when the current head teacher had been in her position for a month. In October last year the inspectors returned and found it “good” in all areas, saying the head teacher “is an outstanding leader”, noting a “marked improvement” in teaching and saying that morale is high.