Good Schools Guide – New Review

We are delighted to share this new review by The Good Schools Guide, in which Truro School has been recognised as ‘the top co-ed independent school in Cornwall’ and praised for its exceptional academics, inspirational arts provision and outstanding sporting opportunities. In the independently written review, the school is also celebrated as ‘a happy haven in a fabulous south west setting’ that nurtures ‘engaging, grounded and enquiring young people full of enthusiastic get-up-and-go’. The review highlights the school’s warm pastoral culture, dynamic teaching, thriving co-curricular programme and the ambitious yet supportive ethos that underpins life at Truro School.

We would like to extend our thanks to the reviewers at The Good Schools Guide for their thoughtful and balanced assessment, and to our dedicated staff, pupils and parents whose commitment and spirit make the school what it is.

The review is available to read on their website www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/uk-schools/review/truro-school and also copied below for ease:

“The top co-ed independent school in Cornwall, Truro School is a happy haven in a fabulous south west setting. With a fantastic academic offering, inspirational arts and a sporting reputation that lures even the most reticent outside, it turns out engaging, grounded and enquiring young people full of enthusiastic get-up-and-go.”

Unlike other websites, schools can’t pay to be included in The Good Schools Guide. This means their reviews are independent, critical and fair, and written with parents’ best interests at heart.

Head, Andy Johnson
Since 2020, Andy Johnson, previously deputy head academic at St Dunstan’s College, London. Educated at Westminster School, followed by a history degree at Cambridge, he chose education over law for a profession. He has made it a personal mission to delve into how a pedagogy embedded in pastoral care can change lives.

After studying for a PGCE in Leeds, he began teaching at Berkhamsted before returning to Westminster, where he spent 13 years teaching history, coaching sport and acting as a day house master. In 2012 he jumped the independent ship and took a career-defining move to join the founding team at the pioneering London Academy of Excellence in Newham, a sixth form free school. This move sparked a fascination in the transformative power of education as he witnessed the pupils gaining hitherto unimagined academic success.

After two years, keen to expand this approach beyond sixth form, he moved to St Dunstan’s College, where he spent five years as deputy head academic. When the headship at Truro School came up, he jumped at the chance to lead the school. The move saw him and his wife move to Cornwall with their two children, offering a childhood in the county he had regularly holidayed in as a young boy.

Calm, questioning and analytical, he has made an impressive mark at the school. Parents describe him as ‘kind, driven and passionate about the outcomes of every pupil, with as much focus on mental health as on grades’. Colleagues remark on his ‘extraordinary dedication to ensure a “careers education” that interlinks personal development with academic achievement, helping pupils build employable attributes and key skills for life’.

Parents describe him as ‘kind, driven and passionate about the outcomes of every pupil, with as much focus on mental health as on grades’

Entrance & admissions
Baseline cognitive ability testing (CAT4) used as an entrance test ‘to ensure that the system is as coaching-proof as possible’. Applicants spend a day in school, with observed classes that incorporate a written exercise. The head is determined to recognise and reward learning behavioural attributes as highly as academic ability.

Up to 120 new starters in year 7 – around half from Truro School Prep and most of the remainder from local state primaries. ‘There were a lot of already-established friendship groups from Truro Prep but everyone was really welcoming and there were so many new starters it was easy to find people to be friends with,’ a pupil told us.

A handful join at sixth form every year, some from rival independent schools as proof of the size and reputation of the offering. Successful applicants need a minimum of six grade 5 to 9 passes at GCSE and a 6 or 7 in subjects they want to study at A level.

A few pupils join annually across the year groups, with all pupils echoing how easy it was to settle within the ‘open and friendly’ pupil cohort.

Exit
Around 40 per cent leave post-GCSE, mostly for the additional pathway choices and greater freedoms of the highly respected Truro and Penwith College, just the other side of the city.

After A levels, 92 per cent to university, where the favoured destinations have a south west preference – Bristol, Cardiff, Bath and Exeter. Strong Russell Group bias across the board, with consistently strong figures to Oxbridge (three in 2025 and two medics). International university applications encouraged and supported by a dedicated team. In 2025 pupils headed to Adelaide to study aviation, to Harvard on a squash scholarship and to Canada’s McGill University to read business.

Teaching & learning
There’s a warm, fun and engaging atmosphere to learning here. Teachers and pupils have a notably close relationship – shared jokes, lots of positive interaction and plenty of activity at the core of every lesson we visited. One teacher even apologised that her class were sitting down and working. ‘Don’t worry, we’ve been up on our feet doing the fun bit for most of the lesson,’ she quipped when we walked in. It’s rare that teachers apologise for calm but it’s proof that this school lives by its claims to focus on metacognition, delivering what the head terms as ‘an inspiring, values-based approach to learning that will set them up for life’.

In a year 8 English class, pupils were acting out reportage style cameos from Romeo and Juliet in preparation for a short dramatic festival at the on-site Burrell Theatre. Pupils praised the inclusion of drama within the English curriculum for years 7 and 8, saying that it had ‘really brought literature alive’. Year 9 biology pupils were busy prepping for an experiment, hands whizzing up to answer questions. The science labs have had a make-over since our last visit – gone were the antiquated wooden desks and in their place the light-filled, high-tech lab space felt enticingly state-of-the-art.

Geology is a buzzing hive of a department that is both unusual in its offering and ‘exemplary in its provision’ according to parents. The subject is extremely popular and one of the largest optional subjects for both GCSE and A level, with over 50 per cent of the cohort then choosing it at university.

A year 7 maths class was busy picking apart statistical information about education, using class laptops to analyse and correlate the information in small groups. Maths is the only subject to be set – it’s set from year 7, with banding reviewed regularly as pupils progress through each year.

Modern foreign languages are compulsory and are a top results winner, with pupils praising the variety on offer and the ‘passionate, mostly native speaking’ teachers. French, Spanish and German all offered up to A level.

Parents praised ‘exceptional’ accessibility and feedback from staff, with ‘open doors’ of communication to address any concerns, check homework questions and chat about progress.
Teachers and pupils have a close relationship – shared jokes, positive interaction and plenty of activity at the core of every lesson we visited.

Sixth form
While 40 per cent of the cohort leave after GCSEs, the school sits in the top 10 per cent nationally for value added at A level. Those who stay proclaim the sixth form to be ‘beyond amazing’, offering not only a broad academic pathway but ‘so much more than that’. ‘You feel utterly nurtured and supported to get the very best for yourself, no matter what path you are on,’ explained one student. Parents concurred – ‘you really see where the fees go at this age,’ one told us. ‘It has exceeded every one of our expectations.’ New sixth form joiners are met with warm welcomes and ‘instant inclusion’ according to pupils.

Good level of popular and more niche A level subjects on offer, including psychology, geology, computer science, business studies and a choice between fine art or 3D design. Additional qualifications in core maths and EPQ offered, as well as two valued technical certifications in PE or cookery. ‘Many of our sixth formers take the Leiths level 3 extended certificate in cookery as it opens doors not only to following a career in hospitality and catering but also for gap year roles. Ski seasons spent catering in chalets an obvious next step from here’.

Sixth form centre is central to the site, with its own small café and vending machines. Light-filled and with plenty of common areas and designated quiet working spots, it is clearly a much-loved haven for older pupils. Uniform is a thing of the past for sixth formers, who wear ‘business smart’ dress and are free to head off-site if their grades are good enough. Extracurricular activities (sport, DofE, Ten Tors and numerous clubs) ensure a healthy study-fun balance.
‘You feel utterly nurtured and supported to get the very best for yourself, no matter what path you are on’

Learning support & SEN
Although plans are afoot to move and redesign the SEN department, it currently sits under the school’s on-site medical centre and is staffed by a full-time head of learning, three part time SEND teachers and two administrative staff. Around 25 per cent of the school cohort receive additional support, mostly assisting low level needs due to neurodiversity. When we visited there were no pupils with an EHCP at the school. For most (75 per cent) the support they receive is delivered in class via adaptive teaching and through exam access adjustments. The remaining 25 per cent also receive small-group or individual, target-led intervention with a SEN specialist.

Pupils praised the dyslexia support as ‘transformational’. ‘My whole mindset towards what I could achieve with dyslexia was changed here and the fact that my GCSE grades were so high is a reflection of the amazing support that the SEN team gave me,‘ said one.

While a few parents voiced concerns about the time taken to flag or identify possible additional needs, all agreed that the support post-diagnosis was ‘spot on’. ‘It made such a difference, ensuring that every possible level of support was on offer around school, in class and in exams,’ one told us. ‘My whole mindset towards what I could achieve with dyslexia was changed here’

Arts & extracurricular
With our hard hats and high-vis jackets firmly in place, we toured the school’s new music department, which will offer some of the best music facilities in the south west. ‘We see this as a pivotal addition to our school but we also want it to be a community music hub and a state-of-the-art recording and performance space for professional bands and other schools to use.’

From ‘rock rooms’ floating in spaces so professionally soundproofed that an exam could be taking place next door and you’d still hear a pin drop, to rehearsal rooms and performance spaces with unrivalled acoustics, the scale and quality of the build is staggering, mirroring the original Victorian design and making the most of the cityscape views with an iron-railed rooftop balcony.

The school provides the education for Truro Cathedral Choristers, so music is lively, with choirs, bands and orchestras on offer, plenty of performance opportunities and a plethora of instruments to learn. Parents hope the new building will push the department’s teaching provision to new depths.

Drama set to benefit from this new performance space but is already a highly praised department. We watched rehearsals for a cameo of Macbeth then popped into the wardrobe and prop department, which would rival that of any professional theatre. Drama is consistently a highlight for pupils, with the staff’s professional credentials a real boost to many budding thespians. Pupils’ tales from the annual performance (including Chicago, Jesus Christ Superstar and A Christmas Carol) were enthusiastically shared.

Vibrant studios abound in the warren-like art department. Impressively wide curriculum offering not simply fine art but also the broader elements of 3D design – woodwork, jewellery making, clay studios and printmaking. We watched one year 7 group cut abstract shapes in metal while another tried their hands at isometric drawing. This year’s A level submissions included an engineering biomorphism project and eye-catching abstract canvases.

Truro is a school that loves to get out and about. In the outdoor education hub are floor-to-ceiling maps, ropes, expedition plans and a buoyant team busy planning all manner of outings. DofE and Ten Tors a given, but pupils spoke of horizon-broadening trips to Peru, Iceland, Borneo and Brittany.

Wednesday afternoons are dedicated to extracurricular activities, with a mind-boggling array of options that ensure every pupil finds their passion and the tribe to share it with. We saw minibuses filling with skateboarders and surfers, would-be chefs busy in the Leiths department, debating teams rehearsing for national competitions and a war games club full of happy battlers. Clubs take place before and after school daily, with constant new additions.

The scale and quality of the new music department is staggering, mirroring the original Victorian design and making the most of the cityscape views

Sport
This sporty school has good on-site facilities, a strong reputation locally and lots of individual and team successes to their name. Recent highlights include the under-14 boys’ football team eaching the ESFA National Cup Final, Rugby 7’s tournament success at Rossyln Park and the under-16 girls’ hockey team finishing fifth in the national finals. ‘If you love sport, there’s so much on offer here, with really amazing coaching,’ say pupils, while parents speak of the strong sporting reputation of the school and the incredibly dedicated staff.

The scale is impressive – from more than 32 football, 12 rugby and 20 hockey teams to smaller but no less effective golf, table tennis and squash squads. ‘We offer high level coaching and competition for those with that ability but, importantly, there’s also a really good entry level offering for anyone new to a sport or seeking some recreational fun,’ explained the director of sport. Girls’ football is particularly buoyant and fencing is a notable standout, with a long list of international wins and a specialist scholarship award in conjunction with Truro Fencing Club.

Despite being a substantial bus ride from many competitor independent schools, the school manages to defend and win football, rugby, cricket and hockey titles against the likes of Millfield, Mount Kelly and Wellington, as well as local state secondary schools.
Girls’ football is particularly buoyant and fencing is a notable standout, with a long list of international wins and a specialist scholarship award

Boarders
‘Boys boarding is purposefully above the dining hall so they can roll out of bed and be fed,’ laughed a boarding houseparent. With a healthy dose of in loco parentis affection, we can think of no better person to be in charge. Two floors of modern, clean and good-sized bedrooms straddle the top floors of the main school building, giving an easy route to the library and sports centre. Most rooms are single, with some doubles for the younger years.

Girls’ boarding is similarly impressive in a separate house a little down the hill. Girls and boys are able to mix in the common rooms within boarding but not in bedrooms. Virtually all boarders are full-time, half of them UK boarders and half international pupils from a broad range of countries including Germany, the US, China, Hong Kong, Lithuania and Ukraine.

Communal areas boast a full-size pool table, piano, vast screen surrounded by sofas, fully fitted kitchen and endless supplies of biscuits, alongside pinned lists of county-wide activities for the forthcoming weekends. We would happily have stayed to head out on surf trips, quad bike adventures and gallery visits. It felt fun, inclusive and homely.

Ethos & heritage
The school motto, Esse Quam Videri (‘to be rather than to seem to be)’, strongly resonates. There’s a distinct lack of entitlement or arrogance among pupils and a warm sense of pastoral security. Parents put this down to ‘the close linking of pastoral, academic and co-curricular approaches and the incredible speed with which the staff get to know each and every child’.

The senior school traces its roots back to a Methodist foundation in 1880, when it began with just 35 boys and two teachers in a city-centre classroom. It moved to its current site in 1882. The original Gothic stone building has since been expanded significantly, with each department now housed in its own space. The atmosphere feels relaxed, with pupils moving freely between lessons and gathering across the site during breaks. The school became co-ed in 1990 and today has an almost equal mix of boys and girls.

Although they occupy separate sites, both the prep and senior schools enjoy leafy hilltop settings. They’re only a few miles apart, but parents with children at both say the journey can be ‘a traffic nightmare, especially if you get caught in the snaking line down the drive at the senior school’.

The school is part of the Methodist Independent Schools Trust (MIST) ,giving it robust financial support as well as ensuring adherence to strong governance and a gentle Methodist ethos. Pupils speak fondly of chapel time, with parents extolling the ‘good moral compass’ shared by the school’s Christian faith.

Notable alumni include four-time Olympic gold medallist sailor Sir Ben Ainslie (after whom the sports centre is named), the government’s former chief scientific adviser Lord Vallance, Queen drummer Roger Taylor, actors Robert Shaw, John Rhys Davies and Nigel Terry, baritones Benjamin Luxon and Alan Opie and sopranos Lynette Carveth and Saffron Jones.

Pastoral care, inclusivity & discipline
Every parent we spoke to applauded the sense of family, belonging and security experienced by their child, praising the pastoral teams for this ‘emotional safety net that enables children to be happily ready to learn and keen to go to school each day’.

‘The school has very clear expectations on behaviour, which means there are no grey areas and pupils are well-mannered and well-behaved,’ say parents. Pupils agree. ‘It is pretty strict, but the rules all make sense and ensure that we all feel safe so no-one really pushes back,’ said one, then added: ‘Well, we untuck our shirts occasionally.’

Year group tutors are the first port of call for both pupils and parents about any issue, with a wider support structure including head of year, medical or SEN centre and school counsellors. Notably strong relationships between year groups, with older pupils often mentoring younger ones.

Plenty of diversity across the pupil cohort and parents spoke of the ‘easy acceptance’ towards those questioning their sexuality or gender. International boarders ensure a refreshing mix of nationalities.

‘It is pretty strict, but the rules all make sense and ensure that we all feel safe so no-one really pushes back’

Pupils & parents
Pupils we spoke to were grounded and engaging, with a clear enthusiasm for their school and an easy and inclusive attitude to others. We particularly noted how open and supportive they were with each other about personal academic journeys and future plans.

Half of the pupils walk to school from Truro itself. Others travel in daily from across Cornwall, some spending over an hour to reach school by train and bus.

Parents spoke of vibrant WhatsApp groups offering plenty of opportunities to be involved in the school community (from coffee mornings to fundraising events), ensuring that those new to the area feel part of the school ‘family’ quickly.

Money matters
Ten per cent of pupils are on some sort of means-tested bursary, many of 50 per cent or over. The school also offers several full bursaries, including a few students on the Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation, which offers educational places to children in care.

Academic scholarships are not monetary – the focus is firmly on mentoring, commitment and additional opportunity rather than financial reward. However, Truro Cathedral Choristers, fencing scholars and sixth form diploma scholars all receive a fee remission.

The last word
The top co-ed independent school in Cornwall, Truro School is a happy haven in a fabulous south west setting. With a fantastic academic offering, inspirational arts and a sporting reputation that lures even the most reticent outside, it turns out engaging, grounded and enquiring young people full of enthusiastic get-up-and-go.