St Columb Major Academy

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 13–14 June 2012 Inspection number 397480 St Columb Major Academy Inspection report

p.1

Unique reference number 136862 Local authority N/A Inspection number 397480 Inspection dates 13–14 June 2012 Lead inspector John Cavill

p.1

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.1

Type of school Academy converter School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 286 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Richard Hooton Headteacher Antus Phillips Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected School address Newquay Road St Columb TR9 6RW Telephone number 01637 880272 Fax number 01637 880272 Email address head@st-columb-major.cornwall.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

p.1

after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.2

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

p.2

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.2

Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspectors visited 28 lessons and observed 11 teachers. ‘Fun Fit’ and a Key Stage 2 singing lesson were also observed. The inspectors took account of the responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. The inspectors also made short observations of sessions on the teaching of phonics ( pupils learning letter patterns and the sounds they represent to enable them to read ). They had discussions with members of the governing body, staff, and groups of pupils. The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including the school improvement plans and priorities for development. They analysed recent evidence on pupils’ progress and attainment, checked safeguarding procedures, and analysed 101 questionnaires returned by parents and carers, as well as others completed by staff and pupils.

p.3

Information about the academy

St Columb Major is a larger-than-average primary academy. Conversion from the predecessor school to an academy took place in July 2011. Most of the pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average. The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is below average, but rising. Early Years Foundation Stage provision is within two Reception- Year classes. The school meets the current floor standards, the minimum standards expected by the government for pupils’ attainment and progress. There is a children’s centre, providing before- and after-school care, and nursery on the academy site, which are not managed by the academy and which will be inspected separately. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

p.3

Information about the academy

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

p.4

Key findings

 This is an outstanding academy. The mission statement, ‘Happy, Hardworking, Successful’, is clear for all to see in the fantastic learning culture that exists, where everyone is valued and encouraged to be the best that they can. The parent or carer who commented that ‘We are lucky to have such a brilliant school’ reflects how parents and carers, pupils, and staff regard the impact the academy is having on the future life chances of pupils.

p.4

Key findings

 Pupils’ exceptional achievement starts from the moment they enter in the Reception Year, where excellent teaching provides a superb start to their education. Pupils’ continue to make rapid and sustained progress throughout the academy, so that, when they leave at the end of Year 6, they attain above average standards.

p.4

Key findings

 Teaching is outstanding, consistently challenging pupils to achieve very well. Lessons are planned particularly well to meet individual needs by skilled teachers and teaching assistants and offer exciting and stimulating activities keenly enjoyed by the pupils.

p.4

Key findings

 Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary both in lessons and around the academy. They demonstrate a great attitude and desire to engage fully with their learning. Pupils are respectful, considerate, and say that they feel extremely safe at the academy.

p.4

Key findings

 Leadership and management are outstanding, including the leadership of teaching and the management of the school’s performance. All members of staff are focused on a shared vision to implement sustained improvements, ensuring that the academy is continuing to develop. Performance review systems are highly effective. They are supported effectively by appropriate professional development and reflect the standards and expectations at the academy. The curriculum is highly effective, incorporates outstanding spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development, and promotes outstanding Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

p.4

Key findings

achievement. Enhancing the Early Years Foundation Stage environment to make it more vibrant and improve creativity remains an area for improvement. Nevertheless, children do well in Reception Year and get off to a strong start.

p.5

What does the academy need to do to improve further?

 Develop the learning environment in the Early Years Foundation Stage to make it more vibrant and allow for children’s improved creativity.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Achievement at the academy is outstanding. Pupils are encouraged successfully to do their best at all times, a view shared by almost all parents and carers, who think that they make good progress. When the children join the Reception Year, they have skills levels that are well below what would normally be expected for their age, especially in their literacy and numeracy skills. During their time in Reception Year, all children make excellent progress in all of the areas of learning, but especially so in their personal development and numeracy skills, as a result of high-quality teaching. Literacy and creative skills remain weaker, but the rapid gains that are made ensure that the children are prepared very well for the next stage of their learning.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Outstanding progress continues throughout the academy and pupils leave at the end of Year 6 with attainment that is above average in all subjects and continuing to improve year on year. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make outstanding progress when measured against their starting points. Accurately assessing individual needs and targeting effective interventions that are delivered by teachers and teaching assistants ensure that progress.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Pupils are excited to be at school. They approach their work with enthusiasm and enjoy working with other pupils. Their ability to work independently is allowing them to make exceptionally good progress and is learnt at an early age. An example of this was seen in a Year 5 numeracy lesson, when pupils were collecting data in groups to work out the mean, average and range. Following an excellent session when the teacher modelled the calculations involved, pupils were presented with challenges that they had to organise together in groups to solve. The ease with which the pupils settled to work on these tasks and used each other to evaluate the process promoted some exceptional learning and is typical of most of the lessons at the academy.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Attainment in reading is above average at the end of both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Pupils are able to use their phonic skills very well and this is evident in the way that they ‘sound out’ and blend the words well to enable an understanding of the text. Reading by the most-able pupils was fluent and enabled them to access information easily from a wide range of sources using challenging text. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

p.5

Quality of teaching

The outstanding quality of teaching, including in the Early Years Foundation Stage, is securing pupils’ particularly good achievement. Lessons are full of challenge and teachers ensure that they are delivered at a pace which promotes very effective learning. There is a team approach in classrooms, with teaching assistants supporting the pupils’ learning very well. Work is matched extremely well to the needs of all pupils, who demonstrate an exceptional keenness to learn and are excited by the tasks that are planned for them. In discussions, they say that ‘they have a good education here’ and that ‘teachers are helpful, really friendly and will joke with you’.

p.6

Quality of teaching

Teachers know their pupils’ very well and use lesson objectives and success criteria to help the children to recognise their own learning. Assessments are regular and direct the learning through the highly effective use of targets with pupils. Marking in the books is done regularly and pupils are able to use feedback to help them progress rapidly. ‘Learning ladders’ are used very well and allow pupils to be fully involved in the assessment of their own work, developing further independence in their learning.

p.6

Quality of teaching

Imaginative teaching strategies are used frequently by teachers and provide opportunities for learning to reflect real life. In the Year 1/2 class, Smudge the sheepdog was used to provide a focus to the pupils that they could relate to and stimulate their reflective thinking. A Year 6 lesson on the weather saw pupils presenting the weather forecast as though they were on the television, showing outstanding confidence and great recall of the information they had learnt. The awe and wonder seen in lessons is indicative of the way that the pupils are enjoying their work. Successful teaching and support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is very effective in helping them to make the same strong progress as their classmates.

p.6

Quality of teaching

Parents, carers and pupils agree with inspectors that the teaching is very effective at the academy and is developing the pupils’ skills in communication, reading, and mathematics extremely well. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural awareness is developed very well through a number of subjects. Reading is taught very effectively and is supported by high-quality daily phonics sessions in Reception Year and Key Stage 1.

p.6

Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ behaviour at the academy is outstanding. High expectations are sought by the staff, who model excellent behaviour which is learnt and adopted by the pupils quickly. A strong moral code exists and all pupils, including those in the Early Years Foundation Stage, demonstrate clearly an understanding of right and wrong. Pupils are keen to take up responsibilities at the school and this can be best seen in the way that the ‘Squaddies’ organise activities for the younger pupils to take part in Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

p.6

Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils enjoy school, play together particularly well and understand the importance of keeping everyone safe. They work very well together and the academy has placed a strong emphasis on teamwork, which has proved to be extremely successful. Learning in lessons is highly effective and pupils are very keen to learn. They have a very positive attitude towards their learning and disruption to learning is non- existent. Pupils value the rewards systems and appreciate the way that success is valued and celebrated.

p.7

Behaviour and safety of pupils

Almost all parents and carers believe that behaviour at the academy is good and that their children are safe. They noted that there has been some bullying, but this has been resolved quickly by the academy. Pupils report that there is very little bullying of any kind, including physical, emotional, and cyber-bullying. They know that the adults will deal with any problems they may have very quickly and very effectively.

p.7

Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance has improved strongly and is now above average, due to successful work to raise awareness of levels of absence with parents and carers. Pupils are rarely late into the academy or lessons and understand the need to have good attendance.

p.7

Leadership and management

Clear direction and vision from the inspirational headteacher have created a learning culture that fosters high expectations from both staff and pupils. That has led to exceptional practice and outcomes in a friendly and cohesive school community where every child genuinely does matter.

p.7

Leadership and management

Leadership and management at all levels, including the governing body, are outstanding. They support the drive for sustained improvement at the academy fully, with an attention to detail which ensures all areas are monitored and examined fully to strive for the very best. Excellent links exist with the nearby children’s centre and nursery that enhance their work with families and the local community successfully. The governing body is challenging, supportive and fulfils all its statutory responsibilities very effectively, including equalities legislation to combat discrimination and ensuring that the requirements for safeguarding are effective and fully met. It is fully conversant with the academy’s strengths and aspects that need further development and is completely involved in the self-evaluation and improvement planning process.

p.7

Leadership and management

Very regular and challenging monitoring of teaching at the academy has resulted in the quality being outstanding. Teachers are supported very well and developed to improve their practice and information on the quality of teaching is used to ensure that appropriate professional development is available through performance management procedures.

p.7

Leadership and management

The curriculum is continually under scrutiny to ensure that it meets the needs of all pupils and provides them with a wide range of memorable experiences. It is broad Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

p.7

Leadership and management

and balanced and the cross-curricular tasks provide excellent opportunities to embed the pupils’ literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology skills. Displays around the school provide first-rate stimulus for learning and are used well to promote outstanding work. However, the environment within the Early Years Foundation Stage has yet to fulfil its potential to provide a vibrant learning experience that encourages creativity.

p.8

Leadership and management

Pupils’ cultural development is enhanced with the very well-developed links with the Shanghai Dong Zhan Primary School in China and Gumpa School in India. Activities such as assemblies, violin tuition for all pupils, and very enthusiastic singing by Key Stage 2 all support the work being undertaken within the curriculum to promote spiritual development. Residential camps and extra-curricular clubs help develop social skills and are very much enjoyed by the pupils.

p.8

Leadership and management

Leaders and managers use the academy’s assessment and tracking system to monitor the performance of individuals rigorously. Pupil progress meetings allow teachers to discuss the progress of individual pupils. Pupils who are identified as not making the required progress are quickly and very effectively targeted with successful interventions that produce outstanding academic outcomes, ensuring equality of opportunity.

p.8

Leadership and management

The quality of the academy’s self-evaluation and ‘vision’ improvement plans is excellent and focused on sustaining and continually raising its effectiveness. They fully reflect the academy’s capacity for improvement.

p.8

Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

p.9

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 6

p.9

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September to 31 December 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

p.9

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

p.9

Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour: how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety: how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

p.10

carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

p.11

Inspection of St Columb Major Academy, St Columb TR9 6RW

Thank you for welcoming us to your academy recently, talking to us about your work and telling us about your academy and what you like about it. We enjoyed talking to you and would especially like to thank those of you who met with an inspector or completed the questionnaire.

p.11

Inspection of St Columb Major Academy, St Columb TR9 6RW

We are always pleased when we see pupils enjoying learning and we certainly saw that at St Columb Major. You told us that you have lots of fun in lessons and when you are with your friends. You thought that the teachers made sure that lessons were fun to do. As you grow up it is important that you remember wonderful moments. The singing that we heard from the Key Stage 2 pupils was fantastic and it was great to see you all enjoy it so much. Those of you who did the wonderful ‘Fun Fit’ session showed us how much you have achieved since you started the programme – well done!

p.11

Inspection of St Columb Major Academy, St Columb TR9 6RW

You told us that your academy is great and we agree with you. We believe that everything about your academy is outstanding. Even outstanding academies can carry on improving, however, and I know your headteacher and teachers want to do just that. We have asked them to make some improvements in the Reception classes so that the classrooms and outside area are more vibrant to encourage the children to be more creative.

p.11

Inspection of St Columb Major Academy, St Columb TR9 6RW

We enjoyed coming to your academy. You can help it to improve by continuing to work hard and concentrating on your work in every lesson.

p.11

Inspection of St Columb Major Academy, St Columb TR9 6RW

John Cavill Lead inspector (on behalf of the inspection team) procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.11