Trekenner Community Primary School

Trekenner Community Primary School Lezant, Launceston, PL15 9PH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils in all year groups make good progress, especially in reading, because the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is good.  Teaching has improved in Reception since the previous inspection and pupils enjoy the range of activities on offer.  Pupils in all years behave well and have very respectful attitudes to each other and to adults. They feel safe and are very happy at school and are keen to talk about the things they have learnt, such as magnetism.  Teachers know their pupils extremely well and are skilled at planning tasks that interest and challenge pupils of all abilities and ages.  Leaders and managers carefully track the performance of different groups of pupils and make sure that their assessments are accurate. Any pupils who are at risk of underachieving are quickly identified and given extra support to help them to make progress. Consequently, the progress of all groups is good.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 There has been an improvement in pupils’ writing over the past year, especially in their spelling and grammar, because teachers have focused on this more often. Teachers also make sure that pupils write in a wide range of contexts, including reports on experiments and creative stories.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 More able pupils do not make as much progress in aspects of mathematics such as measurement because they are not given sufficient challenge in these areas.  Less able pupils make mistakes when calculating place value because their work is not well set out.  Pupils are often quite dependent on the teacher and do not seek to find things out from other sources by themselves.  Teachers do not encourage pupils to check their work for accuracy.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed seven lessons and observed three teachers, plus one session in the pre- school. The headteacher joined the inspector for a number of observations.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, staff, pupils, governors and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including the school improvement plans, priorities for development, achievement data, governing body minutes and documents relating to safeguarding children.  The inspector took account of six responses to the staff survey and 17 responses to the online Parent View survey, and spoke to six parents during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Joanna Peach, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes. Children in the Reception Year are taught in the same class as pupils from Years 1 and 2.  Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds. There are currently no disabled pupils or pupils with special educational needs. There are more girls than boys.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium (extra funding which supports different groups of pupils, including those who are entitled to free school meals) is below average.  In 2012, the school did not meet the current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. However, it met these standards in the previous two years and school assessments show that it is on course to meet the floor standards this year.  The school has a pre-school on site, which was observed as part of this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve standards in mathematics by making sure that:  more able pupils have sufficient opportunities to focus on more difficult aspects of measures  marking in mathematics helps less able pupils to set their work out so that they can solve problems using place value more accurately.  Develop pupils’ independence and research skills by:  making sure that pupils are encouraged to check their own work and correct errors  encouraging pupils to use a wider range of resources to find things out for themselves and to develop their interests.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ progress in reading across the school is good because they are taught phonics from the very early stages. Pupils then build on this knowledge to tackle complex texts quite early on. As a result, reading has improved since the previous inspection.  Pupils write extensively and regularly and so make good progress. They are encouraged to write in all subjects, such as writing formal reports in Years 3 and 4 on scientific experiments they have conducted. The school has had a focus on improving pupils’ spelling and grammar and most pupils now write more accurately, although there are still some pupils who need more help to enable them to correct their own errors.  The few pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium make good progress in English and mathematics, similar to that of other pupils. They are often given extra support in the form of individual tuition, which helps to make sure that they do not fall behind. In the past, pupils who

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The achievement of pupils is good

have had special educational needs have been given good support and the school’s data show that they made good progress.  Children start school with expected skills and knowledge. The pupils who attend the pre-school arrive in Reception with well-developed personal and social skills, with some beginning to recognise words and to form letters to write out their name. Children make good progress in Reception, especially in developing further their social skills and their ability to read.  Pupils continue to make good progress in Years 1 and 2, building on their already good reading skills and making good progress in writing and mathematics. The majority know at least some of their multiplication tables by heart and can solve mathematical problems such as working out when they could go to a theme park by looking at the opening and closing times.  Very small cohorts mean that there is wide variation in results from year to year. In 2012, there

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The achievement of pupils is good

were only seven in the cohort, including those with special educational needs, and these pupils did not meet the government floor standards. In most years, the proportion of pupils that have made at least the progress expected of them is high, especially in reading and writing.  Pupils’ mathematical skills, while still good overall, have some aspects that are relatively weaker. More able pupils are less good at measuring accurately than they should be and do not always understand how to draw to scale or, for example, how to work out the probability of picking a certain coloured ball out of a bag. Less able pupils make mistakes when calculating place value because their work is not often well set out.  Pupils are often given opportunities to use their mathematical skills in other subjects; for example, they are expected to draw and interpret graphs when conducting scientific experiments. They use information and communication technology well, especially to help with

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The achievement of pupils is good

spelling from an early age. They are less confident at working independently but are very good at working in groups and pairs, sharing ideas and listening carefully to each other.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are very skilled at designing tasks which capture pupils’ interest and that allow them to work at their own level. Pupils were often so engrossed with tasks that they did not notice when visitors entered the room and all pupils spoken to said they really enjoyed the work they were given. One pupil said, ‘I like the work – I do a lot and I have to really think hard.’ Several pupils in Years 3 and 4 remembered work they had done on magnetism and broke spontaneously into a song about it. Teachers know their pupils extremely well and so are able to motivate them.  Teaching in Reception and Years 1 and 2 is good, with pupils working on a wide range of activities, from writing a shopping list for a gardening session to designing a raft made of twigs. Good use is made of the outside space. For example, in one outstanding lesson, pupils made use of the beautiful views to inspire their painting. In another lesson they used the field to play a ball

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The quality of teaching is good

game while making up sentences using specific sounds.  Teaching in Years 3 to 6 is also good. Pupils build on their good skills in reading and writing and they are encouraged to use their writing for real purposes; for example, one pupil who wrote to a toy company was successful in persuading them to donate a huge box of construction materials.  In mathematics, pupils’ progress is a little uneven as sometimes the more able do not move on quickly enough to more advanced tasks in areas such as measurement.  Teachers use questioning well, asking more difficult questions of the older pupils while still engaging the younger ones in the class.  Marking and feedback is better in English than in mathematics. In mathematics, less able pupils are not given enough help to improve the layout of their work or to see how their work could be improved. In English, marking is helpful and pupils can see what they need to do to improve.

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The quality of teaching is good

Nevertheless, not all the adults in the classroom are as skilled at picking up misconceptions and consequently some pupils continued to make the same errors in handwriting until the teacher intervened.  The careful tracking and assessment of pupils’ performance mean that all pupils are kept on track towards meeting their challenging targets, any potential underachievement is identified and support is put in place so that all pupils make good progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are very happy at the school; they are rightly proud of their school and particularly value the small size; as they put it, ‘everyone gets on’. Pupils play safely and sensibly outside, they use the extensive outdoor space well and often choose to play games together, sing songs or act things out.  Pupils enjoy their lessons and behave well. However, their learning behaviour is sometimes quite passive and they are too dependent on the teacher as they are not encouraged to find things out from other sources for themselves or to check their work for accuracy.  Pupils feel safe and have a very good understanding of dangers that might arise from using the internet, for example, because the school spends a lot of time making sure that pupils discuss such matters. The school keeps careful records of all bullying incidents and makes sure that any allegations are followed up. Pupils say they are confident that bullying is rare and is well dealt

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

with if it happens. Most parents agree that bullying is effectively dealt with.  All parents and carers who responded to Parent View agreed that behaviour at the school is good and that children are kept safe.  Pupils are very polite and willingly volunteer to help adults and each other. They become increasingly sensitive to the needs of others and are especially good at working in groups with pupils who are older or younger than themselves. They develop a strong sense of belonging to a community and they often work with older members of the village and are regular visitors to the local chapel and church. They have a good sense of their differences from, and similarities with, people from other cultures because of their links with schools abroad and in different areas of the United Kingdom.  Attendance is above average and the school works hard to challenge the very few families whose children are persistently absent.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has worked hard to continue to improve, and issues identified at the previous inspection have been addressed. The progress of the youngest children is carefully measured and is now good. Older pupils use their skills in writing and in mathematics well in other subjects, such as history and geography.  The school measures how it is doing accurately and there is a good plan to bring about improvements. The school buys in support from the local authority to help it make sure that it evaluates its progress robustly, and this has been useful.  The school has a well-designed tracking system to assess pupils’ performance against national standards which identifies if any pupil is in danger of underachieving. Pupils’ work is checked within the school and with teachers from other local schools to see that it is as accurate as possible.  Leaders check the quality of teaching regularly. They saw that the school needed to do more

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The leadership and management are good

work on developing music, for example, and made sure that teachers had enough training so that they could teach certain topics in more depth so that pupils’ musical skills improved. Staff have also had training in phonics and grammar, and teaching in these areas has improved.  The pupil premium is used effectively to offer extra support to eligible pupils and there is no difference between the performance of these pupils and that of others in the school. When there are pupils who have special educational needs, the school is careful to make sure that their progress is monitored and that all pupils are treated as individuals and are supported to do as well as they can. In this way, it promotes equality of opportunity and sees that there is no discrimination.  The school seeks out the views of parents and staff by issuing questionnaires and responding to any informal requests or queries. It took very seriously the request from parents to open a pre-

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The leadership and management are good

school and has secured funding which allowed it to open one. This is helping to boost numbers in the main school as these children stay on into Reception, as well as providing a much appreciated service for local families.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Some governors have a background in education and work with teachers, hearing pupils read and supporting pupils who find learning difficult. This means that the governing body has a good idea of the quality of teaching. It successfully works with the leaders in the school to make sure that the good things get even better. For example, it is helping to see that information and communication technology is used to support the development of writing.  Governors are involved in reviewing teachers’ performance and ensure that the quality of teaching and leadership responsibilities are reflected in their salary progression. They know

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The leadership and management are good

what the school is doing to tackle any underperformance.  Governors attend training run by the local authority to help them with analysing data and this support means that they are easily able to ask challenging questions about pupils’ progress and about how funding, including any extra funding such as the pupil premium, is spent. Similarly, the training helps them to fulfil their responsibilities to keep pupils safe by making sure that all staff are appropriately trained in child protection and that recruitment of staff follows national and local guidelines.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 111933 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 411736

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 43 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Liz Gooding Headteacher David Reardon Date of previous school inspection 2 July 2009 Telephone number 01579 370435 Fax number 01579 371109 Email address head@trekenner.cornwall.sch.uk guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, 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 .

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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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

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School details

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 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

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School details

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’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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