Tregolls Academy

School report Tregolls School - an Academy

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils of all abilities achieve well, making rapid progress in response to challenging teaching in all parts of the school. Some make even better progress because of the additional support they receive.  Teaching is typically good, especially in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where children excel across all areas of learning. A growing range of teaching has outstanding features.  The very skilled headteacher leads a dedicated staff team. Together with a highly focused governing body, they sustain a very determined drive to bring further improvement.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, especially in the area resource base, are fully included in the day- to-day life of the school.  The school’s work in keeping pupils safe is outstanding. All pupils are treated equally and benefit from high quality care.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. Pupils enjoy excellent relationships with each other and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

with adults and show great interest in their work. These qualities underpin pupils’ good and improving learning.  Since becoming an academy, leaders and managers have continued to work strongly with academy partners and local schools and have restored close links with parents.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The quality of pupils’ writing in subjects other than English is not always good enough.  Mathematical skills of some pupils in Year 6, including the most able, are not high enough.  At times, teachers do not give pupils enough guidance about how to improve when they mark their work. This impedes progress, including that of the most able.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 17 lessons. They were accompanied by the headteacher for some of these sessions.  Inspectors observed morning and lunch breaks, attended the breakfast club and also observed an assembly.  Three meetings were held with representative groups of pupils, and many other pupils were spoken to during lessons and at breaktimes.  Inspectors also met with governors. The lead inspector met with representatives of the local partnership of schools and also with members of the parent partership group.  The inspection team took account of 52 parents’ responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning and undertaking the inspection. The inspectors also spoke informally with a number of parents as they brought and collected their children from school. They also considered seven letters from parents.  Meetings were held with school staff, including senior leaders. Twenty eight staff questionnaires

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Information about this inspection

were received and considered.  Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at a number of documents. These included the school’s own information on pupils’ progress and planning, and leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching.  The inspectors examined records relating to behaviour and attendance, and safeguarding policy, procedures and practice. They also considered the school’s sports premium action plan.

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Inspection team

Alex Baxter, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Alan Jones Additional Inspector Stephen Lake Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils or those with special educational needs supported by school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  A well-above-average proportion of pupils are supported by the pupil premium. This is additional government funding provided to give extra support to those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and to children who are looked after.  The school contains an area resource base for pupils with severe and profound learning needs. All these pupils have a statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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Information about this school

 Tregolls School - an Academy converted to become an academy school on 1 September 2012. When its predecessor school, Tregolls Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be a school causing concern and was placed in special measures.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ attainment further by the end of Year 6, especially that of the most able, in writing and mathematics by:  ensuring that pupils’ writing across the range of subjects is always of the highest quality  making sure that all pupils, especially the most able, are more consistently given clear information about what they have to do to improve when teachers mark their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement has improved rapidly over the past 18 months. Pupils make good progress overall and achieve well. This is seen in the higher levels of attainment now being reached by the end of Year 6, in line with what is expected nationally. An increasing numbers of pupils show good levels of skill across the school.  This good progress confirms the assessment of the monitoring inspection in 2013 which noted: ‘Positive indicators of improvement in pupils’ attainment and progress since the establishment of the academy from a continuing legacy of underachievement’.  When questioned, parents also highlighted the faster pace of improvement. One parent’s response was typical: ‘My children were doing well anyway, but now their progress is tremendous.’  Accelerated learning is found particularly in pupils’ reading, and in their speaking, listening and cooperative learning skills, which prepare them well for the future.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The writing and mathematical skills of some pupils in Year 6, including the most able, are still not high enough. The picture across the school is better because pupils are making rapid progress and often developing higher than expected skills.  Children who join the school in the Early Years Foundation Stage have skills below those typical for their age. Speaking and listening, and creative, personal and social skills are often those least developed at this stage.  Children make excellent progress in the Nursery and Reception classes in response to outstanding teaching, and captivating and challenging activities. They enter Year 1 with good levels of development in all areas.  Strong teaching throughout Key Stages 1 and 2 now promotes pupils’ rapid progress. This is especially the case in reading, where regular teaching of phonics (sounds that letters make), additionally supported by reading in groups, has significantly lifted pupils’ skills. As a result, this

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The achievement of pupils is good

year for the first time all the pupils have achieved the expected standards in the phonics checks in Years 1 and 2.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, including pupils in the area resource base, also make good progress. This is because they are known to their caring teachers and teaching assistants, and supported well in their classes and in small working groups.  Very well organised teaching and extra adult assistance across the whole school ensure that pupils supported by additional funding make at least good, and sometimes better, progress. On average, pupils supported by additional funding exceed the attainment of other pupils by about half a term in numeracy and writing and a term in reading.

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The quality of teaching is good

 When the school became an academy, leaders and managers took rigorous steps to overcome longstanding weaknesses in pupils’ learning. Having secured at least good learning and progress overall, teachers are now achieving an increasing amount of outstanding learning.  This is particularly the case in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where children across the range of ability eagerly respond to teachers’ challenging questioning. Staff promote a calm air of discussion and cooperation, which also enthuses the children to find things out for themselves and develop a love of learning  Teachers have an extremely supportive approach to managing pupils’ behaviour in all classes. Pupils respond respectfully to the teachers’ raised expectations and probing questioning.  The pupils’ raised aspirations and excellent attitudes to learning drive their rapid progress. During mathematics in Year 1, for example, the pupils’ strong desire to rise to their teacher’s

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The quality of teaching is good

challenges advanced their ability to add and subtract two-digit numbers.  Teachers have also improved the way they check pupils’ understanding and developing skills. During daily phonics, for example, pupils are challenged at the right level, build on previous learning and consequently extend their skills.  The school uses additional funding very effectively to provide extra adult support for pupils. For example, adults give sensitive support to disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, including pupils in the area resource base. Consequently, these pupils also make good progress, benefiting by staff focusing on developing their particular communication and social needs.  Teachers give good oral feedback, which helps pupils understand what is expected of them in lessons. Teachers also provide pupils with advice about what they have done well and praise them when they mark their work, which helps to promote positive attitudes. At times, pupils are

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The quality of teaching is good

not given enough specific information about how to improve their work and this impedes progress, especially that of some of the most able pupils.  Teachers’ typically high expectations and encouragement of pupils to write expressively have raised the quality of pupils’ writing, especially during English lessons. For example, in Years 4 and 5, pupils’ descriptive writing about the labyrinth in Theseus and the Minotaur showed a good standard of imaginative writing.  Teachers are not as consistent in setting the same high level of expectation of pupils’ best writing when pupils write in other subjects, and this inhibits their developing skills.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. All those associated with the school note that pupils are typically very polite, show good manners, and relate extremely well towards each other and adults.  School displays show that, at times, people in the wider community have commented about Tregolls’ pupils being ‘very well behaved’.  Inspectors’ observations and discussions with staff and pupils show that pupils’ eagerness to respond to teachers’ questions and explain their ideas greatly aids their learning. Similarly, the pupils’ willingness to help each other supports their rapid progress well. This was seen, for example, in English in Years 5 and 6, when pupils benefited from discussing mood in poetic verses.  The pupils’ delight in helping each other is also evident in Reception and Years 1 and 2, when pupils learn well together during daily phonics. The friendly atmosphere promoted in the breakfast club also provides pupils with a welcoming start to their day at school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school’s work in keeping pupils safe is outstanding. Pupils know how to stay safe, explaining to inspectors how, for example, teachers have shown them how to use computers safely. They say they feel very safe at school because ‘friendship is important and everyone is so caring’, and that ‘there is always an adult to talk to’.  They are aware of the different forms that bullying may take, confidently expressing the view that there is no bullying at school.  Pupils also know how to keep healthy. They compete with both rigour and consideration in their team games during break times on the school’s new all-weather pitch.  Pupils contribute wholeheartedly to the day-to-day life of the school outside of lessons, for example taking charge of the tuck shop at break. They are very positive about ‘changes for the better’ at the school and are clearly proud of their school and their teachers.  Leaders and managers, through their close links with parents, have improved attendance

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

significantly in recent years, and it is now above the national average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The very capable headteacher provides a clear lead at the core of a strong team of senior staff, supported well by governors, that continues a well-established momentum of improvement.  The school’s leaders work well together and share skills productively across the partnership of local schools. For example, checks of pupils’ progress and of their work are compared with the other schools to ensure that teachers are targeting pupils’ particular skills effectively. As a result, higher expectations of the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning, and raised aspirations of pupils and parents have been instrumental in accelerating pupils’ progress in most areas of the curriculum.  This improvement is not consistent across the board, however. Although it is improving strongly, leaders and managers recognise that the current level of pupils’ attainment is not yet high enough to show outstanding leadership. This is particularly evident in some aspects of the

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The leadership and management are good

development of pupils’ writing skills.  Leaders ensure that the school’s finances, safeguarding procedures and, in recent years the regaining of the full support of parents, are all managed very well. Staff strongly promote the pupils spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, assembly themes and community events, such as the popular St Piran’s Day parade, encourage pupils to think about their place in the world.  Excellent leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage has already secured an outstanding start for all children. In addition, strong teaching of reading, and increasing numbers of pupils developing good levels of skills across the school, show a clear capacity to improve further.  Senior staff carry out regular checks on the quality of teaching, and have an accurate picture of strengths and areas for development.  Leaders and managers at all levels are committed to equal opportunity and keep pupils free from

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The leadership and management are good

discrimination. They ensure that disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, including pupils in the area resource base, enjoy equal access to all the school has to offer. Leaders are particularly effective in ensuring that additional funding is used to address any gaps in pupils’ skills so that those supported achieve at least as well as their peers.  The school uses the new physical education funding very effectively to ensure that more pupils are involved in a wider range of sports, including judo and dance. Staff and pupils’ skills are enriched by outside coaches, for example, in gymnastics. The school also uses ‘cutting edge’ technology such as computers, digital photography and an all-weather pitch to advance teaching and skills even further.  The governance of the school:  The governing body, strengthened by representatives from the academy sponsor school, supports and challenges the headteacher very well. Members of the governing body possess a

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The leadership and management are good

wealth of skills and make full use of the widened expertise available. Governors undertake training regularly, and skilfully check data of pupils’ progress. As a result, they ensure that additional funds are used very effectively to accelerate pupils’ progress, and that pupils in the area resource base are well supported and have their needs met. They check that underperformance is rigorously tackled, and ensure that teachers’ movements up the salary scale are securely informed by the way teaching impacts on pupils’ learning. They know that improved teaching methods are substantially reducing underachievement. Governors manage the budget efficiently and fully meet their statutory requirements, including safeguarding. Governors receive detailed information from the headteacher and question him closely about how the school is working hard to improve pupils’ progress. They also undertake regular visits

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The leadership and management are good

to the school to meet staff and check the work of the school. By these means, governors know how well pupils are doing and make relevant comparisons with similar schools nationally.

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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 138671 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 440072

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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 Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 175 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sara Cadge Headteacher Matt Middlemore Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01872 274020 Fax number 01872 225430 Email address mmiddlemore@tregolls.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 and 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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