Marazion School

Marazion School School Lane, Marazion, Cornwall TR17 0DG

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Governors are not securing an accurate view of pupils’ progress in all year groups to hold senior leaders to account effectively for the quality of teaching and learning.  Senior and subject leaders are not focusing enough on the impact on pupils’ academic progress when monitoring the quality of teaching.  Not all teachers are checking pupils’ learning and adapting lessons to ensure that all pupils make good progress.  The teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters represent) is too variable across classes to enable all pupils to get off to a good start in their reading.  Pupils, especially the disadvantaged and the most able, are not making consistently strong progress across all year groups in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher has developed a positive ethos for learning; pupils enjoy the many visits and opportunities for sport and outdoor activities.  More rigorous monitoring of pupils’ progress by senior leaders is leading to improvements in achievement.  The school works well with most parents and they are positive about its leadership.  The specific needs of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are met, enabling the pupils to make good progress.  Effective use of assessment in the early years leads to children making good progress from their starting points.  Pupils are eager to learn, they behave well, and their attendance is above average.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teachers’ use of assessment to ensure pupils, especially the disadvantaged and the most able, make consistently good progress in each year group, by: developing teachers’ skills in checking how well pupils are learning and in adapting activities so that all pupils are appropriately challenged from their different starting points ensuring all teachers’ marking informs pupils precisely what they need to do to improve their work focusing on the impact teaching has on the progress of all pupils when monitoring the quality of teaching, and identifying specific areas for professional development enabling staff to observe outstanding practice within and beyond the partnership schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the teaching of phonics by: – sharing the good practice in the early years provision, particularly in checking and reinforcing pupils’ learning, with teachers across Key Stage 1 – developing the skills of teaching assistants in the teaching of phonics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop governors’ skills in securing an accurate view of pupils’ progress in each year group and in holding senior leaders to account effectively for the quality of teaching and learning.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Since the previous inspection, there have been substantial changes in staffing. There has been a decline in pupils’ achievement to below the government’s floor standards. During this time, the governing body did not hold senior leaders to account effectively to challenge them to put suitable measures in place to prevent the decline. Systems for monitoring and evaluating pupils’ progress were not rigorous enough to provide governors with a regular and accurate view of pupils’ progress.  The pupil premium is used to provide some early intervention programmes to develop the reading, wirting and language skills of disadvantaged pupils, but mostly to develop pupils’ language and knowledge through enrichment activities. These are not addressing the specific needs of the disadvantaged pupils enough to enable them to catch up with other pupils in the school.  The headteacher, supported by the governing body, has now secured stability in staffing. Most of the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

teachers are new, or relatively new, to teaching. Leaders’ evaluation and management of teachers’ performance are not focusing enough on their impact on pupils’ learning and progress. School improvement planning, therefore, is not identifying specifically the professional development teachers need to secure consistently good progress for all pupils.  The teaching staff are enthusiastic, capable and committed to improving pupils’ progress. The quality of teaching and learning is improving, although it is too uneven to promote good progress in all year groups.  Senior leaders have developed a more robust system for monitoring pupils’ progress. It enables underachieving pupils to be identified and suitable intervention to be provided. As a result, Year 6 pupils last year made good progress and the gap in achievement between the disadvantaged pupils and others in the year group started to close. The headteacher is aware of the need to improve the quality of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

teaching in all years, particularly in the teaching of early reading, in order to sustain good progress in future years.  The headteacher’s vision of providing a stimulating learning environment to inspire a love of learning in pupils and to enable them to see its relevance to their lives is shared by pupils, parents, staff and governors. The headteacher seeks systematically the views of staff and parents to inform school improvement.  Almost all written comments on the Parent View survey were fulsome in praise of the school. For example, ‘The school integrates very well with the community; is often out with the children, using their natural surroundings to aid learning; the after-school clubs are excellent and there’s fantastic pastoral care’.  The broad and balanced curriculum provides a wide range of opportunities for pupils to learn and contributes well to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It motivates teachers to provide

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

new and interesting ways for pupils to find out about their world. In addition to their lessons in reading, writing and mathematics, pupils carry out science investigations, research using computers, produce artefacts, find out about people in other countries and learn the social skills required to live and work together.  Pupils also engage in a wide range of physical education and sport, including swimming, surfing, dance and visits to the local gym. The use of the primary physical education and sport premium is planned effectively and its impact on pupils’ learning and development is monitored thoroughly, to good effect.  Visits and imaginative use of the local environment as a beach school and forest school enhance the pupils’ learning and their personal development and well-being. The development of global understanding prepares pupils positively for life in modern Britain and promotes British values such as respect for, and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

tolerance of, different faiths.  Senior leaders use funding for special educational needs effectively to meet the specific needs of individual pupils and to make sure that they have equal access to the curriculum. Staff and pupils work together to prevent any prejudiced behaviour. Relationships between teachers, support staff, pupils and leaders are positive and contribute to a culture of respect and tolerance. Senior leaders protect pupils from radicalisation and extremism.  The positive impact of the Penwith Education Trust is clear in the good range of resources available to support pupils’ learning, including the sharing of a specialist physical education teacher. The resources are motivating pupils to learn. The impact is also clear in the suitable policies and procedures that are in place and that support the work of the school.  The local authority provides a comprehensive evaluation of academic outcomes for the early years and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

Key Stages 1 and 2. It also provides suitable challenge to the school to raise standards. The local authority commissioned a consultant who has worked with the school to develop the skills of senior leaders, particularly in improving the tracking of pupils’ progress, and this is underpinning improvements in the school. Given the early stage in the career of most of the teachers, senior leaders should enable staff to observe outstanding practice within and beyond schools within the trust.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school Following a recent external review, the governing body is beginning to challenge senior leaders about the achievement of groups of pupils, but does not have an accurate view of the progress of all pupils in each year group. Link governors visit the school to gain first-hand an overview of the school’s work, but governors do not evaluate the school’s impact on pupils’ progress enough. The governing body monitors the impact of pupil premium funding on outcomes for pupils by the end of Key Stage 2, but is not asking probing questions about the progress of the pupils in all year groups. The governing body is monitoring the physical education and sport funding and the funding for pupils with special educational needs to good effect. Governors carry out the headteacher’s performance management and understand how the school makes decisions about teachers’ salary progression and performance.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

Governors are trained in safeguarding and safer recruitment of staff.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders and staff take appropriate action to identify pupils who may be at risk, reporting concerns and supporting the pupils effectively. They work successfully with parents, carers and external agencies to make sure that all pupils are supported and are safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Teaching is not leading to consistently good progress for all pupils in the mixed-age classes, particularly for the disadvantaged and the most-able pupils. This is because some teachers are not checking pupils’ progress during lessons and adapting their strategies to reinforce the learning for those that need additional support or to extend it for those who are ready for further challenge. This often leads to time not being used productively.  Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work is too uneven to promote consistently strong progress for all pupils. There are examples of effective marking that help pupils to know precisely what to do to improve their work. The impact is seen in the pupils’ response. This practice is not evident in all year groups.  The teaching of phonics is variable. At Key Stage 1, phonics is not taught well. This is because teachers and teaching assistants are not assessing pupils’ levels of understanding or moving them on to more

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

challenging activities when they are ready. Some of the teaching assistants do not have a secure knowledge of how to teach phonics.  In the early years provision, the teaching of phonics is effective because teachers constantly check pupils’ understanding, reinforce it and then move briskly on to challenging pupils to apply their knowledge. Teachers demonstrate the standards they expect and make excellent use of time. Pupils are given opportunities to apply and consolidate their skills in a range of interesting activities.  Throughout the school, teachers plan their lessons to enable pupils to reach appropriate learning objectives. This is an improvement since the previous inspection.  Teachers provide a good range of opportunities for pupils to apply their skills in reading, writing and mathematics in subjects across the curriculum. Pupils say they particularly enjoy applying their mathematics skills in solving problems, and this was evident in lessons.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Pupils mostly focus well on their learning because teachers use a range of interesting resources and reinforce expectations of behaviour and positive attitudes.  Pupils are keen learners, eager to find out more in lessons and in extra-curricular activities. A large proportion of pupils engage in after-school activities.  Only a few parents who responded to the Parent View survey did not agree that their children receive appropriate homework. However, the school has reviewed appropriately its homework policy to include a greater focus on reading.  Some parents did not agree that they receive valuable information from the school about their children’s progress. The inspector found that annual reports provide levels of attainment and details about how well pupils are learning, as well as what they need to do to improve further. The school has also introduced interim reports. Parents say that teachers are accessible and willing to discuss any concerns they might

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils grow in confidence as they excel in the enrichment activities provided. The wide range of interesting activities leads to pupils’ positive attitudes to all aspects of their learning and this supports their progress, and physical and emotional well-being.  Typical comments from parents include, ‘Our child has thrived both personally and educationally since starting at the school. Her confidence in herself has increased hugely, she is flourishing academically, and she is happy and excited to go to school every morning’.  Through the school’s focus on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, pupils learn to respect the ideas and views of others and how to act as responsible citizens.  Pupils feel safe and learn how to keep themselves safe, including from all forms of bullying such as cyber- bullying. They enjoy learning about healthy eating and keeping fit through sport.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s records show that staff are quick to tackle the very few incidents of aggressive language and stereotyping. Through taking swift action, staff ensure that there is little bullying in the school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils conduct themselves well throughout the day, including at lunchtimes, which are very sociable occasions.  The school is an orderly environment. Staff consistently apply the school’s procedures for managing behaviour and pupils respond well to this. Lessons run smoothly without interruption or low-level disruption. However, pupils engage in off-task chatter when not fully stretched by their work.  For pupils with particular behavioural needs, records show improvements over time. Nurture group sessions support them effectively.  Parents, staff and pupils have no well-founded concerns about personal development, behaviour and welfare.  Pupils are eager to learn, punctual to school and their attendance is above average. Very few pupils are persistently absent.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Across all year groups in a wide range of subjects, including English and mathematics, current pupils, especially the disadvantaged and the most able, are not making consistently strong progress. Teaching is not building on the good start pupils make in the early years to promote their good progress across Key Stage 1. Consequently, attainment in the national phonics check in Year 1 has been below average over time, with little sign of improving. By the end of the key stage, pupils attain age-related expectations, but not better than this.  Progress varies across Key Stage 2. Stronger teaching at the end of the key stage, together with a range of intervention programmes, are addressing previous weak achievement. Consequently, Year 6 pupils in 2015 made above-average progress from almost all starting points, including the most-able pupils.  Disadvantaged pupils also made good progress by the end of Year 6. The gap between the attainment of

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally improved from being almost three years behind in the previous year to being six months below average last year. The gap between their attainment and that of other pupils in the school also improved from being 18 months behind in the previous year to being about six months below.  The progress of lower-attaining pupils, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is close to that of all other pupils nationally with the same starting points. This is because the school identifies their specific needs and makes suitable provision for them. A comment written on the Parent View survey supported this: ‘The school put into place one-to-one support for my child. He doesn’t work well in the classroom so they made him his own workstation outside of the class and his progress has been brilliant’.  The very few pupils who speak English as an additional language also make good progress because they

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

are given many opportunities to develop their communication skills.  Senior leaders are putting in place systems to develop pupils’ reading across the school to ensure they read more widely and often. This is improving the pupils’ fluency and comprehension.  The recent improvements in achievement by the end of Key Stage 2 are better preparing pupils for their transition to secondary school.

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Early years provision is good

 Good leadership and management of the early years provision are based on the constant checking of the impact of provision on the children’s learning and progress. Accurate evaluation leads to improvements in all aspects of provision, including teaching, which is of good quality.  Teachers and teaching assistants make regular assessments and observations of the children’s learning and use these to plan their next steps. Where there are gaps in the learning of any group of children, including those for whom the school receives additional funding, the staff are adept at helping them to catch up with other children nationally.  Stimulating classroom and outdoor environments, and good organisation of all areas of learning, provide varied and imaginative experiences that meet the needs of all children well. For example, children confidently apply their phonics skills in searching for new sounds in the garden, and in writing using

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Early years provision is good

different materials such as glitter.  The children are keen to learn and they eagerly apply their skills. Clear expectations and routines support them to become effective learners. They listen intently and respond well to the adults and to each other, demonstrating good behaviour.  Parents say that they are pleased with how quickly their children have settled into school. They like the fact that staff are accessible and engage them in their children’s learning. They value the home visits prior to their children starting school.  The children are developing a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and manage risks as they explore the indoor and outdoor environment.  The staff ensure that robust policies, procedures and practice secure the children’s health, safety and welfare.  Outcomes for children are in line with those typically expected for this age group. This represents good progress from their different starting points and ensures that they are well prepared to enter Year 1.

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School details

Unique reference number 111792 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 10000469 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 128 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Del James Headteacher Jenny Rainbow Telephone number 01736 710618 Website www.marazion.cornwall.sch.uk Email address head@marazion.cornwall.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 14–15 June 2012

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than most primary schools. The number of pupils on roll is increasing.  A larger proportion of pupils than average is eligible for support from the pupil premium. The pupil premium is additional government funding provided for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals. There are currently no children who are looked after by the local authority in the school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average, and very few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs is above average. Their needs relate mainly to speech, language and communication, and to behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.  Children in the early years are taught full time in the Reception Year class.  The school is part of the Penwith Education Trust. The trust is a cooperative partnership of 14 primary

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Information about this school

and two secondary schools, which aims to work together to improve teaching and learning and inclusion for all pupils, and to procure goods and services that offer best quality and value for money.  Since the previous inspection, there has been a high turnover of staff. Staffing is now stable.  In 2014, the school did not meet the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed five lessons taught by five teachers. All of the lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher or deputy head.  The inspector examined pupils’ work and listened to a few pupils reading.  The inspector held meetings with a group of pupils, senior and middle leaders, the headteacher and the Chair of the Governing Body. She also met informally with some parents.  The inspector observed the school’s work. She examined a range of documents, including those relating to school improvement planning and the safeguarding of pupils, and information on the monitoring and evaluation of pupils’ progress, attendance and behaviour.  The inspector took account of 48 responses to Ofsted’s online Parent View survey and 18 questionnaires completed by members of staff.

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Inspection team

Sue Frater, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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