Trewirgie Junior School

Trewirgie Junior School Falmouth Road, Redruth, Cornwall TR15 2QN

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is a good academy

 Pupils’ achievement is good. All year groups and all groups of pupils are currently making good progress in most subjects.  For the past several years, standards in reading, writing and mathematics have been at least in line with the national average, and often above.  The headteacher leads academy developments with purpose. All staff are clear about the direction of travel and the part they play in improving teaching and learning.  Senior leaders effectively drive improvements to the quality of teaching across the school. They combine their different knowledge and skills together well, to secure improvements.  Middle leaders also play a full part in developments. Together with senior leaders they are determined to make Trewirgie the best the academy can be.  The curriculum is a real strength of the academy. It develops in pupils a strong sense of Cornish cultural identity.  Teaching is good. Teachers plan activities that

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This is a good academy

excite and interest pupils. Support staff are used effectively and contribute well to pupils’ learning in lessons.  Teachers have high expectations. They probe and challenge pupils in lessons to extend their use of language when writing and to explain how to solve mathematical problems.  The governing body is proactive, committed and effective. Governors provide good support in moving the school forward and challenge senior leaders where necessary.  Pupils feel safe and enjoy the wide range of interesting activities planned for them. Around the academy and in lessons they are happy, polite and keen to please.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. Teachers plan activities so that pupils are confident and resilient learners who enjoy coming to school.

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It is not yet an outstanding academy because

 Middle and lower ability pupils do not achieve as well as other pupils in their spelling, punctuation and grammar. Staff do not always support pupils to improve this aspect of their work.  Checks by leaders on the performance of all groups are not always precise enough to bring about the improvements needed.  Effective partnerships with the main feeder school has yet to be established to agree accurate starting points for pupils in Year 3. This limits pupils’ ability to make rapid progress from the moment they start at the school.

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What does the academy need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it secures consistently good or better progress for all pupils by: developing teachers’ use of assessment information to provide extra support or challenge for those who need it developing teachers’ skills in teaching grammar, punctuation and spelling.

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What does the academy need to do to improve further?

 Improve the leadership and management of teaching and learning by: developing leaders’ skills in monitoring and evaluating the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress analysing precisely variations in pupils’ progress, particularly middle and lower attaining pupils’ progress in grammar, punctuation and spelling and taking action accordingly ensuring that governors are well informed about the progress of all groups of pupils in each year group.

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What does the academy need to do to improve further?

 Senior leaders and governors should work with the main feeder school to establish and agree accurate starting points for pupils joining in Year 3.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher leads academy developments with purpose. All staff are aware of the part they play in securing good quality teaching. Policies and procedures are followed carefully. Consequently, the combined efforts of staff in developing the curriculum and teaching and learning result in good quality education experiences for all pupils.  Senior and middle leaders support the headteacher well. Together they make an effective team. They use their different skills, knowledge and expertise to secure improvements, for example, in developing pupils’ mathematical knowledge and skills and their understanding of how to produce high-quality writing in different genres. These improvements demonstrate leaders’ good capacity for further improvement at the academy.  Senior leaders and those at the main feeder school have not yet managed to reconcile variations in the accuracy of assessment of pupils’ starting points. The process of re-checking pupils’ abilities when they

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

arrive at the school is undertaken with time and care, but slows pupils’ rate of learning at the outset of Year 3.  Senior, middle leaders and governors conduct a range of monitoring activities regularly and contribute to development planning. These checks provide actions and helpful analysis which have resulted in improvements. However, analyses are not always detailed enough to assess differences in pupils’ progress precisely. This hampers leaders’ ability to evaluate the impact of actions taken on the performance of different groups of pupils. For example, leaders’ evaluations of teachers’ marking have not focused closely enough on the impact it is having on improving pupils’ spelling, grammar and punctuation.  Academy leaders make effective use of the primary physical education and sport premium to develop teachers’ skills and to increase the range of opportunities for pupils, including dance. Extra-curricular

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

sports activities are well attended and the pupils engage in a range of tournaments with other schools. The academy holds a deservedly good reputation for developing pupils’ technical sports skills. Pupils often return to the school to assist with sports clubs and coaching.  The curriculum is a real strength of the academy. It makes a very positive contribution to pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This is evident in the displays of pupils’ high-quality work, impact videos of their learning and singing in concerts in the local church. The best of pupils’ work regularly features in professional publications.  The headteacher successfully develops a creative approach to learning through themes such as mining and surfing in Cornwall. This approach both engages and involves pupils in visits and activities in the local community, developing a profound understanding of Cornish heritage and pride in their local culture. All

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

pupils have equal access to the curriculum and the wide range of extra-curricular activities.  Pupils demonstrate a good understanding of British values such as democracy, the rule of law, tolerance of other beliefs and respect for diversity, which prepares them well for life in modern Britain. Staff and pupils work together to stop all forms of discriminatory behaviour and prejudice. Staff have received training in the government’s Prevent strategy and show a good level of awareness and knowledge about protecting pupils from the dangers of extremism.  Leaders make effective use of performance management to improve the quality of teaching. The director of teaching and learning uses up-to-date research and techniques to challenge teachers’ thinking. Teachers observe themselves and each other using video technology and discuss how to improve their teaching. Academy records illustrate improvements in teachers’ use of questioning in lessons and the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

teaching of mathematics.  The governance of the academy: is passionate, knowledgeable and determined for the academy to succeed. Governors have an accurate understanding of the academy’s strengths and further developments required, both at the academy and on the governing board. They are developing their understanding of good governance and using their knowledge and skills more effectively to support and challenge the academy. Governors know the standards pupils achieve at the academy and how this performance compares to other schools nationally through undertaking data analyses and visits to classes. They oversee the performance management of the headteacher closely and are aware of the impact of the pupil premium funding. Governors receive information from the academy and use this to challenge senior leaders to identify the improvements necessary. They are aware that an even closer analysis of the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

performance of different groups would enable them to precisely hold academy leaders to account and drive improvement more quickly.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff have been trained at appropriate levels and can explain the academy’s procedures. Staff take appropriate action to identify pupils who may be at risk and they support the needs of the pupils well. Procedures to ensure the safe recruitment of staff or volunteers are followed carefully. Risk assessments are thorough and detailed. Logs of incidents are organised and appropriately detailed so that any analysis can be undertaken to inform future practice.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Good teaching is underpinned by teachers’ good subject knowledge and understanding of pupils’ learning needs. Teachers plan lessons that effectively meet the needs of most pupils. High expectations of pupils’ behaviour and learning are helping all groups to make good progress regardless of ability, background or starting points.  Interesting and engaging activities motivate pupils in their learning. Pupils are active in working things out for themselves because they are keen and eager to learn. Planned activities to promote pupils’ skills in reviewing their progress are developing pupils’ qualities in reflecting on their learning effectively.  Occasionally some planned activities do not build effectively on what pupils already know, understand and can do. When this happens, some pupils lose interest, they do not follow instructions as they normally might and their rate of learning falters.  Teachers have a good understanding of the new requirements for the national curriculum in mathematics.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

In a Year 5 lesson, planned activities effectively developed pupils’ conceptual development of addition and subtraction, alongside their increasing fluency in formal calculation methods. Questions such as, ‘How do you know?’ ‘Why do you think that?’ ‘What do we know about how numbers work to solve this?’ challenge pupils so that they make good progress in developing their reasoning skills.  The school adopts a ‘buffet learning’ approach in mathematics. ‘Buffet learning’ allows pupils to select their own level of challenge, for example, when learning about time. Different activities increase the level of challenge. As pupils succeed at one level they can quickly choose a harder challenge to progress quickly in their learning without wasting any time. Pupils enjoy this approach and are enthusiastic about mathematics.  The teaching of writing has many strengths. Varied and interesting projects inspire pupils to write in

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

different forms accurately, using text structures that are organised well for their specific purpose. Work in books shows pupils have a good understanding and knowledge of different genres of writing and text types. Pupils’ progress from their starting points in writing is strong.  Progress in pupils’ accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar is less rapid, especially for those who are of a middle or lower ability. Teachers’ assessment does not pay close enough attention to this aspect of pupils’ work to ensure that pupils know what to do to improve. In addition, middle and lower ability pupils in most year groups are not required to use their phonics knowledge well enough to spell all words accurately when writing.  Teachers make good use of marking and feedback to set short term targets. Pupils are clear about what they do well and what they need to do to improve, especially in mathematics. Senior leaders have

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

identified the need to further develop their assessment and marking so that it takes greater account of the progress of different groups of pupils. Consequently, a new whole school assessment and marking system has been recently implemented. It is too soon to judge the full impact that this is having.

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Personal development and welfare

 The academy’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They engage well with the academy’s approach to learning, which is based on pupils’ ‘finding out’ for themselves.  Throughout their time in the school, pupils grow in confidence. They support each other thoughtfully in lessons and show respect for each other’s ideas and points of view. They persevere at tasks and show good levels of resilience when tackling new learning.  Pupils eagerly take on responsibilities. An example of their involvement is their effort and hard work to prevent all forms of bullying. The academy has recently been awarded the e-safety mark for its work in keeping children safe when using the internet. The pupils take great pride in their published guidance to keep other children safe.  Pupils feel safe. Through the curriculum, they learn how to keep themselves and others safe in different

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Personal development and welfare

situations. Pupils trust academy staff to take rapid and appropriate action to resolve any concerns they have. Records show that staff deal effectively with any instances of bullying or derogatory language.  Pupils can explain how to keep themselves healthy, including through healthy eating and physical exercise. Sport plays an important part in the life of the academy. A large number of pupils participate in healthy activities and competitive sports matches. Many ex-pupils return to coach and help with sports clubs and successfully encourage even greater participation from their younger peers.  Pupils play their part as caring and active citizens within the academy and beyond, in the community. For example, they produce signs for Faedon Farm, a local wildlife reserve, and have produced menus for the children’s ward at a local hospital. This contributes strongly towards their spiritual, moral, social and

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Personal development and welfare

cultural development.  Pupils’ personal development is not outstanding as pupils do not always readily take care to use their previous mistakes, for example on spelling, punctuation and grammar, to improve their work.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils behave well at all times of the academy day, including break- and lunchtime. As they move around the academy, pupils are orderly, calm and polite, readily opening doors for visitors.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons is typically good. It is rare that any lessons are disrupted by incidents of low- level behaviour. This reflects the academy’s effective strategies to promote high standards of conduct. Occasionally, when the purpose of activities is unclear to pupils, or activities do not match their learning needs carefully enough, a few pupils lack interest and drift away from their learning, off task.  Pupils enjoy their education, as demonstrated by their above-average levels of attendance. Only a very few pupils are persistently absent.  Parents, staff and pupils have no concerns about pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Published progress data do not fully reflect the good gains in knowledge, skill or understanding pupils are making as they move through the academy. Leaders take time to accurately check pupils’ starting points on entry to Year 3. They use this new information to set future targets that ensure that all pupils make good progress from the academy’s recorded starting points. Inspectors examined closely the academy’s judgements and found them to be accurate.  Pupils make good progress from their different starting points in each year group across the academy. Academy records of pupils’ progress show that for the last two years the proportion of pupils making the expected, and better than expected, rates of progress in reading, writing and mathematics is at least in line with the national figures and sometimes above.  Governors, senior and middle leaders responded rigorously to a slight dip in performance in 2014.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

Training and a sharper focus on teachers’ marking accelerated the progress of all pupils, most notably those in Year 6. Any previous underachievement has been eradicated and pupils have more than caught up on any lost ground.  Pupils’ work in books and during lesson observations indicates that rates of progress are good for all groups of pupils currently at the academy. Minor differences in rates of progress for some cohorts, such as Year 5 during the last academic year, are being rigorously tackled.  Standards achieved by pupils have remained consistent since the last inspection and over the last few years have been broadly average overall. The proportions of pupils achieving the expected level for their age by the end of Year 6 has remained in line with national for all subjects.  Pupils make good progress across a broad range of subjects. Pupils work well to deadlines when re- drafting their letters and editing their work for the academy newsletters. Pupils recall good scientific

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Outcomes for pupils are good

knowledge about their muscles, and how their bodies work, when participating in dance lessons provided by a specialist dance teacher.  Progress is accelerating for pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs. The new special needs coordinator has introduced a more precise and effective system to identify pupils’ needs. Staff are also more aware of the effectiveness of different strategies in supporting pupils’ learning. For example, to provide alternatives to ‘success criteria’ for some pupils who find it difficult to read them. As a result, these pupils’ progress this term is faster than other pupils in the academy.  The most-able pupils respond enthusiastically to the broad range of stimulating challenges that the academy curriculum provides. Activities enable pupils to develop good academic and personal qualities that are required later in life.  Pupils’ reading skills develop well due to the engaging and lively curriculum projects covered. Accurate

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Outcomes for pupils are good

teaching of phonics reinforces pupils’ learning of letters and the sounds they make well. The well-stocked library provides a good range of high-quality, interesting books that motivate pupils to read widely and find things out for themselves.  The attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils and those pupils supported by additional funding is above other pupils in the academy and nationally. All disadvantaged pupils made the expected rate of progress in reading and mathematics in 2015. The proportion making better than expected progress for these subjects was also in line with the national average. Progress in writing is slightly slower because pupils’ basic spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes persist.

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School details

Unique reference number 136831 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 10005703 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

Type of school Junior School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 369 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Charlotte Hill Headteacher Jane Sargent Telephone number 01209 215238 Website www.trewirgie-jnr.cornwall.sch.uk Email address head@tjschool.co.uk Date of previous inspection 13–14 June 2012

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Information about this school

 The academy is not part of an academy trust or federation.  The academy is larger than most primary schools.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is broadly average. This is additional government money to support pupils in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average and few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs is above average. Their needs relate mainly to moderate learning difficulty or speech, language and communication.  The academy meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Very occasionally, Ofsted will delay publication of a report to ensure full consideration of concerns identified during the quality assurance process. On a rare occasion, this process may suggest flaws in the inspection evidence base, which will cause Ofsted to conclude that the inspection is incomplete. This happened at Trewirgie Junior Academy. Inspectors first visited the academy in November 2015. Her Majesty’s Inspectors returned to the academy in December 2015 to gather additional information to secure the evidence base. In such cases, the inspection report is not published until Ofsted is satisfied that the inspection is secure.  The inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 22 lessons taught by 12 teachers and made additional short visits to several lessons. Some of the lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.  The inspectors held meetings with groups of pupils, senior and middle leaders, the headteacher and

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Information about this inspection

members of the governing body. In addition, and at the request of the headteacher, they met with the academy improvement partner and the headteacher of the local secondary academy.  The inspectors took account of 52 responses to Ofsted’s online Parent View survey and 12 questionnaires completed online by members of staff.  The inspectors looked at pupils’ work from a range of subjects. They examined a range of documents, including those relating to academy improvement planning and the safeguarding of pupils, and information on the monitoring and evaluation of pupils’ progress, attendance and behaviour.

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Inspection team

Sue Frater, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Steffi Penny Her Majesty’s Inspector Matthew Shirley Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Richard Light Her Majesty’s Inspector Mark Lindfield 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

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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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