St Tudy CofE Primary School

St Tudy Church of England Primary School St Tudy, Bodmin, Cornwall PL30 3NH

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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

Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is a good school

 Leaders have created a safe and inclusive culture where pupils feel highly valued. Every pupil is well known and treated as an individual.  The multi-academy trust provides strong support for the school. As a result, school leaders are able to draw upon a wide range of extra resources.  The recently appointed head of school, supported by the executive headteacher, is improving the overall quality of teaching.  Most pupils in different year groups are making good progress because teachers plan activities that engage pupils’ interests and help them to make good progress.  Levels of attendance are above average and there is very little persistent absence.  Pupils are well behaved and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning during lessons. This is because pupils enjoy a broad curriculum that is shaped around their interests.  Most-able pupils make good progress because they are provided with work that they find

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This is a good school

interesting and which challenges them.  Disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability achieve well in the school because of the effective support they receive.  Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They provide an appropriate level of challenge and support to school leaders.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some boys are not sufficiently challenged to make the progress of which they are capable.  Children in the early years do not make consistently strong progress. Lack of rigour in the monitoring of teaching means that leaders are not identifying this.  The early years curriculum does not provide enough opportunities for children to develop their writing skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the leadership of teaching in the early years by: – using monitoring and assessment information more precisely to inform teachers’ planning – developing the curriculum for writing so that it is more deeply rooted in children’s interests.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all pupils make rapid and sustained progress by: – teachers skilfully using the new assessment system to pinpoint gaps in pupils’ learning and rapidly addressing these – teachers planning activities that challenge pupils and extend their thinking further.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders have continued to ensure that the school is a safe, caring environment that nurtures all pupils equally. The positive culture of the school is characterised by tolerance and respect, and the pupils know that they are a valued part of a community.  Leaders have high expectations of staff and pupils. Teachers are expected to consistently plan and deliver lessons that meet the needs of pupils. All staff treat pupils with a high degree of respect and pupils understand the need to behave well and work hard.  The recently appointed head of school, with the support of the executive headteacher, is improving the quality of teaching. Teachers and teaching assistants are now being provided with more ideas, strategies and training opportunities to improve their practice. The monitoring of teachers’ work in key stages 1 and 2 is more rigorous so that teachers are held to account for the progress made by pupils.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is put to good use. Leaders have considered carefully the strategies that are most appropriate to support the pupils in the school and have implemented them accordingly. As a result, disadvantaged pupils make good progress.  The curriculum followed in key stages 1 and 2 is a strength of the school. Teachers work closely with pupils to devise topics that interest them and are rooted in the world around them. For example, the topic ‘Going for Gold’ is based upon the Rio Olympics and focuses on sport, health and well-being. The ‘Green Fingers’ topic takes gardening as its entry point and allows pupils to develop their scientific understanding. As a result, pupils engage well with their learning.  Leaders ensure that there is a range of extra-curricular activities on offer for pupils. These include various sports clubs, such as rounders and athletics, arts and crafts, animation, cooking and opportunities to play

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

various musical instruments. Pupils who spoke to the lead inspector were very enthusiastic about the different clubs they could attend.  Physical education and sports premium funding has been used effectively to increase pupils’ participation in sports clubs, provide training for staff and ensure that pupils receive high-quality physical education tuition.  The school benefits from being part of the Saints’ Way Multi-Academy Trust. As a result of this partnership, the principal of the trust and the school improvement leader have introduced robust monitoring and quality assurance systems to improve the quality of teaching in key stages 1 and 2. Additionally, staff expertise is shared between the schools so that there is a constant exchange of ideas and resources, which is improving practice.  Pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural education is well developed in the school. The topics pupils

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

study encourage them to consider the wider world; the work they produce reflects their interest in the school community and the outside world. Pupils have been learning to develop ‘Behaviour Learning Powers’ which consist of empathy, managing distractions and collaboration. As a result, pupils are able to manage themselves and socialise with each other. Regular collective worship ensures that pupils are given opportunities to reflect and consider moral and spiritual questions.  All parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, indicated that they would recommend the school to others. All respondents agreed that leadership and management are good. Pupils and staff are overwhelmingly positive about the school.  As a result of recent changes to staffing, leaders have not been sufficiently focused upon monitoring the quality of teaching and the breadth of the curriculum in the early years.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders acknowledge that some pupils, boys in particular, need to be challenged further in order for them to make even better progress.  The governance of the school – Governors are well informed about the school’s strengths and areas for development. They are provided with regular and accurate information that enables them to ask challenging questions of school leaders. – Governors have a sharp understanding of how additional funding is spent for disadvantaged pupils and to improve physical education and sports provision. They know which strategies are effective and the impact they have had. – The relationship between the local governing board and the multi-academy trust is strong. Both groups understand their different functions and, as a result, there are clear lines of accountability.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The checks to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with pupils are in place. All staff have received the appropriate level of child protection training, including

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

‘Prevent’ (the government’s anti-radicalisation strategy) so that they are able to recognise when pupils need help and understand the correct procedures to follow. The school site is secure and there is a high degree of supervision for pupils at breaktimes and when they need to cross the road to access the playing fields and canteen. Pupils report that they feel safe. Parents who spoke to inspectors and responded to Parent View all agree that their children are safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching is good in key stages 1 and 2 because teachers plan effectively for pupils of different ages and abilities. Activities are creatively designed to appeal to pupils’ interests, to enable them to work in different ways and to develop curiosity about their learning. Staff ensure that different resources are available and that pupils use the school and outdoor environments well to assist them.  Pupils have good attitudes to learning because they enjoy positive relationships with staff. Depending on the nature of the task and whether they are required to work on their own or in groups, pupils have the skills and confidence to be either dynamic and interactive or quietly reflective.  Teaching assistants are highly skilled and use their knowledge of the pupils to support them in the most effective way. This is particularly true for pupils who have special educational needs or disability. As a

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

result of the support provided by teaching assistants, these pupils are able to participate fully in lessons and gain confidence, which supports their learning.  Teachers and teaching assistants are skilled in their use of questioning. Exploratory open questions encourage pupils to think reflectively as they weigh up different possibilities in their search for answers. Well-placed follow-up questions allow staff to probe pupils’ thinking further and correct misconceptions.  The feedback pupils are provided with to improve their work, in accordance with the school’s policy, is consistently and effectively applied across key stages 1 and 2. It helps pupils to understand the strengths of their work and the next steps that would improve it.  Throughout the course of the year, teachers have become more familiar with the new assessment system that the school is using to monitor pupils’ progress. This system allows teachers to record in detail what

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

pupils know and can do across different subjects and year groups. As a result, teachers are gaining a clearer idea of where pupils have gaps in their learning but are not yet sufficiently using this information to challenge all pupils to make greater progress.  Teaching in the early years does not provide sufficient opportunities to develop children’s writing skills. Although teaching capitalises on children’s interests to further their learning in some ways, for instance by exploring the world outside or applying mathematical skills, children are not currently provided with enough opportunities to practise writing.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are very well known as individuals and benefit from a high level of care, regardless of background or need. The school champions tolerance and celebrates individuality. Pupils are happy, confident and articulate. They enjoy school and the various opportunities it affords them. They feel confident and secure because they know that adults in the school will support them. Furthermore, pupils throughout the school share a close bond because they play and work with each other across year groups.  The school has a reputation for providing a high level of support to pupils who have special educational needs or disability. The parents of some of these children, who live outside the catchment area, choose to send their children to the school for this reason. Evidence gathered on inspection would agree that the school’s reputation for this aspect of its work is well founded.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils are safe in school and report that they feel safe. Nearly all of the pupils who completed a questionnaire stated that they feel safe all of the time. They also feel that there is at least one member of staff whom they can talk to if they are concerned or worried. All parents who responded to Parent View agreed that the school keeps their children safe.  Pupils are taught about the importance of staying safe online, either when navigating the internet, playing online games or engaging with social media. One pupil stated, ‘We know we mustn’t put our personal details online’. Pupils attend assemblies and participate in an e-safety day to reinforce these messages.  Leaders have developed effective transition arrangements with staff from the local secondary schools to ensure that Year 6 pupils are prepared for, and feel confident about, their next steps once they leave St Tudy. Pupils are able to spend time at their particular secondary school, in their new tutor group, and

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Personal development and welfare

have ample opportunity to develop relationships with new classmates and staff. Pupils who have special educational needs or disability have extra time and individual support to ensure that their transition to secondary school is smooth.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are polite, friendly and courteous.  Pupils move sensibly around the school building. They play well with each other at breaktimes.  The attendance of most pupils is good and above the national average. However, absence for boys is slightly above the national average. There is very little persistent absence and there have been no exclusions.  Pupils state that there is very little bullying in the school. When it does occur, it is dealt with swiftly and effectively by staff.  Although pupils do not think that the behaviour of their peers is always exemplary, parents who responded to Parent View all agreed, the majority strongly so, that the behaviour of pupils is well managed. Inspection evidence would support this view.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Over time, the attainment of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 has been in line with the national average. Current pupils in the school are making more rapid progress in these subjects.  Disadvantaged pupils make good progress across all their subjects in comparison with other pupils nationally. This is because additional funding is directed at improving achievement in core subjects and ensuring that these pupils have full access to extra-curricular activities and trips to maximise their engagement with school.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability are very well supported so that they make progress that is comparable with their peers and in line with progress made by other pupils nationally. Teaching assistants use their skills to enable pupils to participate in mainstream lessons and move forward confidently in their learning.  Information provided by the school and supported by pupils’ work in books indicates that most pupils, the

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Outcomes for pupils are good

majority of whom are boys, are making good progress across different subjects and year groups. Some boys, however, are not being challenged to make more than expected progress.  The number of most-able pupils that do better than other pupils their age nationally has increased. The most able pupils make good progress because teachers provide work that challenges and engages pupils’ interests.  From their different starting points, pupils’ work shows that communication skills are being acquired over time. For instance, in Year 5 literacy, extended writing improves over time because pupils learn to structure their work effectively and develop a confident personal voice. Year 2 work, in particular, shows evidence of very rapid improvement over time.  Pupils achieve well in other areas of the curriculum, such as art, music and physical education. The school prides itself on offering a broad and balanced curriculum that prepares pupils well for secondary school.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

Pupils’ art work highlights their skill and the pride taken in their work. A large number of pupils play a musical instrument to a good standard and the multi-academy trust inter-school sports competitions encourage pupils to develop a healthy sense of competition and love of sport.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 Weakened leadership caused by staffing changes has meant that there has been insufficient monitoring of the quality of teaching and children’s progress. While assessments of children’s progress are made frequently, they are not sufficiently precise to enable teachers to adapt their planning to make teaching more effective. As a result, children in the Reception class do not make sufficiently rapid or sustained progress.  Teachers’ planning does not sufficiently focus upon giving children opportunities to develop their interest and skills in writing. Children apply their phonics skills in their writing, but do not always sound letters out accurately. This is because the modelling by adults is not always clear and accurate.  Although parents are able to speak with staff on a daily basis, changes to staffing midway through the year have limited the opportunities available to parents to form a sharp, detailed and up-to-date view of

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Early years provision requires improvement

what their children know and can do.  Children are gaining mathematical skills more securely. For example, when children went on a ‘shape hunt’, they were seen to be very enthusiastic about finding, naming and photographing shapes in the local churchyard.  All children, including those who are identified as having special educational needs, are developing appropriate personal and social skills. They play together well and have strong relationships with adults. Children keep themselves safe playing indoors and outside. They show respect for the resources they use and the spaces where they work and play. For example, the children spend some of their school time at the local church and know that they should be respectful of the graves in the churchyard.  The school is now forming strong links with the pre-school to enable children to get off to a quick start when they join St Tudy.  There are no disadvantaged children in Reception.

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School details

Unique reference number 139092 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 10000555

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School details

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 Primary School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 51 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Carole Grigg Headteacher Ms Karen Holmes Telephone number 01208 850548 Website www.st-tudy.org Email address secretary@st-tudy.org Date of previous inspection 26–27 April 2012

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Information about this school

 St Tudy Primary School is much smaller than average.  The recently appointed head of school took up this role in January 2016, having been promoted from within the school.  The executive headteacher has responsibility for four small village schools and has been in this role for two years.  The school is part of the Saints’ Way Multi-Academy Trust which consists of six local schools.  The majority of pupils are from a White British background.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below average.  The proportion of girls in the school is much lower than average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is above average, especially for those who have support, but do not have a statement or education, health and care plan.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in lessons, often jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with the head of school, the executive headteacher, teachers, teaching assistants, groups of pupils, representatives from the local governing board and the Saints’ Way Trust.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation, records relating to the monitoring of teaching, learning and assessment, the work of the governing body and the safeguarding of pupils.  Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work and observed their conduct at break and lunchtimes.  Parents spoke to inspectors at the beginning of the first day.  Inspectors took account of 17 responses to the online survey Parent View, seven responses to the staff questionnaire and 16 responses to the pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Stephen Smith, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Wendy Marriott Ofsted 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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