Treloweth Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Treloweth Community Primary School Higher Broadlane, Redruth, Cornwall TR15 3JL

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Outcome

Treloweth Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Treloweth is a happy and safe school. The staff’s nurturing approach ensures that pupils are caring, reflective and responsible during the school day. High expectations of pupils’ conduct are well understood and reinforced through the ‘Diamond Rules’. As a result, pupils strive to do well. Pupils ‘aim high’ and are focused during lessons or when participating in other activities. They enjoy extra roles, such as being Year 6 ambassadors or school councillors. These provide further opportunities for pupils to take some responsibility for the running of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a hive of purposeful activity. Pupils arrive at school eager to learn. This includes the newest arrivals into Reception. Parents are very positive about the school. A typical view expressed through Parent View was, ‘Fantastic school, teachers are wonderful, and our child absolutely loves it.’ Parents and pupils recognise the strong sense of community established due to the dedication and determination of staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school and achieve well. By the time they leave, pupils are well prepared academically, emotionally and socially for the next stage of their education.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders ensure that the curriculum is delivered well. Subjects taught enable pupils to gain the knowledge they need to learn well. Other activities, such as visits, trips and residentials, build pupils’ strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, pupils talk knowledgeably about their local Cornish heritage. Pupils’ behaviour around school and in lessons is of a high standard. This is because all staff have high expectations and pupils respond well.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders’ strong focus ‘to get early reading and mathematics right’ for all pupils is at the heart of Treloweth. The teaching of reading and phonics is prioritised. Staff are trained well to deliver high-quality phonics sessions from the earliest opportunity. There is a 11–12 September 2019

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strong culture of reading in the school. This means pupils enjoy picking up books and reading. The sharp focus on early mathematics ensures that pupils gain confidence, speed and proficiency when working with numbers. Therefore, pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are well catered for.

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However, there are aspects of the school’s work that require further attention. First, there are times when teachers do not consider the ‘small steps’ of knowledge that some pupils need to be successful. For example, in key stage 1, pupils have been asked to draw and label maps without having acquired all of the knowledge or skills needed. Second, pupils are not accumulating an extended range of vocabulary and this holds pupils back. Pupils understand their number work. However, the curriculum does not help pupils to apply their mathematics in other contexts.

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The early years team ensure children get off to a flying start. Staff have positive relationships with children and parents. As a result, children settle quickly. The high priority given to learning phonics is a key factor in children’s early success when reading. Children arrive from a range of backgrounds. Those with SEND, as well any from disadvantaged backgrounds, are quickly targeted to catch up, particularly through addressing weaknesses in their development of language and communication.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff are well trained and take timely action in working with external partners to ensure pupils’ safety. They are not complacent and undertake their safeguarding duties diligently.

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Safeguarding

I spoke to many pupils who showed a good understanding of how to stay safe in different situations. For example, Year 6 pupils explained what to do in the event of a fire or ‘lock down’, and when working online. Pupils trust staff. This includes resolving rare incidents of bullying swiftly and sensitively.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders and teachers do not always plan the necessary small steps needed for pupils to successfully complete more complex tasks. This is particularly so in subjects other than English and mathematics.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A few pupils continue to have difficulty in understanding the meaning of key words when reading texts. Their range of vocabulary in some cases is still limited, and this leads to guessing. This hinders their understanding of what they are reading. For example, when reading ‘The Iron Man’, some pupils in Year 4 did not understand words 11–12 September 2019

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like ‘infra-red’ and ‘clams’. Leaders should assure themselves that pupils have a wide range of vocabulary, drawn from different subjects, to help pupils’ understanding of complex texts.

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 Leaders should ensure that the curriculum in mathematics helps pupils apply their knowledge and skills in a range of contexts and subjects.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged Treloweth Community Primary School to be good.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 11–12 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111576 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 30–31 January 2013

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection in 2013, the school has completed a conversion to academy status in 2016.  The school is now a member of the Crofty Multi-Academy Trust.  The school is a two-form entry primary school. It serves an area with some socio- economic deprivation. Approximately a quarter of pupils are eligible for free school meals.  The school caters for pupils with different needs.  The school has two Reception classes. Children enter with different pre-school experiences, including some who do not have any pre-school experience from providers or nurseries.

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Information about this inspection

 The lead inspector worked closely with several members of staff during the course of the inspection. This included holding discussions with trust leaders (the chair of the board and trustees), as well as the trust’s school improvement officer and representatives from the local governing board. 11–12 September 2019

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 Further meetings were conducted with various school leaders, including the headteacher, deputy headteacher and the two assistant headteachers. Other meetings were held with the special educational needs coordinator and pastoral team. The lead inspector also met with those responsible for undertaking routine vetting and checks for safeguarding.  The lead inspector scrutinised information relating to safeguarding, including the single central record.  The lead inspector completed lesson visits and reviewed evidence of work with school leaders, including the English and mathematics subject leaders. The lead inspector met and spoke with pupils to ascertain the depth of their knowledge in different subjects, and their understanding of safeguarding arrangements.  The lead inspector also spoke with a range of staff, including newly qualified teachers, meal-time assistants, kitchen staff and teaching assistants, to understand pupils’

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behaviour at different times of the day and to consider workload.  The inspection had focused ‘deep dives’ in reading, mathematics and science. There was also a further lighter touch consideration of geography in the curriculum.  The lead inspector also met with parents and took full account of the 69 responses to Parent View.

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Inspection team

Stewart Gale, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 11–12 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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