Trewirgie Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Trewirgie Junior School Falmouth Road, Redruth, Cornwall TR15 2QN

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Outcome

Trewirgie Junior School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a section 5 inspection now.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to school and so do the staff. Trewirgie Junior School is a warm, welcoming place to learn. Pupils are safe and happy. The focused senior team is led by an expert headteacher. Staff value every pupil and want the best for them. Pupils attend well and are relieved to be back at school after the disruption caused by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All subjects across the curriculum are equally as important. The curriculum motivates pupils, they remember what they have learned and can explain why they have learned it. The carefully constructed curriculum ensures that pupils build on what they already know, while providing a firm foundation for future learning. If pupils have gaps in their knowledge, staff provide high-quality support to help them catch up.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teaching and learning provide pupils with moments of awe and wonder. Pupils are proud of their work and are keen to share their achievements. They behave well in lessons and across the school. They love to learn. Low-level disruption is extremely rare. Staff have high expectations of behaviour. Pupils are eager to meet these expectations. They are polite and courteous. Pupils celebrate the success of others as if it were their own.

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

Pupils who still require phonics support make strong progress. As soon as pupils start at this school, leaders waste no time in finding out where gaps in pupils’ phonics knowledge exist. This information enables leaders to group pupils effectively. Well-trained staff teach these groups; they know the school’s phonics programme well and ensure that it closely matches what pupils need. Staff provide pupils with books that contain sounds they know. This helps pupils to read unfamiliar words with increasing fluency. If pupils are falling behind, leaders ensure that they get extra support. 16–17 June 2021

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Pupils enjoy reading; they can discuss the authors and genres they like to read most. Leaders have taken effective approaches to develop pupils’ love of reading, such as purchasing new and varied reading books. As a result, the culture of reading across the school is strong.

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The school’s curriculum is well established. It helps develop pupils’ knowledge, creativity and responsibility for the world they live in. Effective curriculum plans help to inspire pupils and build on what they already know. Teachers skilfully bring the curriculum to life. As a result, pupils recall knowledge with ease and are well prepared for future learning. There are times, however, when teachers’ questioning does not help them in finding out how much pupils understand, and how best they can deepen pupils’ knowledge.

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The school’s art and design curriculum supports pupils’ practical learning well. Curriculum plans show clear progression from pupils’ starting points. Teachers across the school follow these plans consistently. Pupils produce increasingly complex and refined drawings, paintings and sculptures. Pupils can explain the artistic choices behind their finished pieces, including any messages they wanted to communicate to the intended audience. Pupils enjoy art and design as a curriculum subject, and as a way of supporting their emotional well-being. However, curriculum plans do not develop pupils’ knowledge of artists, and their disciplines, as well. Some pupils struggle to recall artists and their works.

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The school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a strength. Pupils with SEND are involved in all aspects of school life. Leaders ensure that a thorough transition process is in place. This helps pupils to settle quickly. Teachers, with the support of leaders, set appropriately challenging targets for pupils. They review these termly. There is an increasing number of pupils who require social, emotional and mental health support. Leaders have reacted to this need and have provided additional expertise within the school. Pupils with SEND are proud of their achievements.

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Leaders and governors lead the school with integrity and are inspired by the headteacher’s ambition. They have an accurate evaluation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This informs the steps they take to bring about further improvements. They have ensured that staff workload is manageable, even at times when this is harder to achieve. Staff appreciate the well-being sessions provided by leaders. Governors hold leaders to account effectively.

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Leaders know each member of the school community. Pupils’ personal development is at the heart of all leaders’ actions. Their vision for pupils to ‘make a difference, have an impact, leave a legacy’ is being realised. Pupils learn about issues such as discrimination and racism. They have strong views about the importance of equality, and even represent these views through their artwork.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils’ safety is a priority. Leaders have ensured that they only appoint staff suitable to work with children. Leaders carry out suitable recruitment checks and record them 16–17 June 2021

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carefully on the school’s single central record. Once appointed, staff access regular training to ensure that they can fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities effectively.

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Leaders provide staff with regular safeguarding updates. This helps staff keep up to date with the ever-changing landscape. Staff know what to do when they have a concern about pupils’ welfare and the leaders they must inform. Leaders review safeguarding records closely and take the most appropriate steps to keep pupils safe. They take swift and decisive action to involve external agencies, should the need arise.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers are well placed to bring the school’s exciting and ambitious curriculum to life. However, in some instances, teachers’ use of assessment to check and deepen pupils’ understanding is less effective. Leaders need to support teachers to ensure that questioning checks pupils’ understanding and misconceptions, and subsequent feedback helps pupils to deepen their knowledge or get back on track.  The art and design curriculum supports pupils’ practical learning well. From the time pupils join the school to the time they leave, they can apply increasingly complex methods to their drawings, paintings and sculptures. However, curriculum plans do not support pupils’ theoretical knowledge to the same high standard. Pupils’ knowledge of artists is less secure. Leaders need to refine curriculum plans so that pupils learn about artists and their disciplines, and make links to their own work.

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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 or outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that a good 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 the school to be good in November 2015.

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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. 16–17 June 2021

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

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If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school here .

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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. 16–17 June 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10193224 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.trewirgie-jnr.cornwall.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 and 12 November 2015

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Information about this school

 The academy is not part of an academy trust or federation.  Most pupils join the school from the neighbouring infant school.  The academy is larger than most primary schools.  The academy was last inspected in November 2015, when it was judged to be good.  There is a local governing body in place for the academy.

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Information about this inspection

 At the time of the inspection, there were no ‘bubbles’ closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The inspector met with the special needs coordinator to consider the provision for pupils with SEND. He also met with designated safeguarding leaders to discuss arrangements to keep pupils safe. The inspector met with representatives from the local governing body.  The inspector looked at reading, art and design, and science during the inspection. He met with school leaders and curriculum leaders, carried out lesson visits, spoke with 16–17 June 2021

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teachers and pupils, and looked at pupils’ workbooks. Other sources of completed work, such as pupils’ drawings, paintings and sculpture, were considered.

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Inspection team

Nathan Kemp, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 16–17 June 2021

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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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