St Tudy CofE Primary School

Inspection of St Tudy CofE Primary School St Tudy, Bodmin, Cornwall PL30 3NH

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 October 2021

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 13 and 14 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending school. The school’s values underpin the strong community ethos that runs through the school. Pupils celebrate the achievements of others as if their own. They get on well with one another and behave well in and around school. Bullying is rare. Pupils feel safe in school. They know staff want the best for them. Staff lead extra-curricular clubs, which pupils enjoy attending.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The head of school and other leaders are a close team and want the best for pupils. Pupils get off to a flying start when learning to read. Pupils develop the skills and knowledge they need in physical education (PE). They know that being active has a positive impact on their physical health. In art and design and mathematics, pupils do not achieve as well. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) particularly struggle in mathematics. Senior leaders have been slow to improve the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn about different religions, recognising why it is important to do so. They appreciate that people come from different backgrounds and cultures and have different beliefs. One pupil, whose opinion reflected the view of many, said, ‘We treat everyone equally as everyone is unique.’

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better?

Pupils, parents and staff are overwhelmingly positive about the school. Pupils play a vital role in the school community. They value the help that staff provide. The weekly celebration assembly is an opportunity for the school to come together and celebrate each other’s successes. Pupils benefit from a range of extra-curricular clubs. Pupils enjoy these and all attend at least one of them. Parents are positive about the efforts that staff at the school made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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better?

Pupils know how to keep safe online. They know the steps they should take if someone unfamiliar tries to contact them. Pupils also learn about relationships and families. They identify that love, respect and trust are important.

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better?

Phonics is a strength of the school. Staff teach children to read as soon as they start the Reception Year. Leaders have made sure that a consistent phonics programme is taught by highly-trained staff. They adapt the reading curriculum to match pupils’ needs well, including for those who need to keep up. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know. This helps pupils develop their reading fluency well. Pupils have positive attitudes towards reading; they particularly enjoy listening to class stories.

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better?

In subjects such as PE and history, the curriculum supports pupils’ progress well. Curriculum plans build on what pupils already know and teachers bring curriculum plans to life well. In PE, teachers have benefited from high-quality training to help them achieve this. The art and design curriculum is sequenced less well. Pupils have plenty of opportunities to create different types of artwork and to consider different 13 and 14 October 2021

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artists. However, lessons do not form a cohesive sequence which builds on what pupils already know, can do and understand.

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In mathematics, the curriculum approach does not fit the school’s mixed-aged class structure well. Staff have known this for some time and have tried lots of ways to make the curriculum work well. Pupils who have gaps in their mathematical knowledge continue to struggle, particularly pupils with SEND.

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The head of school and her team know the school well. Nevertheless, alongside the leaders of the trust, their efforts to improve the curriculum have not been successful in some areas. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), who works across a range of schools in the trust, is spread too thin. Leaders have not communicated clearly their vision for teaching mathematics. This has led to confusion and a curriculum which does not reflect the school’s mixed-aged setting well enough.

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Academic targets for some pupils with SEND are too broad. Teachers create pupils’ targets each half term. However, leaders have not checked to ensure these targets are matched precisely to pupils’ needs.

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The school monitoring council provides challenge and support to senior leaders. Members of this council want the best for pupils and staff. Nevertheless, the monitoring council does not communicate clearly with the trust board. Members of the trust board do not have the complete picture about what is and is not working at the school, according to the monitoring council.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure they only appoint staff who are suitable to work with children. Recruitment checks are completed before staff start at the school. Leaders store these checks on the school’s single central record. Once appointed, staff receive a thorough induction and ongoing safeguarding training. Staff know what they must do if they have a concern about pupils’ welfare, logging these on the school’s electronic system. Leaders review these concerns closely, making sure they take the most appropriate action to keep pupils safe. Leaders use their knowledge of pupils, their families and circumstances to provide help, such as counselling.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The mathematics curriculum does not meet the needs of all pupils well enough, particularly those with SEND. Teachers are trying their best to make the curriculum work well, but pupils find the work too hard or too easy. School 13 and 14 October 2021

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leaders have known for some time that curriculum plans are not working. They need to embed a curriculum that enables all pupils to know and remember more.  Leaders’ efforts to improve the curriculum have not had the desired impact. Weaknesses in mathematics and provision for pupils with SEND persist. The trust board and monitoring council need to scrutinise closely leaders’ school improvement strategy and so ensure it fits the context of this small school.  Academic targets for some pupils with SEND are too broad. They do not pinpoint what pupils need to help them overcome barriers to their learning well enough. Leaders must ensure that pupils with SEND have targets that are matched precisely to their needs and that these targets can be achieved in the agreed timescales.  The art and design curriculum enables pupils to learn about different artists, styles and techniques. However, these lessons do not form part of a cohesive

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sequence of lessons that build toward curriculum milestones. Leaders need to ensure the school’s art and design curriculum supports pupils’ progress well, building on their prior learning.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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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How can I feed back my views?

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.

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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. 13 and 14 October 2021

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 May 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Celtic Cross Education Trust. At the time of the previous inspection, the school was part of the Saints’ Way Multi-Academy Trust.  The executive head of school is responsible for two schools in the trust.  The SENCo works across five schools in the trust.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school is arranged into three mixed-aged classes: Reception and key stage 1; Years 3 and 4; and Years 5 and 6.  At the time of the inspection, there were fewer than 5 children in the Reception Year. 13 and 14 October 2021

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and design and PE. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also considered curriculum plans for history.  The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding leader to discuss how they keep pupils safe in school. Inspectors spoke with staff and pupils throughout the inspection.  The lead inspector considered responses to the pupil survey and staff survey. The lead inspector also considered 7 responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted

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Information about this inspection

Parent View, including free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Nathan Kemp, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Donna Briggs Her Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 October 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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