Nansloe Academy

Inspection of a good school: Nansloe Academy Bulwark Road, Helston, Cornwall TR13 8JF

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 October 2021

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Outcome

Nansloe Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Nansloe Academy is a friendly school where pupils feel safe and well-cared-for. Located close to a naval airbase, the school attracts many children from service families. The school supports these families well through a military liaison officer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders base the school’s ethos on the ‘Nansloe learning powers’. These ‘powers’ thread throughout the school, supporting pupils’ academic and personal development. Leaders have high expectations for every child, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school environment supports learning well. There is an award-winning story garden in the centre of the building. Staff use this space to inspire pupils to use their imagination when reading and writing.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Bullying is unusual and staff resolve issues quickly. Pupils have opportunities to take on responsibilities, such as the school council, which help to develop their confidence. Parents’ and carers’ responses to the Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View, are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

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

Leaders have created a broad curriculum for all pupils, including pupils with SEND. They have considered carefully the topics that pupils, including children in the early years, should learn while at the school.

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

In most subjects, such as mathematics, curriculum leaders have successfully implemented the curriculum. Training and resources support staff to deliver well-structured sequences of lessons. As a result, pupils develop their mathematical skills and understanding well. However, some subjects are at an earlier stage of development. Where this is the case, staff do not have strong enough subject knowledge, which has an impact on pupils’ understanding of the curriculum. Leaders are working to address this. 12 and 13 October 2021

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Leaders intend that pupils should be fluent readers when they leave the school. Leaders have established a strong phonics curriculum from early years across the school. Leaders have ensured a consistent approach to the teaching of early reading. Staff make sure that pupils read books matched to the sounds they know. Staff check on pupils’ reading often and organise extra support and practice for those pupils who need it, including those with SEND. Teachers in all classes read to pupils regularly to help develop pupils’ love of reading. The story garden is well used to support this aspect of learning.

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Leaders and staff ensure that pupils with SEND follow the same curriculum as their peers. Teachers and teaching assistants know pupils well. This helps staff match appropriate strategies to pupils’ individual needs. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) makes sure that staff are well trained to support pupils effectively.

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Children in the early years behave well. They take turns, share and know the routines of the classroom. The early years curriculum prepares children well for their move into key stage 1.

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Pupils learn in calm, happy classrooms. Pupils talk confidently about their learning. They can recall what they have learned previously and understand how it helps them develop their knowledge and skills. Teachers use assessment effectively to identify gaps in pupils’ learning and plan the introduction of new knowledge.

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A range of clubs and activities supports pupils’ broader development outside of the classroom. For example, pupils participate in Cornish cultural events in the town. There are also visits to museums and participation in arts events.

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Leaders support pupils from service families well. For example, staff support pupils when a parent is on deployment. The school is part of the Royal British Legion’s ‘Military Kids Club Heroes’ network. Service parents speak highly of the level of support available to their children.

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Staff morale is high. They appreciate that their well-being and workload is of importance to leaders. Staff said leaders handled recent changes sensitively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have made sure that safeguarding is everyone’s priority. Staff receive regular training to help them spot concerns. As a result, all staff know what to do when they have a concern about a pupil. The designated safeguarding lead pursues concerns effectively and ensures that pupils receive the help they need. In addition, leaders have received training in safer recruitment so that the appointment of staff is secure.

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Safeguarding

Leaders use the school’s curriculum to teach pupils how to keep themselves safe, for example, when playing games online. Pupils say that they feel safe at school. 12 and 13 October 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some subject plans are in the early stages of being implemented. This means that pupils have gaps in their knowledge in these curriculum areas. Leaders must ensure that staff have the subject knowledge they need to teach all subjects across the curriculum effectively.

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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, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Nansloe Community Primary School, to be good in October 2011.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 12 and 13 October 2021

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 June 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Aspire Academy Trust in July 2021.  The head of school was appointed in September 2021.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspector met with the head of school, the SENCo, the deputy chief executive officer of the trust and the trust’s strategic partner, who will provide support for the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and computing. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, talked to some pupils about their learning and looked at examples of pupils’ work. 12 and 13 October 2021

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 The inspector looked at checks of recruitment processes. In addition, the inspector spoke to pupils and spoke with the designated safeguarding lead and staff about their training in safeguarding.  There were 35 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. In addition, the inspector considered 57 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey and 25 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Mark Burgess, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 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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