Landewednack Community Primary School

Inspection of Landewednack Community Primary School Beacon Terrace, The Lizard, Helston, Cornwall TR12 7PB

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 7 and 8 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff do not expect enough of pupils. Pupils do not remember the knowledge they need to be successful across the curriculum. The teaching of reading is weak. Teachers’ use of assessment is poor. This all means that pupils’ work is of a low standard. As a result, many pupils are not prepared well enough for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils show varied attitudes to their learning. Staff have not created a sense of urgency about learning. Strategies to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to learn with their peers do not work. Consequently, pupils get distracted and do not do as much as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value this family-oriented school. They know the school rules and show respect for each other. Pupils say bullying is rare. They live by the ‘shine’ values promoted by staff. Pupils recognise the contribution they make to the local community. Pupils who find managing their own behaviour challenging are supported well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are very caring. They know pupils’ personalities well. Staff look to support pupils as much as possible. This means pupils rightly feel safe. However, pupils rely on adult support too much. Pupils do not learn to take responsibility for themselves, particularly in lessons.

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better?

Leaders fail to insist on high standards. Teachers expect too little of pupils. The standard of pupils’ work across the curriculum is poor. While pupils with SEND learn with their peers, weaknesses in teaching hinder their learning, as it does all pupils. Overall, pupils do not learn the basic knowledge required to be ready for the next stage of their education.

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better?

Curriculum planning does not reflect leaders’ ambition for pupils. Learning is not well sequenced. This means that pupils’ knowledge is often jumbled and unclear. Pupils do not remember crucial knowledge, particularly in English, mathematics and the humanities. For example, in history, pupils remember the punishments people received in the past. However, they do not know how important periods of time relate to each other or when key historical events took place.

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better?

Leaders in the school and the trust are not aware of the poor standards. Leaders’ checks on the quality of education are too sporadic and rely too much on data. This means low expectations and weaknesses in practice go unchallenged. For example, some staff do not insist that pupils write their letters accurately in phonics sessions. Others intervene too quickly before pupils are given time to think. This limits pupils' progress in learning and remembering more of the intended curriculum. Leaders’ 7 and 8 October 2021

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plans for improving the school are not focused on the right things. This is because leaders’ evaluations of the school are overly generous and lack precision.

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The implementation of the reading curriculum is weak. Too little is expected of pupils. Pupils do not participate fully in all aspects of phonics sessions. When pupils lose focus, this goes unnoticed, and so gaps in knowledge grow. Teachers do not insist that pupils watch and listen when new sounds are being learned. Pupils learn that if they find something hard, adults will fill the gaps for them. Consequently, pupils struggle to remember all the sounds they have been taught and cannot blend sounds independently.

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Pupils do not take books home that are matched to the sounds they are learning. Early readers encounter words such as ‘picturesque’ and ‘chaperone’, which they cannot decode. Their memory of tricky words, such as ‘was’ and ‘said’, is also limited. This all means that reading fluency is often weak. Pupils’ ability to read books on their own is hindered. Pupils struggle. This holds back their love of reading.

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Provision in the early years is poor. Leaders expect too little. The activities offered do not reflect the needs and interests of children or promote effective learning. Children often play in an unconstructive way. Adults do not engage well enough with them to ensure that sessions are purposeful. Communication and language are not promoted well, despite leaders recognising this as a key challenge for many children. Consequently, children's progress is limited. They disengage from learning before they have even started school.

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Landewednack is a caring school. Pupils’ personal development is promoted in a range of ways. Pupils enjoy learning outside and through trips and visits. Staff are well trained in approaches to support pupils with their mental health. However, weaknesses in the delivery of the curriculum are mirrored in the implementation of the personal, social and health education. Consequently, pupils’ personal development could be better.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established clear policies and processes that underpin safeguarding practice. Pupils are safe. There is a designated member of the local governing board who oversees safeguarding. Staff follow policies and processes diligently. There is regular training for staff, including in how to identify, report, record and escalate concerns about pupils at potential risk. Staff know pupils particularly well. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) provides useful support to promote pupils’ well-being and respond to specific needs. Consequently, pupils know they are cared for and who to go to if they have a concern. 7 and 8 October 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are clear about their aspiration for pupils. They have worked on improving curriculum planning and organisation to achieve this. However, the implementation of the intended curriculum has many weaknesses. Leaders need to improve the impact of teachers’ practice so that pupils learn more and remember more of the curriculum.  The reading curriculum is weak. Leaders’ attempts to use the resources they have, have had limited impact on pupils’ ability to read effectively. Many pupils do not like reading, because they find it hard. Leaders need to embed a systematic approach to teaching phonics. This should include ensuring that pupils who are early readers have access to books that they can read on their own.  Teachers’ expectations are too low. Pupils learn to rely on adult support and do not acquire positive attitudes to learning. This contributes to slow learning and low standards of work across the curriculum. Leaders should raise their own

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

expectations and those of teachers so that pupils are better prepared for the next stage of their education.  Provision in the early years is ineffective. Children like attending and build trusted relationships with adults. However, the positive relationships and assessment of children’s learning are not used well enough to promote children’s development. Children in the early years do not acquire the language and communication skills they need to be ready to start school. Similarly, they do not develop the learning behaviours they should have by the time they are five years old. Leaders need to develop their intent, and improve the implementation, of the early years curriculum as a matter of urgency.  Leaders’ monitoring and systems for accountability are flawed. An overreliance on data and word of mouth means that trust and school leaders are unaware of the low standards and expectations. The effectiveness of governance arrangements

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

needs to be improved. Local leaders should improve the quality of monitoring to be better informed about provision. In turn, clear systems of accountability should be used to raise expectations and improve outcomes for pupils.

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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 . 7 and 8 October 2021

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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. 7 and 8 October 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200924 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.landewednack.cornwall.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected.

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Information about this school

 Landewednack Community Primary is much smaller than the average primary school. There are currently four classes, including the Nursery.  The academy has 110 pupils on roll, including 22 children registered to the Nursery.  In September 2021, a new assistant headteacher was appointed.  The academy is part of Southerly Point Co-operative Multi-Academy Trust. There are 18 other schools in the trust.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. 7 and 8 October 2021

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 This was the first routine inspection of 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 met with senior and subject leaders, including the executive headteacher who also leads Grade-Ruan Church of England Primary School, in the same trust. Inspectors met the chief executive officer of the trust and the SENCo, who also works at Grade-Ruan School. They also met with five representatives of the local governing committee, including the chair and two trustees. Inspectors discussed leaders’ evaluations, priorities for improvement, systems for monitoring and accountability, and the curriculum.  Inspectors did deep dives into four subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and music. They met with senior and subject leaders, teachers and pupils. Inspectors also visited lessons and scrutinised pupils’ work and talked to pupils.

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They reviewed some subject planning and spoke to leaders about other subjects. The lead inspector listened to pupils read.  Inspectors analysed 13 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online parent survey, and the free-text responses from those parents. They scrutinised feedback from 30 responses to the pupil survey and 12 responses to the staff survey.  Inspectors analysed school documentation, including leaders’ evaluations and plans for improvement, and paperwork relating to the work of the local governing committee. They scrutinised a range of policies and procedures, including those that relate to the curriculum.  Inspectors reviewed safeguarding arrangements by meeting with the deputy designated safeguarding lead, reviewing safer recruitment processes, and speaking to staff and pupils. They also scrutinised school policies, governance arrangements, records of concern and links to other agencies.

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Inspection team

Matthew Barnes, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Hodson Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 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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