St John's Catholic Primary School, Camborne

Inspection of a good school: St John's Catholic Primary School, Camborne Trevu Road, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 7AE

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 October 2021

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Outcome

St John's Catholic Primary School, Camborne continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they always feel safe and happy at school. They appreciate how well all members of staff care for them. Pupils do not believe that there is bullying at the school. On the rare occasions when friends fall out, pupils say that staff help them to solve any problems. Older pupils show empathy regarding the problems some pupils may face in their lives.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in class and at break times. This is because they respond positively to the high expectations of staff. Teachers ensure that all pupils can access a broad and exciting curriculum. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide opportunities for pupils to broaden their learning through external visits and by working with subject specialists who visit the school. In physical education (PE), pupils experience a wide range of competitive and non-competitive sporting events.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the warm welcome given to their children each day. They also shared examples of how school leaders have supported families at difficult times.

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

The inspirational headteacher, governors and other leaders have established a safe, purposeful learning environment in which pupils and staff are highly valued.

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

In most subjects, the curriculum has been carefully crafted to make sure that pupils remember and build on their prior knowledge and skills. Pupils learn subject content in a well-planned order that helps them to master key ideas. For example, in PE, pupils learn skills and tactics before competing in team matches. Pupils understand how this helps them to perform at a higher level. However, planning in some subjects is at an earlier stage of development. 20 and 21 October 2021

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Teaching is adapted effectively to support pupils who struggle with new learning. Teachers understand pupils’ needs, and the strategies they use help pupils to develop their understanding of the curriculum.

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Pupils with SEND are making good progress because they are supported by experienced staff who know when and when not to offer help. This is enabling the pupils to grow in self-confidence and take ownership of their learning.

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Leaders have ensured that provision in early years has improved significantly since the previous inspection. The learning areas have been transformed to offer excellent opportunities for children to develop in all areas of learning. All activities are purposeful. For example, during the inspection, children were learning the names of three- dimensional shapes by building robots made from cylinders, cuboids and spheres.

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The teaching of reading is effective. Children learn phonics from their first day in Reception. The well-structured plans for reading ensure that most pupils move quickly through the phonics programme and learn to read fluently before they leave key stage 1. Pupils throughout the school practise the sounds they have learned by using carefully selected reading books. Older pupils can describe a wide range of authors and compare writing styles.

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The mathematics curriculum is sequenced well and teaching successfully enables pupils to build on their prior knowledge and skills. Teaching equips pupils with essential knowledge that they use to solve challenging mathematical problems. For example, Year 6 pupils could solve complex fraction problems quickly and accurately because they had mastered key knowledge, such as their times tables.

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Subjects also foster pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This is reflected in the views shared by pupils. Pupils are confident to debate issues connected to relationships and health. They display mature views on racism and discrimination.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know pupils well and this helps them to identify pupils who may need help or are at risk. Pupils say that they feel safe and they know adults that they can turn to for help. Pupils know how they can stay safe, including when online.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained and know what to do if they are concerned about a pupil. All staff use the school’s reporting system to log concerns. The trust provides excellent support for safeguarding and monitors concerns to identify patterns or areas requiring additional resources.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that appropriate checks are made on new staff and recruitment procedures are managed well. 20 and 21 October 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The planning of the curriculum in some subjects is at an earlier stage of development. Where this is the case, pupils’ understanding of essential subject content is variable. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum helps pupils to learn and remember more across the full range of 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 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 first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2016.

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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. 20 and 21 October 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10206971 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 and 12 October 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 St John’s Catholic Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary schools and is part of the Plymouth CAST multi-academy trust. The trust has 36 primary and secondary schools serving the Catholic Diocese of Plymouth.  The proportions of disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special educational needs and pupils with an education, health and care plan are similar to those found nationally.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that the school had 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 his evaluation.  The inspector met with senior and subject leaders, including the headteacher who is also the deputy designated safeguarding lead. The inspector reviewed recent referrals 20 and 21 October 2021

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and met with the special educational needs coordinator. He spoke with the chair of governors via telephone.  The inspector met with the education and standards manager from the trust, and the trust chief executive officer and director of education attended the feedback meeting.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and PE. This included meetings with subject leaders, visiting lessons, scrutinising pupils’ work and meetings with teachers and pupils.  The inspector analysed 20 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey. He also analysed feedback from the staff survey.  The inspector analysed school documentation, including leaders’ plans for improvement, policies and procedures and safeguarding documentation.

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Inspection team

Paul Hodson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 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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