Mousehole School

Inspection of a good school: Mousehole School Foxes Lane, Mousehole, Penzance, Cornwall TR19 6QQ

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Outcome

Mousehole School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Mousehole School are kind, respectful and ready to learn. They value the nurture and care they receive from staff. In particular, they are very positive about the ‘help you grow (HUG)’ room. Pupils feel safe. They say that bullying is rare, and they trust adults to support them if they have any problems or worries. Pupils understand the school’s ‘golden rules’ and, for the most part, meet the high expectations leaders have for behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop skills to keep themselves safe in the community in which they live. For example, pupils learn harbour and woodland skills. Older pupils have a wide range of opportunities to develop responsibilities. For example, pupils have opportunities to engage with the local community and, through the school parliament, discuss how to improve their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff provide a wide range of extra-curricular clubs, including clubs for sports, cookery, first aid and rock-pooling. Many parents and carers who responded to the online survey, Parent View, commented that their children ‘are thriving’ at the school and value the extra-curricular opportunities available.

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

Leaders have reviewed the school curriculum to ensure that it is ambitious for all pupils. They ensure that the support that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive is matched to their needs. As a result, pupils with SEND learn well alongside their peers. Nonetheless, leaders have identified that some subjects are further developed than others. Where this is the case, leaders have considered carefully the important knowledge that pupils should remember. For example, in history, pupils can confidently put time periods in the right order. Staff ensure that pupils have accurate subject knowledge. As a result, pupils remember much of what they have learned.

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

In some subjects, teachers use assessment effectively to find out what pupils know. However, the use of assessment is not yet consistent or well planned in every subject. 27 April 2022

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Staff identify gaps in learning that have occurred as a result of COVID-19, but they do not use what they know to plan for what pupils need to learn next.

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More recently, leaders have strengthened the curriculum for pupils at the early stages of learning to read. The curriculum is well sequenced, so that pupils build on what they already know. Teachers provide timely support for pupils, including pupils with SEND. Leaders have considered high-quality texts for staff to read with pupils, including books that highlight topics such as ethnicity and gender. The books that pupils read precisely match the sounds they know. Pupils say that they love to read. Despite this, for many pupils who have completed the phonics curriculum, the wider reading curriculum is not as clearly sequenced as it could be. Leaders are taking steps to address this.

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Children in the pre-school and Reception Year get off to a good start. Leaders have rightly prioritised the personal, social and emotional development curriculum so that children are familiar with classroom routines and expectations. This helps them to become successful, confident learners. Despite this, as pupils grow older, leaders have not considered carefully enough how the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum supports some aspects of spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development well enough. This means that pupils do not know as much as they could about some religious beliefs or how other people might live.

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Pupils know the high expectations leaders have for their behaviour and most pupils meet these. A minority of younger pupils need further support to fully participate in lessons. Staff do this effectively, so learning is not disrupted. Pupils enjoy socialising with their peers and develop friendships across the school.

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Leaders provide high-quality pastoral support for pupils. As a result, pupils understand the importance of physical and mental health. For example, pupils take part in a weekly yoga session. Staff consider pupils’ talents, particularly in music and physical education. Many pupils learn to play a musical instrument and can join the school choir and samba band.

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The multi-academy trust supports school leaders well. Staff feel that leaders consider their well-being carefully. Consequently, staff feel part of a strong school community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders understand their statutory responsibilities and make regular checks to ensure that pupils are safe. Staff understand the importance of safeguarding and know that it is ‘everyone’s responsibility’. They attend regular training and follow the school’s procedures to report concerns, including the dangers of sexual harassment, online sexual abuse and sexual violence. Leaders act on these concerns and provide support for pupils who need it. Leaders make the appropriate checks on staff who are new to the school.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when online. They understand healthy and unhealthy relationships. 27 April 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The use of assessment is not well developed in some subjects. Therefore, staff do not use what they know to identify what pupils need to learn next. Leaders need to ensure that effective systems for assessment are implemented in every subject, so that pupils know and remember more.  The planned curriculum for personal development has some aspects that are stronger than others. As a result, pupils are not receiving an effective education in some areas, such as religious beliefs and how other people live. Leaders should ensure that provision for pupils’ SMSC and PSHE education is coherently planned and implemented consistently.

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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 a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Mousehole Community Primary School, to be good in July 2013.

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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. 27 April 2022

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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. 27 April 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Truro & Penwith Academy Trust.  The school has a pre-school provision for two-, three- and four-year-old children.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school has a breakfast club and after-school provision for children in Reception Year, and pupils in key stages 1 and 2.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum 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 inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders, teaching staff and support staff. 27 April 2022

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 The lead inspector met with representatives from the local governing body, the chief executive officer of the trust and other trust leaders.  The lead inspector spoke with the designated safeguarding lead to discuss the school’s procedures for keeping pupils safe. She considered the school’s recruitment procedures, staff induction and training, records of concern and engagement with external agencies. The inspectors spoke with staff and pupils informally throughout the inspection to listen to their views about their experiences at the school.  The inspectors considered 39 responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View, including the free-text responses. The inspectors also took into consideration responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Donna Briggs, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Lees Ofsted Inspector 27 April 2022

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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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