Polruan Primary Academy

Inspection of Polruan Primary Academy St Saviour's Hill, Polruan, Cornwall, PL23 1PS

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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 Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 13 and 14 July 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have created an ethos where pupils have a say in their education. They encourage pupils to be curious and ask questions. Pupils appreciate this. However, the quality of education is not good. Leaders have not considered well enough how pupils develop their knowledge over time by building on prior learning. As a result, too many pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an inclusive, happy and caring place to learn. Pupils like coming to school because of its close-knit community. They enjoy being able to mix as a whole school. Staff know the pupils and families well. Pupils behave well in class and on the playground. They say that bullying is rare but that if it occurred, adults would deal with it quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy having responsibilities to help in the running of the school. They speak enthusiastically about experiences, such as sailing on the River Fowey and visiting the National Marine Aquarium.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents speak highly of the school. One parent stated that ‘I cannot speak highly enough of the staff at Polruan Primary Academy. Nothing is ever too much trouble.’ Many others echoed this view.

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better?

Leaders have designed a curriculum to motivate and enthuse pupils. They tailor learning to pupils’ interests. Pupils respond well to this and are enthusiastic when discussing their learning. However, too many subjects are not well planned and sequenced. Leaders do not consider carefully enough the order of learning from key stage 1 to key stage 2. Therefore, pupils do not build on what they have learned in the past. In subjects where leaders have considered the curriculum carefully, pupils can apply what they have learned. For example, in mathematics, they can solve increasingly complex problems, drawing on their knowledge of written calculation methods.

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better?

Leaders prioritise reading from the moment pupils start school. As a result, pupils have positive attitudes towards reading. Younger pupils enjoy story time and listen well to adults as they read. Recent changes to the delivery of phonics have had a quick impact. Staff have received suitable training. Books are matched carefully to the sounds pupils know. Staff identify swiftly those in danger of falling behind. These pupils catch up quickly. By the end of key stage 1, pupils are confident readers.

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better?

Leaders’ curriculum thinking details the broad knowledge of what pupils should know. However, in some subjects, teachers do not have a secure understanding of the precise knowledge pupils need to know. As a result, pupils have gaps in their 13 and 14 July 2022

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learning and misconceptions sometimes occur. For example, some pupils confuse fact and opinion in geography.

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Leaders, including governors, check the quality of the curriculum regularly. However, their focus is on English and mathematics. Leaders do not have an accurate view of how well pupils learn the wider curriculum.

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Staff integrate early years children into the life of the school skilfully. Older pupils within the class enjoy helping them. Staff have high expectations of children in the early years. They establish warm relationships. Staff ensure children follow the rules and routines well. As a result, children gain confidence and independence. Children are well prepared for key stage 1.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities have their needs met well. Staff identify pupils early through well-established systems. The trust provides effective support and training. As a result, staff use appropriate strategies to ensure that all pupils learn the same curriculum.

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Pupils are knowledgeable about discrimination. They have a strong sense of right and wrong. They learn about sensitive topics, such as consent, in an age- appropriate way. Leaders recognise that pupils’ understanding of other faiths and cultures is more limited. They have started to address this, but it is too early to see any impact.

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Pupils’ social development permeates school life. Leaders promote a sense of moral purpose. For example, pupils fundraised for families affected by the war in Ukraine. Leaders raise pupils’ aspirations through careers presentations from different job sectors. This broadens pupils’ horizons beyond the locality. Pupils enjoy having their achievements celebrated in weekly assemblies.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff are well informed through regular training. As a result, they can identify pupils who are at risk of harm. Leaders keep detailed written records and their follow-up actions to concerns are clear. They work effectively with other agencies. Consequently, vulnerable pupils receive timely support. Leaders carry out statutory checks to ensure that adults are safe to work with pupils.

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Safeguarding

Pupils say they feel safe in school. They know how to report any concerns to an adult. They understand how to keep themselves safe online and in the community through personal, social and health education lessons and assemblies. 13 and 14 July 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the curriculum is not well organised. This means that pupils cannot make connections between new learning and what they already know. Leaders need to ensure that all subjects in the school’s curriculum are well sequenced, so that pupils know more and remember more over time.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not considered carefully enough the specific knowledge that pupils need to know and remember in the wider curriculum. Consequently, teachers are not always clear what they want pupils to know. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum intent identifies the specific knowledge they want pupils to know and remember in every subject.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders do not check the effectiveness of the wider curriculum well enough. As a result, they do not know how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum. Leaders need to improve their checks on the effectiveness of the curriculum to ensure that pupils are learning the important knowledge and skills they need to succeed.

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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 July 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227285 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 June 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Bridge Multi-Academy Trust.

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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 of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors also looked at books and spoke to pupils about their work in history, religious education, art and design and foreign languages. 13 and 14 July 2022

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 Inspectors met with the head of school, the local area executive head, the trust special educational needs coordinator and other members of school staff. The lead inspector also met the chair of trustees and the chair of the local governing body.

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 Inspectors looked at the school’s plans for improvement, leaders’ self-evaluation and reports from the trust.

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 Inspectors took into account the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also considered responses from the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Jason Edge, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Lovett Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 July 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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