St Breward Community Primary School

Inspection of St Breward Community Primary School St Breward, Bodmin, Cornwall PL30 4LX

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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 Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 8 and 9 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend St Breward. They celebrate the school’s small size. Pupils say that everyone knows each other well. They say that one of the best things about their school is that staff look after them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in class. All, including children in the Reception Year, listen carefully to teachers’ instructions. At playtimes, pupils play well together in the spacious and well-resourced grounds. They talk to visitors with confidence. Pupils say that bullying is rare. However, if it does happen then they trust staff to sort it out. Parents agree.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Nevertheless, the quality of education is not good. Leaders have not created a curriculum that fully identifies what pupils need to know and in what order this should be taught. Pupils do not learn all that they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a range of opportunities that foster their personal development. Leaders ensure sport has a high profile. Pupils talked enthusiastically about success in a county netball competition. They develop their interests through clubs such as gardening, computer animation, lacrosse and drama. Leaders organise trips that link closely to the curriculum. For example, pupils visit a zoo to learn more about animals and their habitats.

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better?

Leaders have steered the school through a tricky period. There have been changes in staffing. In addition, leaders have had to make changes to the organisation of classes. They have had to adjust the curriculum to reflect the changing year groups that make up each class. Leaders acknowledge that this work is not complete. The pandemic also slowed the progress of change. Leaders have not completed the work to clearly define the order in which pupils learn key concepts. Furthermore, in some subjects, they have not identified the small-step knowledge that pupils need. This includes in the early years. Consequently, pupils’ learning does not build on what they already know.

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better?

Where the curriculum is more clearly sequenced, pupils learn well. For example, in mathematics, younger pupils can use known number facts to help solve more- complex problems. Older pupils can solve problems involving area and perimeter. Teachers deepen pupils’ knowledge with effective questions. They adapt the curriculum well for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils learn the same broad and balanced curriculum as their peers.

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better?

However, in the past, some aspects of the curriculum were not taught in the way that leaders intended. While leaders have sought to address this, much of this work is in its infancy. In some of the wider curriculum, teachers do not implement the 8 and 9 February 2023

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curriculum effectively. They do not consider the mixed ages in the class well enough. As a result, pupils’ depth of knowledge across the curriculum is inconsistent.

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Leaders recognised that the phonics curriculum needed improvement. In the early years and key stage 1 they have introduced a highly systematic approach to reading. This has had a positive impact. Children begin to learn to read straightaway in the Reception Year. They participate enthusiastically in sessions.

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Pupils read books closely matched to the sounds they know. Staff ensure that pupils revisit and practise these sounds. This helps pupils to read with fluency. Leaders have ensured staff are well trained. As a result, staff swiftly identify pupils who fall behind. As a result of effective catch-up sessions, they get back on track quickly.

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However, pupils’ reading stalls at key stage 2. Leaders have not established a cohesive curriculum for older pupils. Pupils then do not learn to read as well as they should. Despite this, pupils have positive attitudes to reading. They enjoy choosing books from the school library.

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Pupils have strong views on the importance of tolerance. They talk passionately about discrimination based on characteristics such as gender, race or sexuality. As one pupil described it, ‘On the inside we’re all the same.’ Pupils learn about the Cornish heritage as well as its language. This gives them a sense of place in the world. Pupils develop leadership roles through the school council. They take responsibility by organising lunchtime activities on the playground. Leaders prepare pupils for the future through attending careers fairs.

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Trustees acknowledge the issues around the curriculum. They know that while leaders have addressed some issues, there is still much more to do. They draw upon external monitoring to check that their own views on the school are accurate. Staff feel well supported. They feel leaders consider their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a secure safeguarding culture. They know families well. Leaders ensure that staff receive regular training updates. Consequently, staff can identify pupils at risk of harm. They record any concerns in a thorough manner. Leaders follow up on these promptly. Staff work with agencies to help families get the support they need.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make the necessary checks on staff, visitors and contractors. Through the curriculum, pupils know how to stay safe online and in the local area. The trust checks regularly that the school’s actions help to keep pupils safe. 8 and 9 February 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, leaders have not identified the small-step knowledge that pupils need and the order in which they will learn it in the mixed- age classes. As a result, pupils do not learn all that they should across much of the curriculum. Leaders need to identify the specific knowledge that pupils need to acquire, and ensure that it is well sequenced so that pupils know more and remember more across all subjects.  In some subjects, teachers do not implement the curriculum in line with leaders’ expectations. Consequently, the depth to which pupils learn across the curriculum is variable. Leaders need to support teachers to help them implement the curriculum in line with the agreed approach.  The key stage 2 reading curriculum does not sequentially build on what pupils already know and can do. Consequently, pupils do not reach their full potential in reading. Leaders need to ensure the key stage 2 reading curriculum builds on

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils’ prior learning and deepens their knowledge.

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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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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. 8 and 9 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256722 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school joined the North Cornwall Learning Trust in 2018.  The school has two classes.  The school closed its nursery provision in July 2022 due to low numbers.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, groups of staff, groups of pupils, the chief executive officer of the trust, a group of trustees and a member of the local governing council. 8 and 9 February 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of work and spoke to pupils about their learning.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1 and 2 read to an adult. The inspector also heard a group of older pupils read to an adult.  Inspectors considered how well the school protects pupils and keeps them safe. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead to evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding measures. The lead inspector also scrutinised the school’s single central record.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, inspectors spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  Inspectors spoke to parents at the start of the school day. They also considered

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the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Jason Edge, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Martin Greenwood Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 February 2023

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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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