St Mary's CofE Primary School, Penzance

Inspection of a good school: St Mary’s CofE Primary School, Penzance Redinnick Place, Penzance, Cornwall TR18 4HP

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Outcome

St Mary’s CofE Primary School, Penzance continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending St Mary’s CofE Primary School. They are polite, well-mannered and respectful. They work well with one another and are keen to share their ideas.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is calm and orderly. Pupils strive to meet the high expectations of staff. This is evident in pupils’ positive behaviour and attitudes. In lessons, pupils are keen to learn, and focus on their work. As a result, disruption to learning is rare. Out of lessons, pupils show respect to each other. They play well together and respond quickly to staff’s instructions. Pupils say that bullying and poor behaviour are unusual. They are confident that if any issues were to occur, adults in school would resolve them immediately.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers more than the academic curriculum. Pupils value the many different, additional activities available. For example, they learn to play musical instruments, and participate in charity fundraising. Pupils also take on responsibilities, such as being ‘reading buddies’ or school council members.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are positive about the school. They find the staff at the school friendly and approachable.

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

Leaders and staff have thought carefully about the qualities they want pupils to develop at school. These include perseverance, generosity and courage. The curriculum which leaders have designed is ambitious in its aims for pupils’ academic and personal development.

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

The curriculum sets out what pupils will learn, from the early years onwards. Curriculum leaders have identified the important knowledge pupils need to learn in most subjects. This helps pupils build their knowledge well over time. Teachers use assessment effectively to check how well pupils learn the curriculum. However, in some subjects, such as history, leaders have not set out the curriculum carefully enough. They have not clearly 14 March 2023

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identified the important knowledge pupils need to remember in the long term. This hinders pupils’ ability to build their knowledge and make connections with future learning.

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Leaders and teachers are determined that all pupils will learn to read confidently. Staff in early years concentrate on developing children’s language. Children are ready to learn to read as soon as they enter Reception Year. Leaders have ensured that all staff know how to teach the phonics curriculum well. Children in early years, and older pupils, practise reading using books that closely match the sounds they know. This helps them to gain the phonic knowledge that they need to be successful readers. Older pupils who do not read fluently continue to get help to catch up.

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Leaders identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately. Teachers use this information to provide learning which enables pupils with SEND to follow the same curriculum as their classmates.

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Leaders carefully consider pupils’ wider development. They make sure that pupils have a voice in the school. Staff encourage pupils to take on leadership roles. For example, ‘child leaders’ show visitors around the school and take part in staff recruitment. Pupils participate widely in activities outside of the classroom. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 go on residential trips. Pupils talk enthusiastically about after-school clubs which they attend. Leaders check that all pupils, including those with SEND, take advantage of these opportunities.

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Pupils learn extensively about the wider world. They know that they should treat everyone with respect. They understand that it is acceptable for people to have different beliefs, values and opinions from their own. Pupils learn how to keep mentally and physically healthy.

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Staff and pupils have respect for one another. In the early years, adults and children build warm and positive relationships. Children cooperate well, sharing and taking turns. Parents say that the school sets high expectations for behaviour.

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Staff are proud to work at the school, and their morale is high. They recognise that leaders, including governors, do all that they can to ensure that they have a positive work-life balance. Staff also appreciate the support that they receive from leaders to carry out their roles.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know the pupils and their families very well. Staff are well trained to identify when a pupil may be at risk of harm. They know the risks for their pupils locally. Leaders have effective systems to record concerns. They build up a clear picture of any worries that may exist around a pupil.

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Safeguarding

Leaders work with a range of agencies to support pupils. Pupils feel safe in school. They learn how to keep themselves safe, including when online. 14 March 2023

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Arrangements during recruitment to ensure the suitability of staff to work with children are appropriate.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not identified the important knowledge pupils need to know and remember in every subject. This means that, in these subjects, pupils do not have secure knowledge on which to build future learning. Leaders must identify clearly the important knowledge pupils need to remember over the long term in every subject.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2012.

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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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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. 14 March 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.st-marys-ce-pz.cornwall.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher is also the headteacher of nearby Madron Daniel CofE Primary School, with which it has formed the An Baya Federation.  St Mary’s is a Church of England school. The last section 48 inspection was in October 2017. The next section 48 inspection is due before October 2025.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school 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 met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and groups of staff and pupils. The lead inspector spoke with representatives of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of 14 March 2023

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lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the school’s single central record of recruitment checks and met with the designated safeguarding leads. Inspectors also spoke to pupils and staff and reviewed records, policies and staff training.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors considered the views of pupils, parents and staff through discussions during the inspection and through the Ofsted surveys.

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Inspection team

Mark Burgess, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Ashley Leeson Ofsted Inspector 14 March 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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