Trewirgie Infants' School

Inspection of Trewirgie Infants’ School Trewirgie Road, Redruth, Cornwall TR15 2SZ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 7 and 8 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have transformed the school since the previous inspection. They act with unwavering determination to improve the quality of education for pupils. Pupils now follow an ambitious curriculum that interests and excites them. They know that leaders want them to be successful. Pupils try hard to meet leaders’ high expectations. They flourish in the safe and caring environment that leaders provide.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that bullying happens rarely because ‘we care, we help, we succeed’. They talk with confidence about how this makes the school a happy place to be. Pupils learn how to explore, understand and communicate their emotions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All staff share a consistent approach to managing behaviour. Pupils are taught the knowledge and skills they need to learn successfully. From starting in the Nursery, children learn how to listen, problem solve and cooperate. Pupils aim high to reach leaders’ expectations of their conduct.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents value the school being part of the local community. They appreciate their children learning about their Cornish identity. Pupils confidently greet and welcome others each day with ‘mittyn da’. Parents praise leaders for the support they give to each child and family.

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better?

Leaders have identified the most important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember in each subject. Talented subject leaders support other teachers to improve their subject knowledge. This helps teachers to break learning down into small steps. As a result, pupils build their knowledge well.

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better?

Teachers use a variety of well-considered strategies to help pupils remember their learning. Pupils regularly revisit prior learning. This helps them to deepen their understanding and make links with their new learning. Leaders provide time for subject leaders to check on the delivery of their subject. Subject leaders give useful feedback to staff, helping pupils to know and remember more. Leaders know that, sometimes, teachers do not adapt learning closely enough based on what pupils already know. When this happens, pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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better?

Leaders prioritise reading. They promote a love of reading as soon as children join the Nursery. Leaders set out carefully the books that staff will share with pupils and pupils will become familiar with. They ensure these books show a range of cultures and backgrounds. Leaders take similar care to match pupils’ reading books to the sounds they know. This helps pupils to develop their phonic knowledge and become confident readers. Leaders focus on ensuring that all pupils keep up with the phonics programme. If pupils do fall behind, they receive quality support to catch up quickly and build their confidence in reading. 7 and 8 March 2023

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have targets to ensure they progress well through the curriculum. Leaders check that the support pupils receive helps them to reach their targets. Leaders consider how pupils with SEND can access the full range of opportunities on offer. They make adaptations to enable all pupils to take part in the range of extra-curricular clubs they provide.

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Children in the early years make strong progress from their starting points. Learning environments showcase the improvement in children’s writing over time, from early mark making to writing in sentences. Children take turns, share and ask for help if they need it. Staff skilfully interact with children and ask them questions that deepen their understanding. Children increase their vocabulary, as staff are clear about the purpose of learning activities. Staff identify next steps because they are knowledgeable about how young children learn. All staff have a clear focus on preparing children for the curriculum in Year 1 and beyond.

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Pupils develop a strong sense of their individual identity, as well as what it means to live in modern Britain. They know the school rules and encourage others to follow them. Leaders provide bespoke support to the minority of pupils who find it hard to behave well. Their actions result in sustained improvements over time. Pupils know why treating others with respect is important. They learn about equality and diversity. Pupils share the examples of learning about Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela.

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Leaders communicate their vision clearly. They introduce new ideas with care to protect staff well-being. Staff feel able to approach leaders with any concerns about their workload. They feel proud to work at the school and describe it as a special place. Governors provide effective support and challenge to school leaders. They check that leaders’ actions have the most impact on the quality of education that pupils receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive up-to-date safeguarding training. This helps them to understand that ‘it could happen here’. All staff remain vigilant to signs that a pupil may be at risk. Leaders take all concerns seriously. They act with tenacity to make sure families receive the help they need.

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Safeguarding

Leaders oversee the recruitment of new staff and check that all adults are suitable to work with children. Staff know their responsibility to share any concerns about other staff through the whistle-blowing policy.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about keeping safe through the curriculum. They know who to go to if they are worried about something. 7 and 8 March 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is now a well-considered curriculum in place for all subjects. However, sometimes, teachers do not adapt learning closely enough to what pupils already know. Therefore, some pupils do not learn as well as they could. Leaders need to further strengthen how teachers adapt learning based on pupils’ prior 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. 7 and 8 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256698 Type of school Infant

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School details

Website www.trewirgie-inf.cornwall.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 and 13 March 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Truro and Penwith Multi-Academy Trust.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision.  There is an on-site before- and after-school provision run by the governors.  The headteacher started in her position soon after the previous inspection.

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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. 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, science and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to 7 and 8 March 2023

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teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors spoke with school leaders, including the headteacher, assistant headteachers, subject leaders, pupils, governors and representatives from the trust.  An inspector listened to pupils read.  To evaluate safeguarding, the inspectors spoke to the designated safeguarding leader. The inspector also spoke with staff, governors and pupils, and evaluated record-keeping and staff training.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents, responses to the pupil survey and comments made by parents online during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Jane Dennis, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Evans Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 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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