St Winnow CofE School

Inspection of St Winnow CofE School Downend, Cornwall PL22 0RA

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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 Good 11 and 12 July 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils highly enjoy their education at St Winnow. This is reflected in their strong attendance. They feel well cared for and in the words of one pupil, 'We're one big family.’ Pupils in Year 6 say they are well prepared for secondary school but are sad to leave St Winnow.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s Christian ethos lies at the heart of its work. This helps to promote pupils’ positive attitudes to learning. For example, in the early years children show sustained concentration on tasks. Pupils are kind and courteous to one another. They display impeccable manners to visitors. At playtimes, pupils show consideration for others by ensuring their games do not spill over into other spaces. Pupils say that bullying does not happen.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend residential trips to promote their independence and resilience. They enjoy different clubs to pursue their interests, such as art, choir and football. Pupils attend trips to deepen their knowledge of the curriculum. For example, children in the early years visit a heritage railway to learn how transport has changed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The vast majority of parents would recommend the school. They feel pupils are safe and well cared for. Parents say the school deals well with concerns they raise.

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better?

The school has been through a period of rapid change. In the process of joining the trust, executive leaders, alongside external support, identified weaknesses in the school’s curriculum. They recognised that they needed to raise expectations of what pupils should learn, and in what order, from early years to Year 6. As a result, the trust has overhauled much of the curriculum this academic year.

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better?

Leaders have provided intense support and guidance for staff, so that they understand the curriculum changes. Staff have worked hard to implement them. However, they feel that leaders have taken workload into account throughout. Staff feel proud to work at St Winnow. They are supportive of the changes.

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better?

Pupils learn a well-sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum. Staff make appropriate adaptations to the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps them to learn the same broad and balanced curriculum as their peers. Teachers use agreed approaches to ensure pupils learn key facts and vocabulary. They question them well to explain their thinking. Teachers address misconceptions as they arise. As a result, pupils recall their learning well. Pupils’ outcomes in national tests reflect this. Children in the early years proudly discuss how they have composed a piece of writing. Older pupils can recall their times tables. 11 and 12 July 2023

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Teachers regularly check what pupils have learned. However, although assessment systems are consistently used across the school, teachers do not then use the information gathered well enough. They sometimes do not provide pupils with tasks that build on pupils’ prior learning. When this occurs, pupils do not learn as much as they could do.

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Despite the many changes, leaders have ensured that reading has remained the top priority. Leaders train staff to teach reading effectively. Children in the early years learn to read straightaway. Pupils read books closely matched to the sounds they know. Staff ensure that pupils regularly revisit words which are not phonetically decodable. Teachers have clear systems for spotting pupils’ gaps in knowledge. They swiftly put in extra help as needed. As a result, the small number of pupils who fall behind catch up quickly.

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Pupils enjoy reading. One pupil said, ‘It takes you on an adventure in your head.’ They talk in depth about the books they are currently reading in class. Pupils value the weekly shared reading sessions with younger pupils.

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Leaders have established a sound personal development offer. They have made outdoor education central to this. Pupils know about protected characteristics and different relationships, for example same sex relationships. They have strong views on equality. They feel everyone at St Winnow is treated equally. As one pupil said, ‘We're all people. There's no judgement.’

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While pupils have a school council, they do not meet frequently. Pupils say they would like to have more roles and responsibilities in the school and to help make more decisions about school life. Leaders know that this is an area that is underdeveloped.

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Governors and the trust know the school well. Governors value the support from the trust. They ensure they make checks on staff's well-being. Governors are not afraid to challenge leaders’ decisions as appropriate.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a vigilant safeguarding culture. They know the contextual safeguarding risks in the community. Leaders have trained staff in a range of areas. Consequently, they can spot signs of harm. Staff diligently note any low-level concerns about pupils. Leaders act upon these swiftly and ensure they clearly record next steps. Staff work closely with other agencies, such as family support workers and social workers, to help support families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to stay safe online, such as keeping personal information secure and sharing concerns with a trusted adult. 11 and 12 July 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers make regular checks on what pupils know and can do. However, they sometimes do not use this information well enough to adapt their future plans and plan tasks that build on what pupils can already do. Leaders should ensure that teachers use assessment information to help plan tasks that deepen pupils’ knowledge fully.  The systems for listening to pupils’ opinions in the school are underdeveloped. Pupils do not have a rich range of roles and responsibilities for them to contribute towards school life and become responsible citizens. Leaders should develop roles and responsibilities, so that pupils can contribute to, and influence, school life fully.

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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. 11 and 12 July 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The executive headteacher took up his post in March 2023. It is the second change in leadership this academic year.  The school joined St Barnabas Church of England Multi Academy Trust in November 2022.  The school runs its own after-school provision.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school is designated as having a religious character. Its last Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools took place in 2018 when it received an outstanding judgement.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 11 and 12 July 2023

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 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 executive headteacher and other senior leaders, groups of staff, executive leaders from the trust, a trustee, a member of the governing body and an external school improvement partner.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following 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, looked at samples of work and spoke to pupils about their learning.  The lead inspector also looked at samples of work in science, history and art and design.  The lead inspector listened to a group of pupils read to an adult.  Inspectors considered how well the school protects pupils and keeps them safe. The

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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 the responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, the pupil survey and the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Jason Edge, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Sean Millar Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 July 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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