St Tudy CofE Primary School

Inspection of St Tudy CofE Primary School St Tudy, Bodmin, Cornwall PL30 3NH

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Brigid Howells. This school is part of St Barnabas Church of England Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Sean Powers, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Sue Morrish. 6 and 7 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite, respectful and courteous. They are proud of their school and they want to do well. Pupils care about each other. They believe that everyone should be treated fairly. The school motto ‘Bring it’ is well understood by pupils. Through bringing ‘courage, friendship and creativity’, they know how to be successful. All achievements are celebrated.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school, with support from the trust, has improved the quality of education since the previous inspection. As a result, there are now high expectations for all pupils to learn well across the curriculum. This starts in the early years where children get off to a strong start. Here, children explore the world around them with curiosity.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personal development is a strength. The school promotes character development as well as a sense of responsibility. Pupils know their voice matters. For example, leadership roles enable pupils to make a difference, such as the promotion of fund-raising events. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. Visits from the local police helps them learn about road safety. This supports pupils, with the help of staff, when crossing the road carefully to access the playground.

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better?

The trust has provided effective support to improve the curriculum. The knowledge pupils need to know and remember has been identified and sequenced across subjects. This supports pupils from Reception to Year 6 to learn an ambitious curriculum that prepares them well for future learning.

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better?

Subject experts across the trust have supported the effective implementation of the new curriculum. Staff receive regular support to develop their expertise. Some subjects are further embedded than others. For those that are well established, staff subject knowledge is secure, and this helps pupils learn the curriculum well. In some other subjects, some staff do not yet have the expertise they need to help pupils build their knowledge and deepen their understanding. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

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better?

Important knowledge is revisited to help pupils remember the curriculum. Assessment is used to check how well pupils are learning the curriculum. For example, a colour coded system of retrieval helps pupils to remember what they have been taught. Gaps in knowledge are identified and the curriculum is adjusted to support pupils. However, some pupils make repeated errors in their writing that go unaddressed. As a result, these pupils embed misconceptions. This stalls pupils’ progress through the curriculum.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported to learn the curriculum successfully. Early identification of need is prioritised. This ensures that these pupils get the help they need. Precise targeted support helps pupils with SEND to learn well alongside their peers. 6 and 7 February 2024

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Teaching children to learn to read is a priority for the school. This starts when children arrive in Reception. Assessment is used to check how well pupils are grasping the phonetic code. Support is in place for those pupils that are not keeping up. Pupils read books that are well-matched to the sounds they know. This helps pupils to develop their fluency in reading. The school promotes a love of reading. Pupils take pleasure in sharing their favourite books with each other.

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Pupils show positive attitudes to their learning. Staff have high expectations of behaviour and pupils live up to these. Routines are well established both in school and during social times. This starts in the early years where children know the routines well. They are kind to each other and manage any conflicts well.

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The school is working hard to improve attendance. Regular monitoring and support for families is starting to make a difference. This helps to ensure that pupils attend regularly to be able to learn the curriculum well.

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The school provides a variety of experiences to promote pupils’ wider development. Pupils talk positively about trips they attend that enhance the curriculum. For example, pupils visited the Royal Cornwall Museum linked to their learning in history. A variety of residentials with other schools in the trust help to expand pupils’ social groups beyond their own school. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain through their understanding of British values. For example, they have a lived experience of democracy through voting for the name of the new calm area ‘dreamland’.

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Staff, including those that are new to the profession, feel well supported by the school. They value guidance from the trust and the opportunity to learn from subject experts. Those responsible for governance know the school well. Alongside the school and trust, they are determined for all pupils to be successful.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some staff have not developed the depth of subject knowledge needed to deliver the curriculum in all subjects effectively. As a result, some pupils do not build their knowledge in these subjects as well as they do in others. The trust must ensure they continue to develop staff expertise to teach all aspects of the curriculum well.  Within a minority of subjects, some pupils make repeated errors in their writing that go unaddressed. As a result, some pupils embed misconceptions. The trust must ensure that expectations of writing are consistently high across the curriculum. 6 and 7 February 2024

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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' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 6 and 7 February 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 October 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 St Tudy CofE Primary School is part of St Barnabas Church of England Multi Academy Trust.  The school is designated as having a religious character. The school is in the Diocese of Truro. At the most recent section 48 inspection of the school, carried out in July 2023, the school was judged to be good.  Since the previous inspection, there has been a change in headteacher. The headteacher joined the school in January 2023.  The school is a smaller than average-sized primary school. Pupils are taught in two mixed-age classes.  The school provides a before-school club.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors spoke with school leaders, subject leaders, parents, pupils, governors and representatives from the trust.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke to leaders and pupils about the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a trusted adult.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, the inspectors spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents. The inspectors considered comments made by parents online during the inspection and met with some parents at the start of the second day. Inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

Esther Best, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lizzie Lethbridge Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 February 2024

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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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