Newquay Tretherras

Inspection of a good school: Newquay Tretherras Trevenson Road, Newquay, Cornwall TR7 3BH

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Inspection dates: 30 and 31 January 2024

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Outcome

Newquay Tretherras continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Gemma Harries. This school is part of Cornwall Education Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Lisa Mannall, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Geoff Brown.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Newquay Tretherras is ambitious for all pupils, and students in the sixth form, to ‘achieve highly, communicate convincingly, engage fully and decide wisely’. The school has carefully planned the curriculum and wider activities so that pupils can develop these skills and attributes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well at this school. The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour, attitudes and involvement in school life. However, it does not always consistently uphold these expectations. This has led to some pupils feeling that systems are unfair. Leaders are taking steps to communicate with pupils, parents and staff to build confidence in the school’s procedures.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is keen to provide pupils with a voice in school life. A school council, led by senior students, discusses and suggests changes to improve the school further. Pupil groups, such as the Cultural Empowerment Group, develop projects to educate other pupils in wider issues. Students in the sixth form work closely with adults to support this work across the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a range of opportunities to develop pupils’ talents and interests. Pupils perform in school concerts, compete in sports and complete personal challenges such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Pupils and staff are members of one of the five school houses. They enjoy good-natured competition to earn rewards and celebrate successes. 30 and 31 January 2024

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

The school has planned an ambitious curriculum. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding build over time so that they are successful in examinations and develop skills for life. For example, the English curriculum builds pupils’ confidence and communication skills. The school has increased the number of pupils studying a modern foreign language at key stage 4. This means the school is moving closer to the government ambition for more pupils to study subjects that form part of the English Baccalaureate.

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

The school has planned formal assessment opportunities within the curriculum. These enable teachers to check pupils’ understanding. Activities are planned within lessons to help pupils to recall their learning. However, sometimes, these activities do not accurately identify the gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Where gaps or misconceptions are not addressed, it hinders pupils’ ability to learn more and remember more over time.

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

The school has developed an effective literacy curriculum. The ‘Word Project’ supports pupils to learn subject-specific vocabulary. As a result, pupils are confident to use sophisticated language. This particularly prepares students in the sixth form for higher education. The school identifies and supports the weakest readers to catch up with their peers. Sixth-form students act as buddy readers to younger students to help them build their confidence and fluency. Pupils read a range of texts during the tutor reading programme. These have been deliberately chosen for their challenge, diversity or cultural significance. The school community enjoys the opportunity to share in these stories.

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

The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Learning plans outline what support pupils should receive. The curriculum is appropriately adapted for pupils in most cases. Students with SEND are particularly well supported in the sixth form. The school also provides additional support for pupils returning to full-time education after periods of absence. This is helping to raise attendance.

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

The school’s personal development curriculum provides age-appropriate relationships and sex education. Pupils learn to keep themselves safe. This includes learning about online safety and mental health support. Lessons, assemblies and other school events enable pupils to explore moral and social issues. Students in the sixth form value the breadth of skills they develop for adult life. Car maintenance, personal finance and cooking all feature as part of the curriculum.

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

Careers education is embedded within the curriculum. Flexible work experience, careers fairs, workshops and trips excite and interest pupils. They learn about potential pathways and receive impartial advice to make informed decisions about their next steps. As a result, most pupils successfully move to the next stage of their education or employment.

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

The school is considerate of staff well-being and workload. Staff value the approachability of leaders. The trust provides professional networks and training opportunities for staff. Those newest to the profession are well supported. Consequently, staff feel invested in and are proud to work at the school. The trust recognises the need to continue to engage 30 and 31 January 2024

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with the local community. The trust holds events to gather parental views and share plans for the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment strategies sometimes do not accurately identify the gaps in pupils’ knowledge or understanding. This means that some pupils do not receive the support they need to learn the curriculum as well as they might. The trust should ensure that assessment is used to inform teaching so that it closes the gaps in pupils’ knowledge.  The school’s high expectations for positive attitudes towards learning are not always realised in all areas of school life. At times, lapses in pupils’ behaviour or attitude towards their work are not addressed consistently. The trust should ensure that pupils, parents and staff have a collective understanding of the expectations and the systems in place to support pupils to meet them.

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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 September 2013.

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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. 30 and 31 January 2024

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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). 30 and 31 January 2024

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,729

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form

Date of previous inspection 5 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher took up the post in January 2024.  The school is a member of the Cornwall Education Learning Trust.  The school uses three registered alternative providers and five unregistered alternative providers.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 30 and 31 January 2024

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held discussions with school leaders at all levels. Inspectors also met staff, trust executive leaders and trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, modern foreign languages, art and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also visited a sample of lessons in other subjects and toured the school during pupils’ breaks from lessons.  Inspectors met with staff responsible for overseeing pupils with SEND and reviewed

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Information about this inspection

planning that supports these pupils.  Inspectors spoke to students in the sixth form and visited sixth-form lessons as part of the deep dives.  Inspectors viewed a range of school documentation, including minutes of the trust board and the school’s self-evaluation documents.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, as well as responses to the staff survey and pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Sara Berry, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Simon Tong Ofsted Inspector 30 and 31 January 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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