Germoe Community Primary School

Inspection of Germoe Community Primary School Germoe Lane, Germoe, Penzance, Cornwall TR20 9QY

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Inspection dates: 6, 7 and 12 December 2023

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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 6 and 7 December 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Germoe Community Primary School are polite and courteous. Pupils say, ‘We are a welcoming school.’ Staff build positive relationships with pupils. This helps pupils to learn in a calm and nurturing environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils to learn well. This starts in the early years, where children get off to a strong start. The ‘inquiry’ curriculum provides many opportunities for children to learn both indoors and outdoors. Children are supported to develop independence and build resilience.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn to be respectful and active citizens. For example, they take part in litter picking on the beach while collecting materials to recycle for a lighting project. The development of character is promoted through various pupil leadership roles. These include anti-bullying ambassadors and school councillors. Pupils know their voice matters.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are supportive of the school. They praise the care and support their children receive. Parents and pupils value the opportunities pupils have to develop their talents, such as the range of clubs on offer. Pupils say these help them to improve their skills, such as artistic skills through the art club.

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better?

The school has identified the knowledge it wants pupils to know and remember. The school’s approach to teaching the curriculum encourages pupils to be independent learners, showing curiosity about the world around them. Within the curriculum design, the important concepts that are to be revisited over time have been identified. For example, in history, concepts such as monarchy and empire are threaded through the curriculum.

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better?

Teachers use a range of strategies to help pupils learn. Pupils have opportunities to revisit what they have learned before. For example, in mathematics, pupils take part in a ‘discovery’ mathematics session to support their memory and retrieval of their prior learning. Teaching is adapted to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, pupils benefit from the use of objects to enable a hands-on approach to support their understanding in mathematics.

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better?

Assessment is used to check what pupils know and remember. Teachers use assessment to provide regular feedback to pupils about how well they are learning the curriculum. However, sometimes assessment is not used precisely enough in identifying pupils’ misconceptions. Some pupils make repeated errors in their learning, particularly in their writing. For example, inaccurate letter formation, grammar and punctuation are not always picked up and so pupils’ progress stalls.

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better?

The school supports pupils to learn to read and to develop an enjoyment of reading. This starts in the early years, where children enjoy regular story times as a group 6 and 7 December 2023

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and in the reading corner. Across the school, pupils value reading and take pleasure in sharing their favourite books and authors.

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Pupils are taught how to read from the start of Reception. Staff have the expertise they need to teach the phonics programme successfully. Most pupils read books that match the sounds they know. In many cases, assessment is used to identify gaps in their knowledge. However, a few pupils do not get the precise support they need as they move up through the school. Gaps in their phonics knowledge are not addressed quickly enough to develop their reading securely. Consequently, these pupils find it harder to read fluently and to learn the curriculum.

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The school is calm and orderly. Pupils value making their own class rules through the ‘class charter’ at the start of the school year. Most pupils show positive attitudes to their learning. They engage well and know the expectations of staff. This starts in the early years, where children settle well. They know the school routines, such as how to sit sensibly on the carpet when listening to a story.

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Pupils’ wider development is considered well. The school provides many opportunities to enhance the curriculum. Pupils value these experiences. They enjoy the trips that enrich their knowledge. For example, pupils visited a local ‘Britain in the Blitz’ exhibition linked to their historical study. Pupils have an experience of democracy through the school’s ‘pupil parliament’. They share ideas to change the school through their representatives. Pupils talk confidently about their tolerance of others, including those who may have differing beliefs.

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The school monitors the implementation of the curriculum well. However, monitoring of some other areas of the school’s work lacks rigour. Some of the information the school shares with governors is not precise, such as information about aspects of safeguarding. This makes it hard for governors to hold leaders to account fully in these areas.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

At the time of the inspection, minor weaknesses in the implementation of the school’s safeguarding policy were identified. These included staff training and record-keeping. The school, with support from the local authority, took rapid action to address these deficiencies during the inspection. 6 and 7 December 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school does not use assessment precisely. As a result, some pupils make repeated errors in their learning that go unaddressed. The school needs to ensure assessment is used effectively to check how well pupils are building their knowledge and adjust learning to address pupils’ misconceptions.  A small minority of pupils at the early stages of learning to read are not supported well enough to grasp the basics of reading. These pupils do not become confident, fluent readers quickly. The school must ensure that these pupils get the precise support they need to learn to read successfully.  The school, including the governing body, does not monitor safeguarding practice with enough rigour. Consequently, some elements of this work, such as following government guidance in relation to record-keeping and training, are not fully adhered to. The school must ensure that statutory safeguarding guidance is

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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 December 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is in a federation with Boskenwyn Community Primary School. The headteacher is the executive headteacher of both schools.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school provides a before- and after-school club.

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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

 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.  The inspectors spoke with school leaders, subject leaders, parents, pupils, governors and representatives from the local authority. 6 and 7 December 2023

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 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 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

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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 on the second day. Inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils and staff.  Very occasionally, Ofsted decides to pause an inspection before the final feedback is provided to the school. This happened at Germoe Community Primary School. One of His Majesty’s Inspectors returned to the school on 12 December to complete the on-site inspection. In such cases, the inspection report is not published until Ofsted is satisfied that the inspection is secure.

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Inspection team

Esther Best, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Williams His Majesty’s Inspector 6 and 7 December 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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