Gorran School

Inspection of Gorran School Gorran, St Austell, Cornwall PL26 6LH

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 February 2024

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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 Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 11 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 27 and 28 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to this welcoming school. Across the school, relationships between staff and pupils are warm and nurturing. The school has high expectations. The ‘ready, respect, safe’ school rules are clear. Pupils know and understand them well. As a result, they learn well and thrive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. At social times, pupils of all ages play together. Bullying, when it occurs, is dealt with swiftly. Pupils feel safe in and around the school. Pupils are valued members of the local community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers a rich set of experiences. They include residential trips to the Isles of Scilly, participating in sports competitions and playing musical instruments. In addition, pupils participate in a wide range of clubs that develop their interests and talents, for example sailing, football and netball.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils have opportunities to learn how to swim in the school’s swimming pool. The cycle track, built into the school grounds, provides an option for pupils to ride their bikes during the school day. The school ensures that there are no barriers to all pupils gaining wider experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and the support that they and their children receive.

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better?

The school has recently adopted a new curriculum. It is well sequenced and sets out the important knowledge the school wants pupils to know and remember. This starts in the early years, where the curriculum is designed to prepare children well for learning beyond Reception. For example, in mathematics, staff plan activities that develop children’s language and knowledge of numbers and counting. Children put their knowledge into practice. They use sand timers and create tally charts recording their work. Older pupils build on this knowledge. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 develop a secure understanding of grouping numbers together.

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better?

The school recognises the importance of effective subject leadership. However, this is not yet fully developed. The implementation of the curriculum is not checked for impact in sufficient depth. This means that in these subjects the school does not have a clear understanding of how well pupils are learning over time.

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better?

The school inspires pupils to develop a love of reading. Children in Reception enjoy listening to stories. Most pupils learn to read quickly and are fluent readers by the time they reach Year 3. Outcomes in the phonics screening check are above the national average. Children learn phonics from the beginning of the Reception Year. Staff regularly check pupils’ understanding and identify any pupils who have gaps in their phonics knowledge. Those who fall behind are given extra help to catch up. New arrivals to the school, including pupils who speak English as an additional 27 and 28 February 2024

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language, learn phonics quickly and successfully. However, in a few instances, the books that pupils read are not as well matched to their phonics knowledge as they need to be. This makes it difficult for these pupils to practise using their phonics and to grow in confidence with their reading.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs identified quickly. The school ensures that pupils with SEND have learning targets that are regularly reviewed. Staff know pupils well, and this ensures pupils get extra support if they need it.

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Although persistent absence for some groups of pupils has been high, the school has introduced systems to reduce this so that it is now improving.

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Pupils are well prepared for life beyond primary school. Older pupils have a secure understanding of equality and tolerance. They know why it is important to respect others from different faiths or cultures. Pupils explained to inspectors that it is good to be different. However, younger pupils’ knowledge of fundamental British values is less secure. Pupils learn to be active citizens when they raise money for charity, such as to help people affected by war. Years 5 and 6 pupils lead a lunchtime sports activities club, the ‘huff and puff’ club. They act as role models and successfully organise games for younger children at breaktimes.

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Governors are committed to improving the school. They are dedicated and proud of the school. However, governors do not ask sufficiently probing questions of leaders. As a result, they do not know enough about the quality of education the school provides for pupils.

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Staff are committed and dedicated. They care deeply about the pupils and the community the school serves. Generally, staff feel well supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The support for the weakest readers does not ensure they get ample practice in using phonics to develop their decoding and blending skills. Some pupils read books that are not fully decodable. The school should ensure that support for the weakest readers is focused on building pupils’ phonics knowledge so that they can read fluently and confidently.  The school, including those responsible for governance, does not always have sufficient oversight of leaders’ areas of responsibility. This means that the school does not have a clear understanding of the impact of leaders’ actions. Leaders are not held fully to account for the quality of education that pupils receive. The 27 and 28 February 2024

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school, including those responsible for governance, needs to ensure it has full oversight of the impact of leaders’ actions.

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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). 27 and 28 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 May 2012, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses one registered alternative provision.  The school operates its own breakfast club.  The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.

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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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, the designated safeguarding lead, members of staff, a representative from the local authority and the chair and members of the governing body. 27 and 28 February 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited samples of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed 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.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments, and the responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Gavin Summerfield, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Tustain Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 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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