Perranporth Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Perranporth Community Primary School Liskey Hill, Perranporth, Cornwall TR6 0EU .

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Outcome

Perranporth Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Alistair Johnson . The school is part of Truro & Penwith 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 (CEO), Jennifer Blunden, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Anita Firth.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Perranporth is a wonderful place to learn. It is a warm and vibrant environment. Come rain or shine, each morning senior leaders welcome every pupil by name at the school gates. These positive relationships continue in the classrooms. Pupils feel well cared for. Year 6 pupils talk of their sadness at the thought of leaving. However, they are well prepared for the next stage of their education. In the words of one pupil, ‘the teachers help us to achieve our goals’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well throughout the school day. They enjoy a range of activities at social times. For example, those who want a quieter space use the reading cabin. Pupils consistently demonstrate enthusiasm for their learning. In the early years, children listen attentively during their phonics sessions. Older pupils settle straight to their work in lessons. Bullying is not an issue.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s high-quality work continues beyond the academic curriculum. ‘Aspiration days’ spark pupils’ interest in potential careers. Pupils demonstrate they are leaders of the future in roles such as ‘Diamond Sixes’, librarians and school parliamentarians. Pupils develop their interests through a range of clubs such as forest school, craft and netball.

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

The headteacher and deputy headteacher set the tone for the school through their quietly determined and intelligent leadership. Many of the staff have worked at Perranporth over a long period of time. However, the school does not rest on its laurels. With support from the trust, it continually seeks ways to improve. At the heart of all decisions is the experience for pupils and how well they learn. This includes pupils with special 14 and 15 May 2024

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educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Consequently, pupils’ outcomes at the end of key stage 2 are consistently at or above national averages.

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However, the achievements in English and mathematics are not at the expense of a broad and balanced curriculum. The GREEN curriculum has strong connections to Cornwall throughout to ensure pupils appreciate the locality's history and context. The school has well-sequenced plans for all subjects. These identify the most important knowledge that pupils should know, starting in the early years. Teachers receive regular training. This helps them to have strong subject knowledge.

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The ambition of the curriculum has translated into ambitious learning in classrooms. Teachers have high expectations of pupils. They expect pupils to use and understand technical vocabulary. For example, pupils in key stage 1 discuss the meaning of words such as kinship and slender. Older pupils discuss the use of the pentatonic scale in music. In the early years, children speak eloquently, giving their answers in full sentences. This is because staff model this regularly. Nevertheless, pupils’ depth of learning in some of the wider subjects are not yet at the same high levels of the core curriculum. This is particularly the case where the curriculum is newer in its implementation.

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Reading is prioritised before children even start school. Staff work closely with other providers as well as parents and carers to help prepare them for their phonics journey ahead. This ensures they get off to a flying start in the early years. Pupils who fall behind are identified swiftly. They catch up quickly as a result of accurate identification of gaps and effective support. Pupils develop the ability to critique and analyse increasingly complex texts as they move into key stage 2.

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Pupils with SEND thrive. The school identifies those who need extra help early. It precisely matches its support to the needs of pupils. Staff carefully monitor the impact of this support and makes any further necessary adjustments.

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The school plans trips closely aligned to the curriculum. For example, pupils visit a local tin mine to learn more about Cornwall’s heritage. Year 6 step out of their comfort zone through residentials. Staff teach pupils about wider societal issues. Pupils know about protected characteristics and how people can be discriminated against. They have a secure knowledge of British values, such as individual liberty.

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Governors and the trust know the school well. There is an open and constructive dialogue with leaders. In addition, they make frequent checks on the school’s work to get an accurate understanding of the school’s performance.

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Perranporth’s highly positive relationship with parents is a key factor in its success. All respondents to Ofsted’s Parent View survey would recommend the school. Parents appreciate the visibility of senior staff, how pupils are inspired by their learning and the provision for pupils with SEND.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 14 and 15 May 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in some wider subjects is not as developed or well-embedded as others. Consequently, pupils do not make the same strong progress as they do in English and Maths. The trust should ensure that it continues to embed and review the wider curriculum so that pupils learn well across it.

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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 predecessor school, Perranporth Community Primary School to be good in December 2011.

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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.

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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). 14 and 15 May 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4 December 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Truro & Penwith Academy Trust.  The school runs its own breakfast club.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, groups of pupils, groups of staff, the CEO and deputy CEO of the multi-academy trust, the chair of the multi-academy trust and representatives from the local governing body.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample 14 and 15 May 2024

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of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also spoke to pupils about some other subjects.  The inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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 inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspector considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View and the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Jason Edge, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 14 and 15 May 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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