Manaccan Primary School

Inspection of Manaccan Primary School Church Town, Manaccan, Helston, Cornwall TR12 6HR

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The headteacher of this school is Lisa Woodhouse who is responsible for this school and one other. This school is part of Aspire 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, Vanessa Bragg, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Penny Shilston. 25 and 26 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get along well together in this close-knit village school. They play and learn harmoniously. However, the education they receive is not yet good. Over recent years, support and challenge for the school to improve the quality of education has been weak. Since joining Aspire Academy Trust, pupils’ learning is improving significantly but there is more work to do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and encouraging. This is appreciated by parents. Pupils are respectful towards one another. This begins in the early years where children share, play and collaborate together well. Pupils know the rules and the expectations. They understand the consequences of the choices they make.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school does not develop pupils’ character as well as it could. Pupils do not benefit from an overall coherence to their personal development. For example, younger pupils develop their social skills and independence. However, the school does not build on this as pupils get older. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to take on responsibilities or experience ways of contributing to school and community life. Even so, they enjoy experiences such as sailing, museum trips and clubs. These enrich the curriculum.

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better?

The trust has added significant capacity to the school. Trust leaders and Hub councillors are committed to ensuring their vision for a high quality of education becomes a reality for pupils. They strategically drive the focus on curriculum and standards. They have taken some decisive actions, are evaluating the impact of these actions and are astute in their understanding of next steps. Subject and phase experts are supporting curriculum development. This has been hampered by changes to staffing. However, arrangements for the new academic year promise greater stability. Staff feel invested in since joining this trust. They benefit from curriculum networks and quality professional development.

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better?

In the subjects that have been the focus for development, pupils learn well. This includes children in the early years. The school has identified the key knowledge it wants pupils to learn. This has been broken into small steps. The implementation of a sequenced curriculum in the context of the school’s size, has challenges. The school has thought carefully about how key concepts can be used to deepen and secure knowledge over time. For example, in history, pupils learn about different time periods by building knowledge about key concepts such as rituals. Nevertheless, this design needs to be applied to a number of other subjects, as well as writing, to ensure that pupils learn well across the curriculum. In addition to this, the school has yet to consider how pupils make accelerated progress to make up for their experience of a weaker curriculum. 25 and 26 June 2024

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Pupils learn to read well. The use of a sequenced phonics programme ensures this. Children in nursery enjoy learning about sounds through their play. They build on this in Reception Year and quickly learn to segment sounds and blend them together to read and write words. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know which helps them read fluently. As a result of improved teaching, pupils are making better progress through the curriculum. Those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive strong support.

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The trust has worked alongside school staff to achieve an early years’ environment that is fit for purpose. The school is developing the use of the space and resources to support learning, but this is in its infancy. It is not used as a fully integral part of the curriculum provision for early years children.

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Developing teachers' subject knowledge is central to the trust's vision for excellence. In some subjects, teaching is strengthened through high-quality professional development. The school has designed its own ‘blueprint’ lesson structure. Pupils’ learning in some subjects is stronger as a result. Some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they could. This is because teaching does not always adapt the curriculum closely enough to build on what they already know. Staff expertise and stability has affected the impact of this, particularly at key stage 2.

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Many parents have negative views of the school. Leaders’ communication with parents has not fully engaged parents to show the accelerated, positive changes that have been made since the school joined the trust.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some areas of the curriculum are not as developed as others. Where this is the case, pupils do not learn as well. The trust and the school must complete its work to design a coherent, well-sequenced curriculum for pupils, including for children in the early years.  The school has not identified clear teaching strategies that it wants pupils to learn the curriculum through. This includes in the early years. Consequently, adults use a range of strategies, not all of which are effective. The trust and the school must develop staff’s understanding of pedagogy, including the use of assessment to ensure pupils know more and remember more over time.  A majority of parents say the school does not communicate or engage well with them. As a result, parents do not understand the improvements and developments in the school well. The trust and the school should review and improve its work with parents to restore trust and an understanding of

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

improvements to pupils’ education. 25 and 26 June 2024

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 Opportunities for pupils to contribute to their school and local community are limited. Pupils do not gain a full understanding of what it means to be a responsible citizen. The trust and the school should build coherent opportunities for pupils to develop this knowledge so that they can contribute to and influence the school and local communities.

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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). 25 and 26 June 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 April 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a smaller than average primary school.  There has been a recent period of staffing instability, particularly at key stage 2.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English including early reading, mathematics and physical education (PE). For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke 25 and 26 June 2024

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to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, strategic partner from the trust, special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders, teaching and support staff, members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors, chair of the trust board, the CEO and members of the executive leadership team from the trust.  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 an adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. In addition, they met with pupils informally and formally to hear their views.

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 Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. Inspectors also took into consideration responses to the staff and pupil surveys.  Inspectors examined a range of documentation provided by the school, including the school’s improvement plan and self-evaluation form.

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Inspection team

Angela Folland, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Esther Best His Majesty's Inspector 25 and 26 June 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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