Charlestown Primary School

Inspection of Charlestown Primary School Crinnis Road, Carlyon Bay, St Austell, Cornwall PL25 3PB

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 October 2024

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

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The headteacher of this school is Alana McGovern. This school is part of Kernow Learning Multi 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, Clare Crowle, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Parker. 22 and 23 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school and trust have high expectations for what pupils can achieve at Charlestown. They are ambitious for pupils’ academic outcomes. The school are determined that pupils will be well prepared for secondary school and beyond. Pupils rise to this challenge and achieve well. They are committed to their learning. Pupils enjoy participating in lessons, often using their oracy skills to share ideas and build on those of others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are friendly and polite. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and respectful. The classroom environment is calm and purposeful. Where a minority of pupils find school life more challenging, staff support them to manage their emotions and behaviour well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s vision of ‘to inspire, enrich, enlighten’ can be seen across all areas of school life. For example, pupils are inspired to think about their future careers. They enjoy meeting visitors from different professions such as nurses and farmers. Children in the Reception Year enjoy a visit from the Fire Service to support their superhero theme. Pupils are proud to take on additional responsibilities. For example, in Year 6, pupils can be assembly monitors, playground leaders and members of the school council. This enriches their wider experience of school.

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

The school has been through a period of significant change. A new headteacher started in March 2024 and several other leaders and teaching staff are also relatively new to the school. Throughout this period, the school has benefited from the support of the trust. They have worked together to establish a high-quality curriculum. A well planned professional development programme has increased staff expertise to deliver this curriculum well. Teachers, including those at the early stages of their career, are confident to deliver the different subjects across the curriculum. The majority of staff say they have been supported well by leaders during this period of change.

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

Pupils build their knowledge across subjects in a logical order. They are able to make connections and remember what they have learned. Pupils’ achievement reflects this improvement. Children in the Reception Year are being well prepared for Year 1. Staff recognise there is an increasing number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) joining the school. They are adapting their teaching approaches to support these children. For example, by using more sensory activities and ones that develop gross and fine motor skills. Across the school, staff get to know the barriers to learning for pupils with SEND. They provide supporting resources or adapt the curriculum appropriately to meet their needs. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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

Across the curriculum, the school checks carefully what pupils know. Teaching allows pupils to show what they remember about new and previous learning. However, the school does not use this information as effectively as it should. On occasion, gaps in pupils’ knowledge or misconceptions persist. 22 and 23 October 2024

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The school and trust have placed reading at the centre of the curriculum. From when children join in the Reception Year, they are introduced to well-chosen stories, nursery rhymes and songs. Staff encourage children to use vocabulary they have learned such as ‘equipment’ and ‘firefighters’. Children start to learn to read as soon as they join the Reception Year. The school delivers its chosen phonics programme effectively. Staff receive expert training and carefully check the progress of pupils as they learn new sounds. Where any pupils need additional support, they receive this promptly.

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Across the school there is a positive climate for learning. This starts in Reception Year where children have learned the expected routines quickly. Playtimes are busy but well supervised. Pupils move around the school calmly. They listen well to instructions from staff.

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Pupils learn a well-considered personal development curriculum. They participate in trips that bring the curriculum to life for them. Older pupils speak highly of the residential trips that they attend. These help to develop their independence and resilience. Pupils learn about cultures and communities different to their own. For example, the school have forged a link with a previous member of staff who now lives in Columbia. This helps to broaden pupils’ experiences.

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The school share regular newsletters with parents and carers to celebrate its successes and share key information. Parents’ evenings provide an opportunity for parents to discuss their child’s progress. However, where the school has experienced many changes in a short space of time, some parents feel this could have been communicated more effectively to them. For these parents, the partnership between school and home remains fragile.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, teachers do not use the information gained through checking pupils' understanding to inform what is taught next or to address gaps in knowledge. As a result, some pupils do not build their knowledge in the detail they need. The trust should ensure that assessment information is used purposefully to improve the curriculum so that pupils are supported to know and remember more.  Some parents do not feel the school communicates well with them about changes to the curriculum or the progress that their child is making. This can lead to a breakdown in the partnership between school and home. The trust should ensure they develop strong channels of communication with parents to allow them to work together effectively. 22 and 23 October 2024

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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). 22 and 23 October 2024

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School details

Website www.charlestown.kernowlearning.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 29 and 30 January 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Charlestown Primary School is part of Kernow Learning Multi Academy Trust.  The school does not use any providers of alternative provision.  Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school's education provision. 22 and 23 October 2024

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 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 held discussions with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, representatives from the local governing body, the chair of the trust board, the deputy chief executive officer and the chief executive officer of the trust.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics, history, and computing. 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.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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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 inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. The inspectors also considered responses to the staff survey and responses to the survey for pupils.

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Inspection team

Kelly Olive, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Barton Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 October 2024

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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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