Ludgvan School

Inspection of Ludgvan School Lower Quarter, Ludgvan, Penzance, Cornwall TR20 8EX

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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 principal of this school is Rob Hamshar, who is responsible for this school and one other school. This school is part of Leading Edge Academies Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Kelley Butcher, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jackie Eason MBE. 22 and 23 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to belong to this friendly and welcoming school. They are happy and attend well. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from positive and supportive relationships with the adults in the school. This starts in the early years where staff nurture and support children well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils to achieve their best. Most pupils live up to these. Classrooms are typically calm and productive places. Pupils feel safe in school. They know who to talk to if they are worried. If bullying does happen, the school is swift to act to ensure all pupils receive the appropriate support to avoid future incidents.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school aims to build pupils’ independence. The residential programme starts in Year 1, where pupils sleepover at school. It culminates with trips to London, the Isles of Scilly or France in Years 5 and 6, where pupils do outdoor adventurous activities at residential camps. Pupils help on the school farm and care for the school’s chickens, turkeys, rabbits and guinea pigs. Older pupils can take on additional responsibilities, such as becoming a member of the pupil leadership team.

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

The school has designed a broad and ambitious curriculum that is logically ordered from the early years to Year 6. The school has identified the important knowledge and key vocabulary that pupils need to learn. In most subjects, pupils learn well. For example, in mathematics, children in the Reception Year learn to subitise accurately. Children then practise counting in real-life and play situations, recognising small numbers of items. Older pupils build on this and can explain multiples of various numbers. Staff check regularly that pupils remember what they learn. Staff adapt their input to ensure that learning is secure and misconceptions do not persist.

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

However, in some subjects, the school has not considered the end points that the curriculum is building towards. This means that the knowledge and skills that pupils need to retain to reach those end points are not sufficiently clear. Consequently, in these subjects, some pupils do not build their knowledge well or remember enough of their learning over time.

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

From the early years, the school places a strong focus on early reading. Adults in the early years speak to children in full sentences and introduce them to vocabulary. This helps children learn new words. From Reception onwards, children enjoy listening to carefully chosen stories that capture their imagination. Children quickly learn the sounds they need to decode words to read with accuracy and fluency. They practise reading books that include the sounds they know. Pupils who struggle with reading receive effective support to keep up with their peers.

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

The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND swiftly. Staff adapt learning so these pupils achieve well alongside their peers. The school has created the ‘hive’ base where 22 and 23 October 2024

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pupils with additional needs receive effective support from expertly trained staff. Pupils who spend time in the ‘hive’ are proud of their learning and motivated to be in school.

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Pupils generally show calm and focused behaviour around the school. Most understand the new school rules of ‘ready, respectful and safe’. However, a small minority of pupils need reminders from staff about their behaviour and attitudes to learning. At times they disrupt the learning of others.

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Staff monitor attendance information closely and provide support for pupils and their families where needed. Staff break down the barriers that make coming to school difficult for some. As a result, pupils’ attendance is improving.

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The personal social and health education curriculum supports pupils to understand the importance of consent and puberty. Pupils have a clear understanding of diversity and discrimination. They recognise and value differences between people. Pupils learn how to keep themselves mentally and physically healthy. They visit the trust-owned community centre to participate in rugby coaching or have sessions with instructors at the local gym. Initiatives such as the mini-police and visits to the Houses of Parliament, broaden pupils’ understanding of life in modern Britain.

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The trust board and members of the local academy committee are committed to the school. They use their expertise to provide the school with appropriate support and challenge. Leaders consider staff workload and well-being when making policy decisions. Staff appreciate this and engage well.

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Most parents and carers are positive about the school. They like how staff get to know pupils and families well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the end points that the curriculum is building towards are not defined precisely enough. Therefore, the knowledge and skills that pupils need to retain to reach those end points are not sufficiently clear. As a result, pupils develop gaps in their knowledge. The school and the trust should identify the component knowledge and skills and the ambitious end points that they want pupils to achieve in all subjects.  A minority of pupils do not behave as well as the school expects. At times, they disrupt the learning of others. The school and the trust must make sure that pupils fully understand the expectations of their behaviour and attitudes to learning so less learning time is lost. 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

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The principal of the school took up his post in September 2024.  The school runs a breakfast club for its pupils.  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. 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 provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 22 and 23 October 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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, deputy headteachers, school staff, parents and pupils. The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer, the chair of the trust board, a trustee and members of the local academy committee. The lead inspector also met other trust leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. 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 met with

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curriculum leaders and looked more widely at pupils’ work in other areas of the curriculum.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at lunchtime. In addition, inspectors met with pupils formally and informally to hear their views.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. They also looked at 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

Lizzie Lethbridge 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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