Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Luke Rees Headteacher Tregolls Academy Chellew Road Truro Cornwall TR1 1LH

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Tregolls Academy

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 12 and 13 November 2024, on behalf of His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require special measures following the graded (section 5) inspection that took place in November 2023.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Tregolls Academy

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school's key and (where applicable) provision judgements, but to identify and report on the school's progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school's previous graded inspection.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Tregolls Academy

During the inspection, I discussed with you and other senior leaders, the interim chief executive officer (CEO) of the trust, the chair of trustees, the school’s strategic partner and a range of school staff, the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I also visited lessons, talked with pupils, held meetings with other staff, and scrutinised pupils’ work and other documents. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is

necessary for the school to no longer be judged as requiring special measures.

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The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

considered again during any monitoring inspection we carry out.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Since the last inspection, there have been several staff changes. You were appointed as headteacher in January 2024, followed shortly afterwards by a new leader of the resource base, who started in September 2024. While there have also been several changes to teaching and support staff, this has stabilised since September. You have quickly gained the trust of pupils, parents and staff. There is already a renewed confidence in how the school is improving. For example, there are useful signs the school is a more purposeful learning environment, underpinned by more positive relationships.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Pupils are increasingly showing they are ready to learn. You and your team have rightly started by reviewing the behaviour policy. You have succeeded in ensuring that everyone now understands the new, higher expectations. Staff are increasingly applying these with consistency. Pupils say they like this. They are highly motivated by the rewards and understand there are consequences if they interrupt learning. Lessons are now disruption free. More pupils have effective support if they struggle with their social, emotional or mental health. Suspensions have reduced term on term. Attendance is also rising. Effective systems to manage attendance mean that the school is aware of trends and persistent absence. New structures in the resource base mean that the environment is calmer and more purposeful.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The reading curriculum is much stronger. In reading, the school has sensibly identified books for each year group to study once pupils have learned their sounds. Books are sequenced for pupils’ ages appropriately, and pupils enjoy them. Leaders have thought carefully about the reading skills they want pupils to learn. Pupils in key stage 2 are developing a greater ability to read and interpret a variety of books. The school has also provided effective training for teachers, which means they are much more confident about how to teach reading.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Leaders have been equally successful in their improvements in mathematics. They have redesigned this curriculum to ensure it is more ambitious. At the same time, leaders have raised the expectations for what pupils should achieve. This has helped ensure that pupils are working more securely through the curriculum. Pupils are now more challenged and enjoy mathematics. The impact of these improvements can be seen in the rising number of Year 6 pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and mathematics. Leaders are now beginning to focus on developing writing across the school.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The school has rightly focused on reading and mathematics first. This means that improvements to other subjects are less secure or yet to be started. Leaders have sensibly begun work to create a template for teachers to use when designing sequences of lessons, but this is in the early stages. The intention is that this will help teachers to design sequences of work that help pupils to know more and remember more. However, at the moment, pupils do not retain the knowledge they have studied.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The trust and hub councillors support the school effectively. They provide strong oversight of its plans and actions. Regular work alongside school staff is securing the necessary improvements. Staff are invested in and describe the positive impact of the training they have had. Staff recognise that there has been, and is still, a lot to do. However, they appreciate the way in which leaders have paced the improvements. They are motivated by the impact they can see on pupils’ learning. There is a determination amongst the staff to build on the positive changes they have already made.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees, and the CEO or equivalent of the Aspire trust, the Department for Education's regional director and the director of children's services for Cornwall. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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