Chacewater Community Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Chacewater Community Primary School Church Hill, Chacewater, Truro, Cornwall TR4 8PZ

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Outcome

Chacewater Community Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is David Hick. This school is part of Truro and 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, Dr 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?

Chacewater Primary School is a peaceful and nurturing environment for pupils. As soon as pupils start school, staff focus on developing their emotional regulation and well-being. Staff build strong, caring relationships with pupils and their families. Pupils know they can rely on staff to help resolve any issues or worries. As a result, pupils are safe, feel well cared for and are happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants all pupils to experience success. The high ambition the school has for all its pupils reflects this. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well catered for at the school. Pupils meet the school’s high expectations and achieve well. They get on well together and their behaviour around the school is calm and respectful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak positively about the leadership roles they can take at the school. These include Year 6 pupils being ‘movers and shifters’, who help to move furniture and resources around the school. Educational visits and residential experiences foster pupils’ independence and provide them with a valuable insight into the wider world beyond their 3 and 4 December 2024

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locality. The school also provides pupils with a range of clubs that help them to develop their talents and interests.

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

Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum, including for pupils with SEND. Leaders have thought carefully about the key knowledge they want pupils to know from the Reception class onwards. Curriculum content is well sequenced to ensure that pupils build the knowledge, experiences and vocabulary that they need to succeed. The design of the early years curriculum prepares children well for Year 1 and beyond.

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

The school is ambitious for all pupils to develop a love of reading. There is a systematic approach to teaching early reading and phonics. Well-trained staff ensure that pupils receive well-thought-out daily reading lessons as soon as they start school. Effective support is available for any who need to catch up quickly. As a result, pupils typically become fluent, confident readers. Throughout the school, staff read to pupils regularly.

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

The school is working to refine its writing curriculum. For a small number of pupils there remains a mismatch between writing tasks and their phonics knowledge. This results in these pupils having to write words that are too difficult for them. The school has begun to address this issue. However, this work is recent and ongoing. It is too early to see its full impact across the school.

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

The school quickly and accurately identifies pupils with SEND. This identification begins in the early years. As soon as they join the school, children who need more help with their learning are skilfully supported by knowledgeable staff. Throughout the school, staff are adept at providing support for pupils who need it so that they can follow the same curriculum as their peers. Teachers adapt lessons so that all pupils access the curriculum well. This helps pupils with SEND grow in confidence and independence. Pupils with SEND thrive at this school.

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

The school has very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attendance. The school’s values of be kind, be honest, be respectful and be brilliant help pupils to understand these expectations. As a result, interruptions to lessons are rare. Pupils know that staff will address any occasional instances of disruptive or unkind behaviour. Staff build close working relationships with families to understand and tackle any barriers to attendance. Most pupils attend school regularly. The school identifies which pupils are not in school often enough. For these pupils, staff provide extra support. As a result, their attendance improves.

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

The school has crafted a personal development offer for pupils designed to help them understand themselves and the wider world. This begins in the early years, where staff teach children to identify how they are feeling. Older pupils develop strategies to help them manage their own emotions. Staff ensure that pupils have a strong understanding of equality and diversity. Pupils talk about this maturely and reflectively. Staff promote the importance of maintaining positive mental health to pupils. Throughout the school, pupils 3 and 4 December 2024

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benefit from a range of educational visits that enrich their learning of the school’s curriculum.

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Those responsible for governance meet their statutory duties effectively. The trust provides valuable support for the school across all aspects of its work. Members of the local monitoring committee bring helpful challenge from their local perspective. Staff are overwhelmingly proud to work at this school. They know that leaders look after their well- being and workload and value their views.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s teaching of early writing does not provide pupils with enough opportunities to practise and master what they have learned. This sometimes hinders the development of pupils’ writing fluency and transcriptional skills. The school should continue their recent work to ensure that writing is taught effectively so that all pupils are well prepared to express their ideas through writing with clarity and fluency.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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, Chacewater Community Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in December 2010. 3 and 4 December 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 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). 3 and 4 December 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 November 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Truro and Penwith Academy Trust.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2021.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  There is a before- and after-school club managed by the school.

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Information about this inspection

 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. 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, trust leaders, the chair of the trust and two members of the local monitoring committee. 3 and 4 December 2024

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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 at social times. He spoke with different groups of pupils to discuss their views of the school, their learning, their behaviour and safety.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. He also took into consideration the responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Mark Burgess, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 December 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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