St Kew Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Kew Academy St Kew, Bodmin, Cornwall PL30 3ER

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Outcome

St Kew Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Robert Bradley. 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 (CEO), Clare Crowle, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Parker.

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Kew is an inclusive and welcoming school. Pupils are proud to attend. They feel safe in school and conduct themselves well. Parents and carers are extremely positive about how staff care for their children and nurture their potential. Alongside a strong focus on pupils’ personal development, the school prioritises learning. The trust has high expectations for what pupils have the potential to achieve. Pupils are well prepared for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from opportunities to broaden their horizons through school trips and visits. For example, there are trips to London and Plymouth, as well as a whole-school trip to a pantomime at Christmas time. Pupils across year groups enjoy being part of the school council. They have a voice around changes and improvements to the school, such as considering different names for each class.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking on additional responsibilities. Some older pupils lead parents on tours of the school, which develops their confidence. Others are role models through their position as a sports leader, where they organise and run engaging activities for younger pupils at playtimes. Many pupils and staff learn Makaton. This allows all pupils to feel included and to have a way of communicating with others. 7 January 2025

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

St Kew Academy is highly valued within the local community. Some pupils also travel from further afield to attend. The school is supporting an increasing number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Most pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers, with additional adult support and adaptations to learning as required. This is regularly reviewed in discussion with parents and other professionals. As a result, pupils with SEND enjoy their learning and achieve well.

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

Reading is at the centre of the curriculum at St Kew. The school selects high-quality texts for pupils to study as part of the English curriculum. It carefully considers how they link with other subject areas to deepen pupils’ knowledge across the curriculum. For example, while reading ‘Journey to the River Sea’, pupils explore the rich connections with geography. Children in the early years benefit from hearing stories being read aloud regularly. They are keen to join in with retelling stories and copying the actions.

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

The school’s chosen phonics programme is delivered consistently well. As a result, pupils become fluent and confident readers. Staff welcome support from the trust and other external professionals. They use it to make continued improvements to how phonics lessons are delivered. Pupils have frequent opportunities to practise new sounds and recap previously learned ones. Staff carefully track pupils’ progress through the phonics programme. They put in place any additional support that is needed. This ensures that pupils with gaps in their reading knowledge catch up quickly.

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

Children in the early years develop their numeracy skills through a range of carefully planned activities. These include shape sorting and matching numbers to objects. Staff use thoughtful questioning to help children develop their understanding further. Older pupils have a secure understanding of mathematical concepts. They confidently discuss and debate different methods they could use to solve a complex problem.

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

Pupils’ learning in the wider curriculum is more variable. Although the school has carefully considered the topics pupils will learn, and how their knowledge will build over time, this is not always delivered consistently. On occasion, staff do not follow the intended curriculum closely enough. Additionally, they do not always choose the most appropriate learning tasks based on pupils’ prior knowledge and understanding.

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

The school is committed to preparing pupils for life in modern Britain. Within the curriculum, topics such as ‘Black and British’ help pupils to develop their understanding of a multicultural society. Pupils show confidence in their understanding of money and how to budget successfully. They learn about what makes a healthy relationship and how to keep themselves safe online.

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

Staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Most pupils meet them without the need for reminders. Pupils enjoy playtimes, and interact sensibly when participating in games or eating their lunch. They show kindness towards each other, for example helping a friend after a fall in the playground. Children in the early years often play alongside older pupils, which supports their social development. Although the school records any 7 January 2025

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instances of misbehaviour, there is not sufficient detail about the type of incident. This makes it harder for the school and trust to have a clear oversight of behavioural patterns over time.

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Staff describe the positive, family feel of working at the school. They appreciate the high- quality professional development provided by the trust. Staff say that leaders are considerate of their well-being and find ways to reduce their workload.

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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 work that teachers give to pupils does not always meet the aims of the school’s curriculum. Furthermore, at times, there is not detailed enough adaptation for pupils’ different starting points. Therefore, some pupils are not able to build successfully on what they already know. The trust should ensure that all pupils receive appropriate work, in line with the intended curriculum, so that they can build their knowledge successfully over time.  The school’s records of different types of behavioural incidents lack meaningful information. As a result, the school does not have a clear oversight of behavioural trends and patterns. The trust should ensure that information gathered about pupils’ behaviour is purposeful so that the school can respond appropriately.

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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. 7 January 2025

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, St Kew Community Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in July 2016.

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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). 7 January 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection 9 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher started at the school in September 2024.  The school is part of Kernow Learning Multi Academy Trust.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provision.

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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 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, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, the chair and other members of the local governing body, a link trustee, the CEO of the trust and the deputy CEO of the trust. 7 January 2025

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 Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to curriculum leaders, 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 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 the free-text comments. The inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Kelly Olive, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Cameron Lancaster Ofsted Inspector 7 January 2025

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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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