Portreath Community Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Portreath Community Primary School Penberthy Road, Portreath, Redruth, Cornwall TR16 4LU

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Outcome

Portreath 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 Cassie Pamplin. This school is part of Crofty Education 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), Simon Hague, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mike Hosking.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school are vibrant, confident, self-assured individuals. They are highly motivated and enthused by what they learn, both academically and in their wider development. This inspires them to want to know more and meet the high expectations that staff have for them to achieve the best possible outcomes. Pupils fully embody the school’s vision for them to be courageous, creative and curious. This runs through all that the school offers. It fosters a culture where pupils feel safe to take risks and contribute fully. This leads to a school where pupils’ conduct and attitudes to learning are positive and highly respectful, both towards staff and each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is determined that its pupils are well prepared for life beyond primary school. Pupils are highly aspirational about where their future paths might lead. Visitors into school and trips off site enrich pupils’ learning across subjects. Pupils value these. They see the links to how these opportunities enhance their learning and make it more meaningful. There is a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities to develop pupils’ talents and interests. Pupils are excited to attend these because it extends their time in school, a place where they feel happy and safe. 7 January 2025

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

The school has refined and strengthened the curriculum, as it moves towards single year group classes. The ambitious curriculum leads to pupils achieving highly. It enables them to make connections with their learning across different subjects. The highly effective curriculum design supports this from the very start in the Reception class. The ‘powerful knowledge’ that pupils need for future success is identified clearly. The school has ensured that staff have the knowledge and expertise needed to deliver curriculum content clearly. However, there are some wider curriculum subjects that are not as well embedded as the majority of others. The impact of the refined curriculum design, and the difference that leaders’ checks and actions are having, is not as compelling as it is where the curriculum is at its strongest. This means that, while pupils learn well in these subjects, they do not recall knowledge and build new learning as securely as they do in others.

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

Pupils are at the heart of the school’s decision-making. This enables quick identification of the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school puts in place effective and targeted support and adaptations for pupils with SEND. There is appropriate flexibility to support pupils’ enquiring minds and their range of individual needs, including where these are identified as SEND. There is a shared understanding of what is crucial in deepening pupils’ learning, for example focusing on language and vocabulary development. This begins in the Reception class. Children use increasingly ambitious language to answer questions and interact with each other. This gives them the necessary foundations for learning in key stage 1 and 2, where pupils use rich vocabulary in their high-quality written work across the curriculum.

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

Reading is an integral part of learning in all subjects. The school uses the power of a ‘book to hook’ as a highly successful strategy. It promotes reading for pleasure and opens pupils’ eyes to the wider world around them. There is a real dedication to reading across the school. Pupils become increasingly fluent and confident readers because of the skilful way in which the reading curriculum is delivered. The phonics programme ensures that, from the very start, children successfully learn their letters and sounds. Staff provide children with additional support in a way that accurately meets their needs. This helps them to read the wealth of reading material that the school offers.

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

High attendance reflects pupils’ excitement for learning. The school continuously strives to improve attendance further, working closely with families. Parents and carers rightly praise the school for its communication and positive impact on their child’s confidence. Pupils support and encourage each other. They are inspired by nurturing relationships role modelled by staff and seen in action between staff and pupils across the school. Pupils develop personal skills and independence through leadership roles such as in the school council and their involvement in the community. These opportunities stand pupils in good stead to be active and valued participants in communities they opt to be members of.

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

The local governance committee, in collaboration with the trust, has a deep understanding of the school. It provides strong support and appropriate challenge. Staff appreciate the leadership and consideration of their well-being and workload. It enables them to maintain the shared vision of helping pupils to ‘grow and make a difference’. 7 January 2025

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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 refined and improved curriculum is not as securely embedded as where it is fully established and at its strongest. In these subjects, pupils’ knowledge and recall are not as deep and connected. The school should ensure that further work to fully establish the successful curriculum model from other subject areas supports pupils to achieve the best possible outcomes.

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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 school to be good for overall effectiveness in October 2019.

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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. 7 January 2025

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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 1 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is currently undergoing building work for two new classrooms. These are due for completion shortly. It is part of the ongoing work to support the school’s growing numbers and move towards single year groups in all classes.  The school currently 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 met with the headteacher, the assistant headteacher, the director of education for the trust, the special educational needs coordinator and staff. In addition, 7 January 2025

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an inspector met with members of the local governance committee, including the chair, and representatives from the trust including the CEO.  The inspectors 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 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 observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspectors analysed school documentation, including leaders’ evaluations and plans for improvement. The inspectors scrutinised a range of policies and procedures, including those that relate to the curriculum, SEND, safeguarding and behaviour.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View and parents’ free-text

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comments. An inspector met with some parents at the beginning of the school day.  The inspectors spoke with staff to gather their views about the school and evaluated their responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Leanne Thirlby, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Tustain 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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