Polruan Primary Academy

Inspection of Polruan Primary Academy St Saviour’s Hill, Polruan, Cornwall PL23 1PS

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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The headteacher of this school is Jane Wills. This school is part of Bridge 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), Adrian Massey, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Maria Ashurst. 21 and 22 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and proud to be members of this small, friendly school. They appreciate the close community, where everyone knows each other. Pupils understand the school values, including being responsible. Across the school they show kindness and consideration towards others. Pupils know that staff care and will take time to listen to, and address, any concerns they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils to achieve the best they can. Staff promote these expectations well across the school. Pupils work hard and achieve well. They have positive attitudes to learning and strive to meet the high standards expected of them. Pupils behave well in classrooms that are purposeful learning environments.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school encourages pupils to take up leadership positions. These include being reading buddies and members of the school council. The school involves the school council in decision-making. Recently this has included choosing new playground equipment. This helps pupils understand how to listen to different views and reach agreement.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take part in a range of extra-curricular activities and visits. For instance, they take part in sporting competitions with other schools. These opportunities nurture pupils’ talents and contribute to their wider development.

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

The school curriculum is broad and ambitious. Across subjects, important knowledge, skills and vocabulary are clearly identified from Reception to Year 6. The curriculum is regularly reviewed and adapted to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the school’s mixed-age classes. This helps pupils to learn successfully. Teachers present new concepts in clear and engaging ways that build on prior learning. For example, in art, pupils in key stage 1 create collages with textured paper. Then, in key stage 2, pupils create their own textured paper using frottage. They use this paper to create collages in the style of an artist they have studied previously.

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

The school checks regularly how well pupils are learning the curriculum. This enables teachers to identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. However, occasionally these checks lack precision. As a result, some gaps in pupils’ knowledge go unnoticed. This hampers how well some pupils progress through the curriculum.

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

Reading is a strong part of the school’s culture. From their start in Reception, children enjoy listening to stories. They quickly learn sounds that enable them to begin to read simple words. Staff apply their training well to help pupils build their phonics knowledge. Pupils who are at risk of not keeping up with the phonics programme are quickly identified and supported to catch up. Pupils read confidently with fluency and expression.

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

The school has effective systems for identifying the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These pupils are suitably supported so that they learn alongside their peers and achieve well. 21 and 22 January 2025

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Pupils behave well. Staff consistently reinforce the school’s high expectations. Respectful, positive relationships are evident. Classrooms are calm and purposeful, which helps pupils to focus on their learning. From when they join, children in the Reception class learn to follow routines and listen carefully to teachers’ instructions. The school gives attendance and punctuality a high priority. It has established strong relationships with parents and carers in order to support its focus on maintaining positive attendance.

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The school has established well-devised approaches to support pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including when near the local waterfront. The school has paid particular attention to broadening pupils’ horizons beyond the locality. Pupils learn about faiths and cultures that are different to their own. They participate in village events and support families abroad affected by war.

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The trust and school work together effectively to raise standards. Trust staff and the hub governor challenge and support leaders effectively. They hold them to account for their actions. Staff say that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being. The parents who shared their views during the inspection were overwhelmingly positive about the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not always precisely check how well pupils learn. As a result, gaps in pupils’ knowledge occasionally go unnoticed and pupils do not learn as well as they could. The trust should sharpen its assessment strategies to ensure that any gaps in pupils’ knowledge are identified and promptly corrected.

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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. 21 and 22 January 2025

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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). 21 and 22 January 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 July 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Bridge Multi Academy Trust.  The school is small compared to other primary schools nationally. Pupils learn in two mixed-age classes.  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 and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 21 and 22 January 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, trust leaders, the chair of the trust and a hub governor.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened to pupils read to an adult.  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

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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 at social times. They spoke with different groups of pupils to discuss their views of the school, their learning, their behaviour and safety.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took into consideration the responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Mark Burgess, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Tustain Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 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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