Indian Queens Primary School

Inspection of Indian Queens Primary School Off Suncrest Estate, Indian Queens, St Columb, Cornwall TR9 6QZ

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The headteacher of this school is Morris Smith. This school is part of Aspire 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), Rachel Warwick, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Penny Shilston.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected Indian Queens Primary School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Indian Queens Primary School to be outstanding for overall effectiveness, before it opened as an academy. 28 and 29 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk about their school and what it offers them with a genuine sense of pride. Pupils know and demonstrate the school values and uphold the motto ‘Behold the day. It’s yours to make!’ This is because the school fosters trust and safety through strong, nurturing relationships. It encourages pupils to be aspirational about their future potential, resulting in confident and vibrant individuals. Pupils show the utmost care and kindness to each other because staff model it to them. This underpins the school’s calm and welcoming ethos.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils relish living up to the high expectations that the school has for their academic achievements and their behaviour. Staff skilfully adapt learning for and support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is a strength of the school. Staff knowledge about SEND makes a positive difference for all pupils. Staff know them well and what they need, academically, socially and emotionally, to flourish.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personal development is supported well by the school. For example, responsibilities that pupils can hold, such as junior road safety officers and members of the pupil parliament, build independence and give them an active role in the school community. It prepares them well for their next stage.

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

The school has been on a significant journey of change and has experienced periods of turbulence since it was last inspected. The school is now in a much more stable place since joining the trust and working collaboratively with the expertise it offers.

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

Children get off to a strong start in the early years. From the Nursery, children’s language development and independence are prioritised. The early years curriculum is carefully designed to give children the essential knowledge that they need, while following their interests. Early identification of children in Nursery and Reception with SEND is highly effective. As a result, children are well prepared 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 builds on the success of the early years with an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum for the majority of subjects in key stage 1 and 2. This is most effective in English and mathematics. The 2024 nationally published data does not reflect the high- quality learning in these subjects. The well-thought-out curriculum design gives pupils time to practice and secure new learning which builds successfully on what they already know.

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

The school has ensured that teachers have the knowledge they need to deliver the curriculum as intended. However, in some wider curriculum subjects, the design of the curriculum lacks the clarity of the core subjects. This makes it difficult for staff to deliver it effectively and check how well pupils are learning what is intended. Consequently, pupils find it hard to remember enough of their learning over time. 28 and 29 January 2025

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Pupils learn to read well. This starts in the early years where children develop a love of stories, rhymes and songs. Children in Nursery become familiar with the routines of the phonics programme so that they are well prepared for phonics learning in Reception class. The teaching of reading for older pupils, once they complete the phonics programme, builds on this successfully. Staff skilfully spot pupils who find reading difficult. These pupils receive additional support that helps them to become fluent and confident readers. Pupils enjoy listening to adults read to them daily. They are enthusiastic about the well- considered texts available, which are rich and diverse. This supports pupils’ wider development as well as nurturing a love of reading.

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Pupils respond well to the school’s positive approach to managing behaviour. They describe it as clear and fair. It helps pupils who struggle with their behaviour to find ways to manage their emotions with increasing success. Pupils have an awareness of how people are different, including unseen disabilities. They understand that their peers may need different ways to help them.

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Pupils have plentiful opportunities to explore their interests and stretch their talents through extra-curricular clubs. The school’s wider development offer gives pupils a greater understanding of risks and how to keep themselves safe and well. They are encouraged to speak up and make a difference. For example, pupils enjoy contributing to weekly assemblies with their petition for changes in the school.

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The school has worked on strengthening relationships with families to successfully address attendance. It recognises the importance of close working with parents to support pupils in all aspects of school life. Parents are praiseworthy of the way in which the new leadership has involved them more in the school community and their child’s learning.

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Staff value highly the support for their workload and well-being from the school and the wider trust. They recognise that this, along with the effective and extensive professional development they receive, helps them to make the best possible impact on pupil’s education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some aspects of the wider curriculum are not as well developed as the core subjects of English and mathematics. The curriculum design in these subjects is not as clear as it needs to be to ensure that teachers teach the content effectively and check that pupils build successfully on prior learning and remember more over time. The school needs to 28 and 29 January 2025

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make sure that it puts the necessary checks in place to assure itself about the quality of learning taking place and how well pupils understand and remember it.

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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). 28 and 29 January 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Aspire Academy Trust, a multi-academy trust comprising 37 primary academies and 22 nurseries, across Cornwall. The school joined the trust in 2018.  The school has two-year-olds on roll in its Nursery.  The school currently uses one registered 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. 28 and 29 January 2025

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 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.  Inspectors held discussions with the head of school, the assistant headteacher, the school’s strategic partner, the special educational needs coordinator and subject leaders from the school and the trust.  An inspector held discussions with the chair of the trust and a representative of the hub council.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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 An inspector listened to a sample of pupils reading to a familiar adult.  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 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 Ryder Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 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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