a school not in a category of concern of Mullion Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Rob Chirgwin Headteacher Mullion Primary School Willis Vean Mullion Helston Cornwall TR12 7DF

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Primary School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 11 March 2025, on behalf of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and took place because the school meets the monitoring threshold as set out in the Monitoring Inspection Handbook .

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Primary School

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s key and (where applicable) provision judgements, but to identify and report on the school’s progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school’s previous graded inspection.

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Primary School

During the inspection, I discussed with you, other senior leaders, the director of education and the chief executive officer (CEO) of the trust, trustees and governors, the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I also visited lessons, talked to pupils about their work and looked at pupils’ work with leaders. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Main findings

Since the last inspection, you have quickly brought staff together to understand the imperative for change. You have managed this well, keeping a sharp focus on the quality of education. As a result, the school has made significant improvements in the areas identified in the last inspection.

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Main findings

The school has rightly focused on improving the reading curriculum for pupils who have finished the phonics programme. The school has designed a careful transition for pupils from early reading. This is successful because it mirrors the structure of the phonics programme which is familiar to pupils. Consequently, pupils are confident in reading more complex texts. The school has a sharp focus on developing pupils’ fluency. Pupils are grouped for their reading lessons based on a variety of assessments. This enables teaching to match texts precisely to pupils’ reading fluency, weaving reading skills in at each stage. Pupils enjoy the range of books they read and become confident and accurate readers.

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Main findings

In the wider curriculum, the school has identified the key knowledge it wants pupils to learn. The school has carefully considered each pupil’s journey through the school and how the mixed-aged classes impact on where they cover this knowledge. This knowledge is coherently sequenced so that pupils build on what they already know, regardless of their pathway through the school. Work has begun to map out how subject-specific concepts progress over time. For example, in history pupils learn about trade. The school is currently thinking about how this understanding develops from Reception to Year 6. Leaders have identified specific teaching strategies for delivering the curriculum. These are used consistently across the school. The work given to pupils enables them to work towards the aims of the curriculum. In many subjects they are producing high-quality work. However, the school acknowledges that further embedding the wider curriculum will

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Main findings

help pupils to know, remember and do even more over time.

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Main findings

Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has improved considerably. The school has a clear vision for inclusion. Pupils with SEND learn alongside their peers. Training for staff has focused on developing their understanding of the most prevalent needs of pupils in the school. External agencies have been used well to raise staff awareness. For example, recent training by the educational psychology team means staff have a good understanding of emotion coaching strategies. This helps them to meet the needs of the wide range of pupils.

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Main findings

As well as understanding the barriers to learning for pupils with SEND, the school is developing staff’s ability to reduce these barriers. Many pupils have good support from adults or resources. This helps them to meet the precise targets on their individual plans. However, for some pupils, adaptations to the wider curriculum are not yet enabling them to learn as effectively. This is because staff give them work which is sometimes too challenging, so they cannot build on what they already know. The trust has acted decisively since the last inspection to address areas for development. It has a secure oversight of the school’s improvement work and its impact.

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Main findings

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees, and the CEO of the Truro and Penwith Academy Trust (TPAT), the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for Cornwall. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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