Polperro Primary Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Polperro Primary Academy Brentfields, Looe, Cornwall PL13 2JJ

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Outcome

Polperro Primary 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 Anthea Hillman. 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.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this friendly and welcoming village school. From the Nursery Year, children follow established routines and quickly settle into school life. The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and conduct around the school. Pupils live up to these and typically behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Positive, caring relationships lie at the heart of the school. Staff get to know pupils well. Pupils trust staff to resolve any situations swiftly and fairly. Pupils form positive friendships. At playtimes, they enjoy ‘huff puff’, creating games like ‘chaos tag’ and the ‘funky Friday’ dance sessions. Across the school, pupils feel valued and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high ambitions for all pupils to succeed. It actively works to improve pupils’ attendance rates with tenacity. As a result, pupils attend well. They work hard and succeed in English and mathematics.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils act as positive role models. They enjoy supporting children from Nursery during lunchtimes. Pupils take on leadership responsibilities like eco or school councillors. This helps them make positive contributions to life at school. The school considers pupils’ talents and interests. It offers a wide range of clubs, such as art, mindfulness and football. 25 March 2025

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

The school has designed a curriculum that is broad and ambitious. Where strongest, the school identifies the important knowledge that it wants pupils to learn and the order in which they should learn it. In mathematics, the curriculum builds core knowledge in mathematical fluency, reasoning and problem-solving. This helps pupils tackle challenging concepts. For example, pupils use their knowledge of basic fractions to convert them into percentages. Older pupils build on what they have learned before to solve complex algebra problems.

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

However, in some subjects, the school has not identified the knowledge that pupils learn with the same degree of precision. Consequently, sometimes, it is difficult for teaching to focus on the important knowledge pupils need to know. This means, at times, while pupils develop broad knowledge, occasionally it lacks depth. This slows the progress some pupils make through the curriculum.

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

Reading is a priority. This begins in the Nursery Year, where children benefit from approaches that prioritise their communication and language. Adults model new vocabulary effectively in their interactions with children. From the start of the Reception Year, children read books matched to the sounds that they are learning. They practise writing the sounds and words that they know. Adults check how well children learn and support those who need help to keep up. Older pupils read high-quality books that introduce them to a range of topical issues, including war and refugees. This helps them to build empathy and tolerance.

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

The school makes checks on what pupils learn. These identify strengths, prior knowledge or any gaps in learning. Most staff use questioning effectively to check progress and carefully provide additional support where needed. They help pupils address any misconceptions in their understanding.

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

The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) swiftly. Working with external agencies, the school provides guidance for staff on how best to support pupils with an education, health and care plan. Staff adapt learning so that pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum alongside their peers.

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

The personal development of pupils is a strength of the school. Pupils learn about healthy lifestyles and relationships, the dangers of drugs, how to stay safe online and different world religions and cultures. They benefit from rich experiences that bring learning to life. This includes theatre visits, residential experiences, beach trips and curriculum themed days. Educational outings, such as one to the Royal Cornwall Museum, help pupils find out about mummification and Ancient Egypt. Pupils represent the school in a wide variety of tournaments, such as football and cross country. They also enjoy swimming lessons at the on-site swimming pool. Pupils understand about how fundamental British values underpin society. This is reflected in how the school engages with the local community. For example, pupils learn about their Cornish heritage and the significance of the Polperro fishermen. They benefit from working alongside local artists on community projects

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

involving art, writing and nature. 25 March 2025

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The trust and governing body offer an effective balance of challenge and support to school leaders. Staff feel happy and proud to work at the school. For example, they appreciate the school’s consideration for their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The school keeps records of safeguarding matters, and for the most part, they are detailed. However, some safeguarding records do not make clear the actions that the school has taken with enough precision. While not placing pupils at increased risk, this makes it harder for the school to check that the right course of action has been followed or identify patterns or trends with safeguarding issues.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects in the wider curriculum, the school and trust have not identified the most important knowledge they want pupils to learn. This means that, at times, some pupils lack the in-depth knowledge in these subjects. The school and trust need to refine the existing curriculum and identify the knowledge appropriately so that pupils deepen their understanding equally well across all subjects.  There are some minor issues with some safeguarding records. This means that a small number of records are not clear enough about leaders’ actions to keep pupils safe. The school must ensure that all safeguarding records contain details that enable staff to gain a clear overview of actions taken.

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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, 25 March 2025

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behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Polperro Community Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2015.

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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). 25 March 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 June 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Bridge Multi-Academy Trust.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school offers nursery provision and provision for two- and three-year-old children.

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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 spoke with school leaders, subject leaders, parents, pupils, members of the local governing committee, trustees and representatives from the trust. 25 March 2025

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 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 visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  The inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. They also considered responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Gavin Summerfield, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Richard Light Ofsted Inspector 25 March 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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