Copper Valley Infant and Nursery Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Copper Valley Infant and Nursery Academy Drakewalls, Gunnislake, Cornwall PL18 9EN

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Outcome

Copper Valley Infant and Nursery 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 Lynn Cox. 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 at Copper Valley Infant and Nursery Academy are vibrant, confident and happy individuals. They flourish in the nurturing and respectful culture of the school. This begins in the Nursery Year where language and interactions are at the heart of children’s learning. This provides the strong foundations for the success with which children from early years through to pupils in Year 2 communicate, express their views and enthuse about their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school community is driven by a shared determination and commitment to get the best from its pupils in their academic learning and their wider development. Pupils support and champion each other to follow the school rules and embody the school’s values. For example, to be excellent like an eagle and determined like a dung beetle.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are motivated to meet the school’s high standards. They recall their learning with ease. For example, Year 2 pupils enjoy sharing with Year 1 pupils what they remember from their different topics, such as the artwork of Alma Thomas and the Jewish Shabbat.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers praise the school for the impact it has on their children. ‘Amazing school and proud to have my children part of it' is a comment that sums up the views of many. 1 and 2 April 2025

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

Working together, trust and school leaders have created an ambitious curriculum. It organises pupils’ learning so that they build a rich body of knowledge, across different subjects, as they move through the school. In the early years, children learn to be curious and explore the world around them. Staff encourage and model asking questions and trying new things. This prepares children well for learning in key stage 1 and beyond.

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

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They adapt their teaching effectively to meet pupils’ needs. As a result, pupils increase and broaden their understanding over time. This supports disadvantaged pupils to overcome barriers to learning that they may have. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs identified and met well because the school quickly identifies where they may need something additional or different.

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

The school ensures that the right checks are in place to identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding. The school uses its ongoing checks on pupils’ learning to strengthen the curriculum where needed. However, for a small number of pupils, the school has not set out how they will meet the high standards it expects from them, for example in their development or their behaviours for learning. This means that they do not benefit from the targeted support or strategies that they require in order to be fully successful.

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

Reading and oracy are prioritised throughout the school. Children in the early years join in with familiar rhymes, stories and songs with gusto. There is a clear focus on strengthening pupils’ vocabulary and confidence in using language. This is demonstrated in the high-quality written work pupils produce across the curriculum. Pupils enjoy reading. They talk knowledgeably about authors of the term and their class books. Staff deliver the agreed phonics programme well. The school provides effective support for pupils who find reading more challenging. Pupils read books that are appropriately matched to the sounds that they have learned. This helps them to develop their fluency and confidence.

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

The school’s work to promote pupils’ wider development is strong. Pupils are highly respectful of staff and each other. They are tolerant and look out for one another. Pupils know how to be healthy and keep themselves safe. The school’s specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND, The Arc, supports the high-level needs of its pupils with a carefully considered provision which prioritises their development of life skills as well as academic learning. The school uses curriculum opportunities and the outdoor environment to strengthen pupils’ awareness of the diverse world around them. This is enhanced further by trips and visitors into school. A recent successful careers day has inspired pupils to consider their future jobs. Pupils are prepared well for the next stage in their education.

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

The school’s successful efforts to improve attendance involve close collaboration with families. It fosters a culture of belonging through the high-quality curriculum, strong 1 and 2 April 2025

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relationships, and traditions like the school song. Pupils want to be in school. They behave sensibly in class and during breaktimes. In the early years, children learn to take turns and to share. Pupils value the school’s recognition for their conduct and positive learning behaviours through the use of scratch cards and delving into the treasure chest for their well-earned rewards.

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Those responsible for governance know the school exceptionally well. Staff embrace the development opportunities and collaborative working that the school and the trust provide to them. This helps them to refine their practice, while ensuring that their workload is manageable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 For a small number of pupils, the school has not ensured that the most precise and considered support is in place to equip them to meet the school’s high expectations. Consequently, at times, these pupils do not have the strategies that they need to be successful in meeting the school’s high standards for some aspects of their education and behaviour. The school should clearly set out the steps that this small number of pupils need, along with the targeted support that they require, in order to be as successful as the school aspires them to be.

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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, 1 and 2 April 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in September 2018.

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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). 1 and 2 April 2025

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School details

Website www.coppervalleyinfantandnurseryacademy .co.uk Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND, The Arc. Places are commissioned by the local authority. Pupils from the junior school as well the infant school attend The Arc. All pupils who attend have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. Pupils have a range of needs and all have autism.  The school provides early education for two-year-old children.  The school does not use any alternative provision for pupils.  The school offers a breakfast and after-school club for pupils.  Since the previous inspection, the school has joined with another local school in the trust. Gunnislake Primary Academy and Delaware Primary Academy became Copper Valley Infant and Nursery Academy and Copper Valley Junior Academy.  The infant and nursery academy is located on the Delaware Primary Academy site. It shares the site with Year 3 and 4 pupils from the junior academy. 1 and 2 April 2025

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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 inspector discussed the 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 area executive headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and staff. In addition, the inspector met with members of the local governance hub, including the chair, and representatives from the trust including the CEO and chair.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to some pupils read to a familiar member of staff.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered

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Information about this inspection

the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspector analysed school documentation, including leaders’ evaluations and plans for improvement. The inspector scrutinised a range of policies and procedures, including those that relate to the curriculum, SEND, safeguarding and behaviour.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View and parents’ free-text comments. The inspector met with some parents at the beginning of the school day.  The inspector spoke with staff and pupils to gather their views about the school and evaluated their responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Leanne Thirlby, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 1 and 2 April 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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