Lewannick Community Primary School

Inspection of Lewannick Community Primary School Hawks Tor Drive, Lewannick, Launceston, Cornwall PL15 7QY

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

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The head of school is Sally Cook. This school is part of An Daras 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), Jo Callow, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Stephen Tavener. There is also an executive headteacher, Maura Furber, who is responsible for this school and one other. 23 and 24 April 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Lewannick embody the school’s expectation to ‘be the best you!’ They strive to meet the high ambition set for them in their learning and development. This is because the school fosters their confidence, determination and enthusiasm to learn. Parents and carers overwhelmingly agree that their children thrive at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils arrive each day with a smile on their face. They appreciate that they belong to a friendly and welcoming community where they feel safe and happy. Pupils interact well across the age ranges. They support and encourage each other to meet the school’s high expectations of their behaviour in social times and in learning. The school community is a hive of positive and purposeful energy which leads to pupils achieving well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school prioritises widening pupils’ horizons beyond their local community. Pupils talk animatedly about the enrichment opportunities that the school provides for them. These increase their awareness of the wider world around them. Activities include highly successful participation in sporting events such as cross country and team sports festivals. Pupils also benefit greatly from trips and visitors into school. These enhance their learning and equip them well to follow the aspirations that the school encourages.

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

The school, with the support of the newly joined trust, has taken robust action to improve pupils’ quality of education. There is now a clear progression of learning in place from the early years to Year 6. Important knowledge is specifically identified and ambitious. The focus on promoting and using language, and the joy of learning starts in the early years. Staff encourage children, from two-years-old, to question and solve problems through their well-considered interactions. The well-designed early years curriculum builds secure foundations for children’s learning and further development in key stage 1 and beyond.

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

The wider curriculum is delivered in a unique way by subject experts. This is highly beneficial to how pupils build new learning. This is supported effectively by the professional development opportunities for staff that the trust, working with the school, has put in place. Staff have secure subject knowledge. They deliver the curriculum effectively. That said, in writing, the school does not make sure that tasks for some pupils match their capabilities successfully. At times, writing tasks are too complex or, in the wider curriculum, do not give pupils enough opportunity to write at length to practise their writing skills.

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

Staff effectively check what pupils know. They provide regular opportunities to revisit what pupils learn. This helps pupils to retain important knowledge and make connections in their learning. However, in the work to develop the curriculum, some learning activities do not enable pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding. For example, new initiatives to strengthen the curriculum are not fully in use or used as effectively as they could be. 23 and 24 April 2025

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The school quickly identifies pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities so that the right support is put in place. Significant work has taken place to ensure that teachers now make effective use of the information about each pupils’ needs. The school is focused on embedding this work further so that pupils can successfully overcome barriers to learning.

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The school has a sharp focus on reading. Children learn to read as soon as they join the early years. They learn the sounds that letters make and quickly read words with increasing accuracy. The school delivers any extra support that is needed skilfully, so that pupils develop confidence in themselves as readers. Pupils become fluent, accurate readers who enjoy a rich range of different genres and authors.

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Through the personal development programme, the school shows its commitment to increasing what pupils need to be prepared well for their next steps in education and life. The personal, social and health education curriculum is coherently designed. Pupils learn about equality, diversity and discrimination from the early years. They are passionate about treating others with respect and providing help for those who need it. Pupils understand about positive relationships and how to keep themselves healthy and safe.

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The work the school does with families is improving pupils’ attendance. Pupils want to be in school because they are motivated by the education that they receive. The relationships between staff and pupils are strong. This is further strengthened because staff teach across the age range and get to know pupils well. Staff model what is consistently expected of pupils in their conduct and their attitudes to learning.

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The school knows its strengths and areas for development well. Those responsible for governance fulfil their role effectively. Since joining the trust, the school’s rate of development has accelerated and its capacity for sustained improvement has strengthened. The school is justifiably proud of its improvement journey and is ambitious to be even better.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s offer, in some aspects of its practice, is not fully embedded. This means that there is not a fully shared and implemented way of working to get the very best from pupils across the school. The school needs to refine and fully embed its recent work to strengthen the curriculum and provision for its pupils so that staff can make the most impact on pupils’ learning and development and achieve the best possible outcomes. 23 and 24 April 2025

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 The school’s teaching of writing is not as effective as it could be. This means that, at times, some pupils may not make the progress in writing that they could. The school should ensure that it provides staff with the knowledge and expertise that they need to be fully clear about how opportunities to develop and extend pupils’ writing can be maximised.

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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). 23 and 24 April 2025

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School details

Headteacher Sally Cook (Head of school) Maura Furber (Executive headteacher) Website www.lewannick.cornwall.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 18 and 19 October 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school joined An Daras Multi-Academy Trust in April 2024.  The is a smaller than average community primary school with some mixed age classes.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  There is a school-run breakfast club for pupils who attend the school.  The school provides early education for two-year-old children.

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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 23 and 24 April 2025

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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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 inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and physical education. For each subject, the inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors met with the head of school, the executive headteacher and teachers.  The lead inspector observed pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar 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 the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The lead inspector spoke with members of the trust, including the CEO and representatives from the local governing hub, including the chair of the governing hub.  The inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors met with leaders who are responsible for attendance, behaviour and pupils’ personal development.  Inspectors looked at a range of policies and documentation relating to pupils’ welfare and education. They observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around the school.  An inspector met with parents at the beginning of the school day. Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  The inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at the school.

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Inspection team

Leanne Thirlby, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Barton Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 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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