Penpol School

Inspection of Penpol School 2 St George’s Road, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 4AH

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

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since November 2014. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 29 and 30 April 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love attending this friendly and welcoming school. The values of respect, honesty, friendship, creativity, resilience and integrity help pupils to become active citizens within their school community. Pupils show a strong understanding of equality and the protected characteristics. They value and celebrate difference. Staff build warm and caring relationships with pupils that help them to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils to achieve their best. Most pupils achieve well. However, published outcomes do not reflect the current quality of education in the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is exemplary. From the early years, children demonstrate a strong understanding of routines and quickly settle into school life. In the playground, pupils socialise and regulate themselves when playing competitive sport. They learn to share resources, take turns and play together amicably.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish through the school’s impressive enrichment offer. Moonlit walks in Year 1 or trips to London in Year 6 broaden pupils’ social and cultural knowledge. Clubs such as ‘needles and thread’, roller skating and Cornish develop pupils’ interests and allow them to explore their heritage. Many learn musical instruments, such as the trombone, euphonium or guitar.

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

The school’s own ‘360°’ curriculum is ambitious and broad. It identifies the precise knowledge pupils need to learn from the early years to Year 6. The curriculum helps pupils build their knowledge sequentially. For example, in geography, pupils in Year 1 explore physical features in the school grounds when learning about the use of compass points. By the time they reach Year 6, pupils have built on this knowledge to independently use atlases to locate mountain ranges around the world. In computing, pupils develop their knowledge of programming. Older pupils use technical terms like ‘variable’ or ‘sprite’ when explaining coding.

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

Reading is a priority. Staff create a language-rich environment in the early years. This helps children to develop a broad vocabulary. From the start of Reception, children learn to read using their phonics knowledge. They recognise the sounds that letters make and blend these to read simple words. Books that pupils read closely match their phonics knowledge. This helps build their fluency and accuracy. The school provides additional help for pupils who struggle to keep up with the phonics programme. The school fosters a love of reading through carefully selected texts that reflect diverse cultures. By the time pupils leave Year 6, they are avid readers, who talk articulately about the books and authors they like.

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

The school has accurately evaluated the quality of education it provides. It has responded swiftly to a decline in pupils’ outcomes at the end of Year 6. The school has accurately evaluated the quality of education it provides. Extensive professional development for 29 and 30 April 2025

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staff has resulted in a change to how the curriculum is delivered. In most subjects’, pupils learn new content effectively. However, in some subjects, the school does not have a clear oversight of the impact of their work on all groups of pupils or if further changes are required.

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The school identifies and supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. Pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs receive tailored support through the school’s nurture provision. Strong relationships between staff and pupils sit at the heart of this. Staff consider the needs of pupils with SEND when designing lessons. However, some of the adaptations to learning are not specific enough, limiting their impact. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not make as much progress through the curriculum as they could.

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Pupils’ attendance is high. Trusting relationships and strong pastoral support, including engagement with external agencies, help those pupils who may struggle to attend school to improve their attendance.

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The curriculum extends beyond the school’s academic offer. Pupils’ personal development is exceptional and praiseworthy. The careers fairs, inspirational role models and various extra-curricular trips form part of deliberately chosen learning opportunities. Pupils enjoy learning to play musical instruments, choral singing and sporting competitions. The school robotics team, known as the ‘Jelly Friends’, compete against other schools in regional and national competitions, where they design and code robots to complete tasks. Furthermore, pupil leadership is impressive. Pupils enjoy taking on roles including becoming house captains and sports leaders or members of the ‘team for change’ group. They make a tangible contribution to the life of the school. Pupils in the ‘equality and diversity group’ lead assemblies on topics such as racism.

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Governors act as critical friends who challenge and support the school. They carry out their statutory duties effectively. Staff value the support they receive for their workload and well-being. They feel proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some of the new strategies and approaches the school has implemented to improve outcomes lack precision. Systems for overseeing the impact of these strategies are not consistent across school. The school should continue to develop its oversight of new systems or initiatives so that it knows how well new strategies are improving outcomes for all pupils and identify any next steps promptly. 29 and 30 April 2025

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 Occasionally, the school does not adapt provision as precisely as it could for some pupils with SEND. This means that pupils with SEND are not as successful academically as they could be. The school should ensure that staff have the knowledge they need to adapt teaching learning to meet the academic needs of all pupils.

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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). 29 and 30 April 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 November 2014, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  There is a before- and after-school club managed by the governing body.

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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.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 29 and 30 April 2025

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, school staff, parents and pupils. The lead inspector met with the chair of the governing board and other governors. The lead inspector held a telephone call with representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography, science and computing. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also met with curriculum leaders and looked at pupils’ work in other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.

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 Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at lunchtime. In addition, inspectors met with pupils to hear their views.  The lead inspector listened to some pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 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

Mark Burgess Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 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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