Crowan Primary School

Inspection of Crowan Primary School Moorfield, Praze-An-Beeble, Camborne TR14 0LG

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The head of school is Tamsin Harris. This school is part of Aspire 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), Rachel Warwick, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Penny Shilston. 7 and 8 May 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend a school that has been transformed. Since joining the trust, and in response to the challenges faced by the predecessor school, leaders at all levels have demonstrated unwavering commitment to raising aspirations for pupils. As a result, pupils flourish at this school. They behave well and they are keen to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak highly of their school. They say it is a school where ‘everyone cares for everyone’. The motto ‘dream, believe, achieve’ is fully understood and realised. Pupils know that there are no limits to what they can do and that they will get support from adults if they need it. Warm relationships across the school help pupils to feel safe and well looked after. Year 6 pupils are proud to be a buddy to children in the early years to help them to settle into school life quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school promotes pupils’ wider development well. The recent ‘Victory in Europe Day’ street party enabled the school to come together to remember a significant historical event. Pupils make a difference to their school and community through their leadership roles. For example, pupils are reducing energy use in the school to raise money for play equipment.

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

The school, with support from the trust, has taken great strides to improve the quality of education that pupils receive. There has been a sharp focus on the design and teaching of the curriculum. Staff speak overwhelmingly positively of the support and training they have received. As a result, there is a strong, shared vision and determination for pupils to be successful.

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

Across subjects, the school has identified the knowledge pupils need to learn, starting in the early years. Where subjects are further ahead in their development, staff are clear about what to teach and when, ensuring that learning builds on what pupils already know. Staff make checks to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge and provide appropriate support to help address those gaps. They use a range of teaching strategies to help pupils learn the curriculum successfully and recall their knowledge well in these subjects. For example, pupils confidently articulate their understanding of the major world religions and explain why it is important to understand different beliefs in a multicultural society. Children in the early years use the correct vocabulary to describe key aspects of Christianity, such as their place of worship.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from the early identification of their needs. For example, the school completes a language assessment for children in the early years to identify and fill gaps in communication and language knowledge. This ensures that children get the help they need to prepare for the more formal stages of learning to read.

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

The school has prioritised helping pupils to become confident and fluent readers. It has been relentless in ensuring that staff are experts in teaching pupils to read. The school 7 and 8 May 2025

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checks with rigour those pupils that need extra support. As a result of the school’s work, all pupils met the national standard of the phonics screening check in Year 1 in 2023 and 2024.

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Some subjects are less developed as the curriculum design in these subjects is new this year. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge from the previous curriculum. Furthermore, staff do not know these curriculum plans in the same depth as those that are more established. Consequently, gaps in knowledge are not fully known and so on occasions, learning tasks do not build on what pupils know and can do. As a result, some pupils find it hard to remember their learning.

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The school has refined the writing curriculum to ensure that it is clear what pupils should learn, particularly to secure the basic transcription skills of spelling, grammar and punctuation. This is helping pupils to build their writing knowledge more securely. However, some pupils make repeated errors in their written work across the curriculum that go unaddressed.

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Pupils show positive attitudes to their learning. They engage well in lessons and know what is expected of them as they move around the school. This starts in the early years where children look after their classroom and each other. Pupils across the school want to be successful and they value the recognition they gain for doing well.

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Through planned experiences, the school prepares pupils well for the wider world. For example, pupils speak enthusiastically about their residential trip to London. This helps to develop their knowledge of culture and diversity. Pupils value the range of clubs they can attend to develop their interests, such as gardening club.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects where the curriculum is in its earlier stages of development, staff are less clear about the important knowledge pupils need to secure. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge, and this makes it harder for them to make connections in their learning. The trust should strengthen staff subject knowledge so that gaps are identified and addressed with future learning that builds on what pupils already know to help them to learn the curriculum securely.  The school does not ensure that pupils’ writing is of a consistently high standard across the curriculum. This is because staff do not address errors in writing, particularly in spelling, grammar and punctuation. The trust should ensure that staff identify and support pupils’ errors as they occur in their writing to enable them to write fluently across subjects. 7 and 8 May 2025

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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). 7 and 8 May 2025

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School details

Headteacher Tamsin Harris (Head of school)

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Crowan Primary School joined Aspire Academy Trust in September 2022. When its predecessor school, Crowan Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted in 2021, it was judged to be inadequate for overall effectiveness.  The head of school took up her post in September 2022.  The school runs its own before- and after-school provision.  The school does not currently make use of alternative provision.

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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 provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 7 and 8 May 2025

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 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.  Inspectors spoke with school leaders, curriculum leaders, parents, the chair of the trust and a trust executive leader.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics and religious education. 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 discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  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

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, the inspectors spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Esther Best, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Tustain Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 May 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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