Heamoor Community Primary School

Heamoor Community Primary School

Address: Bosvenna Way, Heamoor, Penzance, Cornwall, TR18 3JZ Unique reference number (URN): 111794

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have established a broad personal development and wellbeing offer. Pupils value highly the range of trips to enhance the curriculum. Leaders consider carefully the experiences that will support pupils the most, such as a residential trip to London to widen their knowledge of democracy through a visit to the Houses of Parliament. These opportunities prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The personal, social and health education curriculum is carefully sequenced to prepare pupils for life beyond the school. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, including when online. They know the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, such as the ‘K a day’ each lunchtime to ensure they are regularly exercising. Pupils know that being sociable with family and friends contributes to positive mental health. Older pupils understand how their bodies will change and the importance of consent. They are clear about healthy relationships and about treating others with respect. Pupils are taught about different beliefs, faiths and cultures. However, some pupils do not have the depth of knowledge that leaders intend.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils are supported to develop their talents and interests. The school offers an extensive range of extra-curricular activities including carpet bowls, choir, sea shanty singing and sports. Pupils enjoy the clubs they attend, and they are proud of their sporting successes in competitions with other schools. Leaders track participation closely and make appropriate adaptations to ensure all pupils benefit from the school’s offer, including those who are disadvantaged.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have prioritised ensuring that pupils’ wellbeing needs are well met. They provide a variety of support to pupils and families who need it. For example, the learning mentor provides emotional support, including for those pupils who are managing bereavement.

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Achievement Needs attention

There is too much variability in how well pupils learn the curriculum. Leaders have identified these gaps and taken steps to address them. However, it is early days. Some pupils struggle to recall an appropriate depth of knowledge across subjects and so they are less prepared for their next stage of learning.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils learn mathematics better, as reflected in pupils’ performance in the multiplication check, which is significantly above the national average over time. This fluent recall of multiplication facts prepares pupils well to learn more advanced mathematical concepts, such as fractions and ratio.

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Achievement Needs attention

Leaders have launched a new writing curriculum to address lower outcomes at the end of key stage 2. As a result, pupils are increasingly engaged in improving their writing. However, some pupils do not receive the support they need to write with accuracy. Weaknesses in handwriting, spelling and punctuation persist and the quality of some pupils’ written work is not of high quality.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

The attendance of some pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and with special educational needs and/or disabilities, is too low. This impacts how well these pupils achieve academically and socially. The school tracks the attendance of pupils and supports pupils and families to work together to improve this. For example, leaders have launched ‘attendance heroes’ to celebrate high attendance. Pupils speak positively about how this is helping them to attend regularly. Leaders’ actions are making a difference, but it is early days. The overall attendance of pupils remains stubbornly below average, and too many pupils are persistently absent or arrive late too often.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Leaders have established shared routines and expectations that pupils generally follow well. As a result, pupils typically show positive attitudes to their learning. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported to manage transitions, such as through the effective use of visual communication tools. Pupils who may need support to manage their behaviour get the help they need to gain success. Leaders and staff have established a positive environment in which bullying and harassment are not tolerated. Pupils have no concerns about bullying and they are confident adults will always resolve their worries quickly.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The quality of how well the curriculum is taught is too variable. Leaders have recently introduced a new curriculum in many subjects. Staff have not yet developed their expertise well enough to ensure that learning tasks reflect the ambition of the curriculum. These activities do not consistently build on pupils’ prior knowledge, including for those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Some pupils are not given enough opportunities to apply what they know and remember in their written work with enough depth. As a result, they are not sufficiently challenged in their learning. When this happens, some pupils’ attitudes to learning can wane.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders understand how well some subjects are taught, such as in phonics. They have recognised and supported a change in the leadership of phonics to ensure that pupils continue to learn to read well. They check carefully how well pupils are learning to read and provide effective support to enable pupils to catch up quickly. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know to help them to become confident and fluent readers. As a result, pupils have developed a love of reading and enjoy sharing their favourite books with each other.

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Early years Needs attention

Children in the early years do not consistently learn the curriculum as well as they should. Leaders have managed recent staffing changes to provide stability. They are making changes to the curriculum so that children are better prepared for Year 1. This work is having a positive impact, but leaders know there is more work to do.

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Early years Needs attention

Staff support children to learn to read from the start. They practise reading new sounds through closely matched books that help to secure their understanding. Leaders have correctly identified weaknesses in early writing as a barrier to their readiness for Year 1. In response, children have more opportunities to develop their writing with adult support. However, staff do not consistently support children in accurate pencil grip or correct letter formation. On occasions, some staff do not support children with effective interactions and modelling to deepen and extend children’s understanding across the curriculum.

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Early years Needs attention

Children are happy, settled and benefit from positive relationships with staff. Well- established routines support transitions and help children to develop confidence and independence. Children are clear about what is expected of them, such as how to listen well when learning seated on the carpet.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The school has clear systems in place to identify barriers to learning that pupils may face. This begins in the early years where leaders identify any additional support these children may need. However, some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not get all the support they need. This is because some learning plans vary in how precisely they identify and support pupils’ significant gaps in knowledge. Some targets are too broad and so staff are not clear about the adaptations to the curriculum these pupils need to learn well. Leaders do not have sufficient oversight of how well pupils with SEND achieve. They do not check with enough rigour the impact of the planned support for these pupils to ensure they receive timely, appropriate help to make suitable progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders identify and support the needs of pupils with social and emotional needs more effectively. They work alongside external professionals to ensure that these pupils get the support they need to access learning and to be successful. The school uses additional funding for disadvantaged pupils to reduce and support barriers to learning, such as through the school’s pastoral team to support better attendance. Leaders use alternative provision appropriately to support pupils’ needs.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders, including governors, have a broad understanding of the school’s strengths and areas that require further improvement. They have accurately identified some whole-school priorities, such as improving attendance and pupils’ writing. However, leaders’ actions are not leading to improvement quickly enough. Leaders’ oversight has been impacted by some staffing changes so leaders do not hold an accurate view of how well the school is performing.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Staff are proud to work at the school and appreciate the support from leaders for their workload and wellbeing. They value training to develop their subject knowledge and expertise, such as in the teaching of phonics. While leaders have united staff in a shared vision and school systems, this is not yet fully realised by staff. Staff expectations of what pupils know and can do are too variable. This affects how well pupils learn.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Governors receive appropriate information to enable them to fulfil their statutory duties. They undertake regular visits to the school to check how well it is performing. However, current capacity is limited, with governors holding multiple roles while vacancies are being addressed. As a result, governors do not have a clear and comprehensive view of the impact of leaders’ work.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Parents and carers are generally positive about the school. They praise the care and support in place for pupils, including for pupils with complex special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are proud of Heamoor Community Primary School. Staff prioritise warm and positive relationships with pupils to help them to feel safe and well cared for. As a result, they have no friendship concerns and know that staff will help them if they have any worries. Pupils say that bullying is rare. The school is typically calm and orderly, with pupils following expectations. Staff know pupils and their families well and provide effective pastoral support to help pupils’ wellbeing, such as with the support of the ‘family champion’. Most pupils enjoy coming to school. However, some pupils, including those who are disadvantaged or with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not attend well enough.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Leaders have rightly identified a need to improve the curriculum across many subjects so that staff are clear about what to teach and when. They have started to develop the expertise of staff in how best to teach the curriculum. However, many of these improvements are at an early stage and some pupils do not learn as well as they could, including some pupils with SEND. Variation in the teaching of the curriculum, starting in the early years, results in some pupils not gaining the depth of knowledge they need to be well prepared for future learning.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are supported to be active and responsible citizens with opportunities where they can make a difference. These include pupil leadership roles, such as the older pupils buddying up with children in the early years, as well as debating in the pupil-led school parliament. Staff teach pupils to be kind to others, such as baking cookies for the community and spreading ‘January Joy’.

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Next steps

Leaders, including governors, should strengthen how they monitor and evaluate the impact of improvement work to secure more rapid and sustained improvement. Leaders should ensure that staff have the expertise to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and check rigorously that support enables these pupils to learn the curriculum well.

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Team inspectors:

Sarah Jane Tustain, Ofsted Inspector Sophie Hillson, His Majesty's Inspector Leaders should ensure that teaching reflects high expectations so that learning tasks consistently match the ambition of the curriculum and help pupils build knowledge securely. Leaders should further develop the writing curriculum so that all pupils, including children in the early years, learn to write accurately and fluently. Leaders should improve attendance and punctuality so that fewer pupils are persistently absent, particularly those who are disadvantaged or pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders should ensure that staff in the early years use effective interactions and modelling consistently so that children develop the knowledge and skills needed for key stage 1.

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About this inspection

The chair of the governing body is Charlotte Megan Welham.

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About this inspection

The school is part of a cooperative trust called The Penwith Education Trust (PET).

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, senior leaders, staff and a representative of the local authority. The lead inspector also met the chair of governors.

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About this inspection

Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free- text comments, and spoke to some parents. Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school makes use of one registered alternative provision.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 6 May 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years. National average: 26.3%

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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average

2023/24 (final) 59% 61% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 72% 74% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2023/24 (final) 72% 73% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 80% 73% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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average

2023/24 (final) 55% 46% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2024/25 (final) 60% 63% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 73% 62% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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average

2022/23 (final) 67% 58% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 6.0% 5.5% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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