Trythall Community Primary School

Inspection Report - Amended Trythall Community Primary School

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111791 Unique Reference Number Cornwall Local Authority 289050 Inspection number 13 September 2006 Inspection date Paul Sadler Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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New Mill School address Primary Type of school Penzance Community School category TR20 8XR 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01736 362021 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01736 362021 Fax number 47 Number on roll (school) Ken Wood Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Dave Leek Headteacher 3 December 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 289050 13 September 2006 4 °11

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Amended Report Addendum

Report updated to resolve formatting inconsistency

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Amended Report Addendum

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Amended Report Addendum

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a small primary school serving several villages and hamlets in the far west of Cornwall. A number of pupils travel from the town of Penzance. Although the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is about average, the number with a statement of special educational need is well above average. There are few pupils from minority ethnic heritages and none who speaks a language other than English at home. The school has two classes, one for pupils aged 4 °7 and another for those aged 7°11.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Trythall Community Primary School, 13 September 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school in which pupils achieve well and attain standards that are above average for their age. Pupils' personal development is outstanding; to quote a parent, 'in this school every child shines'. The significant number of pupils with a statement of special educational need make good progress because staff know them well and adapt the learning activities to meet their needs. Pupils have a high level of understanding of how to lead healthy, safe and responsible lives through the many practical opportunities they receive, which also enable them to develop their independence and self-confidence. They behave well and have very good relationships with each other and with the school staff. The school is also effective in promoting equality of opportunity; as a pupil said, 'everyone can be in the team, no-one is left out'. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding because

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Grade: 2

of the rich and varied curriculum and because of the school's high expectations of pupils in their behaviour and dealings with other people. The good teaching and curriculum make exceptional use of the school's unique location. Classes are often divided into smaller groups to suit the pupils' abilities, ages and interests. Very good use is made of external expertise. On the day of the inspection, different groups of pupils visited the local woods and followed up their observations in an art lesson, worked with a visiting poet at artists' workshops in St Ives, went horse riding and played a football match against another local school, as well as engaging in more usual classroom activities. The school uses its membership of the National Trust and Tate St Ives to good effect in developing the pupils' appreciation of culture. Provision for the Foundation Stage (those in their first year at school) is satisfactory.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are given a good start in learning the basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics. Although the school has interesting outdoor play areas for all pupils, there is no separate area where younger pupils can develop their physical skills, for instance by using large toys. The school is led and managed well. The headteacher promotes an inclusive ethos which is supported well by the governing body. However, the emphasis placed on high quality education for pupils aged 7-11 has not yet been extended to the provision for the younger pupils. The school has a satisfactory understanding of its strengths and weaknesses and has made good progress in improving the issues identified during its last inspection. However, actions and their impact are often left unrecorded which means that the school finds it difficult to demonstrate its successes to others, for instance through reporting on the school's strengths and weaknesses to governors.

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Grade: 2

Parents, however, have every confidence in the school and believe correctly that it educates and cares for their children very well.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Expand the range of learning experiences for pupils in the Foundation Stage so that they are able to make the most of their opportunities to learn. 2 Inspection Report: Trythall Community Primary School, 13 September 2006 • Make succinct records of the school's key strengths and weaknesses and of the impact of action taken to improve the quality of pupils' education.

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Grade: 2

Pupils start school with average skills and abilities and leave at the end of Year 6 having attained standards in national tests that are well above average. Overall, their achievement is good and the demanding targets set for Year 6 pupils are met. Pupils make satisfactory progress in the Reception Year and by the end of Year 2 are achieving average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. By this time most are confident and articulate speakers. They make outstanding progress in Years 3 to 6 because of the wide variety of learning experiences the school offers. All pupils, including the significant number with a statement of special educational need, make equally good progress, a point much appreciated by parents who recognise the detailed understanding that staff have of their child's needs. Pupils with particular talents attain very high standards, an interesting example being that this very small school

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Grade: 2

has reached the national finals of school chess competitions.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' outstanding personal development and well-being are clear through their enjoyment of school and their very good understanding of how to keep healthy and stay safe. Many pupils listed the wide range of physical activities as the most enjoyable aspect of school life. In lessons, older pupils help the younger ones, and understand and respect the fact that their skills are less well developed. Their excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is clear through their concern for each other and for all living things, and their appreciation of art, music and poetry. Behaviour and attendance are good and pupils are heavily involved in their community, for instance in performances at the Penzance 'Mazey Day' and at the Tate St Ives. Pupils' development of the skills they will need in later life, such as literacy, numeracy and the use of information and communication technology (ICT), is good, although older

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Grade: 1

pupils would benefit from better access to computers.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are taught well. The school has been very successful in acting on a previous inspection recommendation to use the skills of all staff to best effect. The use of the expertise of staff, members of the community and external expertise has enabled pupils to learn, for instance, to play musical instruments and a wide range of sports and games to a high standard, a modern foreign language and aspects of local history, 3 Inspection Report: Trythall Community Primary School, 13 September 2006 geography and geology. Staff know the pupils exceptionally well and are able to adapt work to meet their individual needs. To quote a pupil: 'if we need help they explain the work, but they don't give us the answer'. The youngest children, however, do not experience the full range of teaching and learning approaches usually found in schools with pupils of this age.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. For older pupils, it is outstanding and includes a very wide range of additional activities, trips and visits. The local environment is used extensively and routinely as part of the school. Exceptionally good links with local resources, such as artists and the Tate St Ives, sports clubs and other schools, greatly expand the range of opportunities on offer. For these older pupils, the curriculum makes an excellent contribution to their academic progress and personal development. The youngest children have a more limited curriculum as there are few facilities for them to learn through structured and guided play, especially outdoors.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. In many respects they are outstanding, a fact recognised by parents, but staff have not received up-to-date training on matters such as child protection and first aid. This must be put right as a matter of urgency. Nevertheless, staff have a thorough knowledge of each pupil's progress and medical and educational needs, and have excellent relationships with parents, who feel well informed about their child's development. As a result, pupils' academic progress is good, as they are set demanding targets which they attain, and their personal development is outstanding.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher is very active in all aspects of the school's life and is popular with parents and pupils. Over a significant period of time he has, with staff and governors, developed a school where pupils achieve high standards in all aspects of their lives. He has been outstandingly successful in building partnerships with a wide range of organisations, agencies and other schools, which contribute greatly to these high standards and expand the potentially limited range of opportunities that a small school can offer its pupils. Discussions with the headteacher and governors show that they know the school's strengths and weaknesses well and have taken effective action on improvement, for instance on the range of options available to pupils in physical education. However, little is committed to paper and the school was unable to provide much evidence to support its own assessment of its quality. Importantly, it also lacks this evidence for

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Trythall Community Primary School, 13 September 2006 others involved with the school, including those such as potential parents, governors or staff. The oral nature of most of the communication means that individuals, including some parents, are sometimes unintentionally missed out. The school has begun to work on these matters and is well able to put things right. 5 Inspection Report: Trythall Community Primary School, 13 September 2006 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Trythall Community Primary School, 13 September 2006

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Trythall Community Primary School, 13 September 2006

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Trythall Community Primary School, 13 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I very much enjoyed talking and listening to you and seeing your work when I visited your school recently. I want to thank you for spending the time to do this. I especially enjoyed hearing the excellent poems written by those of you who had been working with the visiting poet in St Ives. This letter is to tell you what I thought of your school and how it can be even better. I agree with you and your parents that your school is a good one. These are some of the best things about the school: • You learn quickly and Year 6 pupils do very well in the national tests (SATs). • You behave well, get on very well with each other and help each other. • You keep healthy by eating sensibly and by using all the opportunities for sport and games. • There is lots of interesting work for you, especially outside the school. This includes links with other schools, and with sports clubs and places like the Tate St Ives. I was especially

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

impressed by your achievements in chess. This means you learn to get on with other children as well as the wider world and its culture. • You are taught well. If you need extra help you get it but you are not told the answers (as someone complained!). • You are well cared for by the staff. • The headteacher, the other staff and the governors lead the school well. To improve the school further, we have asked the school to do more to help the youngest children to learn through play, especially outdoors, and to write down more about how good the school is and how it is improving. You can help by making suggestions and continuing to help the younger children. 9 Inspection Report: Trythall Community Primary School, 13 September 2006

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