Kea Community Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve leadership and management by:
  • developing the teaching of mathematics further throughout the school, including the early years, to continue raising achievement for all pupils
  • ensuring greater clarity in monitoring teaching and learning, to enable governors to check on the impact of leaders’ actions more effectively.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and the outcomes for pupils by ensuring that:
  • teaching consistently has high expectations of pupils, particularly the most able in mathematics
  • teachers improve pupils’ spelling so that more pupils attain the higher standards in writing.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher, ably supported by the deputy headteacher, has had a positive impact on uniting staff and governors to a common purpose. A strong educational culture pervades the school. Its impact is seen clearly in the pupils’ personal development as they move through the school.
• Leaders have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They monitor pupils’ progress effectively and use this to inform their improvement planning. However, leaders’ monitoring and evaluation sometimes lack precision and clarity. This inhibits governors’ ability to support and challenge the school effectively.
• Leaders are using the strengths of experienced staff to build effective teams. Middle leaders ensure that there is a clear focus on improving teaching and learning to raise achievement. Following a period of decline, standards in mathematics are improving. However, pupils are not consistently secure in their skills to reach the highest standards.
• Pupils’ understanding of life in modern Britain and British values is closely aligned with the school’s own values. Pupils’ interactions with each other and the adults in the school are characterised by mutual respect and tolerance.
• Provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Pupils have a good understanding of other faiths. Pupils regularly lead assemblies and support a local church group that visits the school to enact Bible stories. They celebrate their own heritage and learn about other cultures well.
• The curriculum is broad and engaging. Pupils regularly visit places of local interest, such as the Maritime Museum and Tehidy woods, to enhance learning and develop understanding. Pupils are enthusiastic and eager to take part in a wide range of subjects, including history, art and physical education (PE). There are many opportunities for pupils to engage in clubs and sporting activities outside school, which are well attended.
• The leadership of special educational needs ensures that planning and provision for pupils with SEND is effective. Leaders check that pupils’ needs are being fully met. For example, some pupils who need help processing information and then remembering what they have learned are supported to make good progress. Pupils with SEND are supported well by an experienced and skilful team of teaching assistants.
• The additional funding for PE and sports and the pupil premium funding are used to support pupils effectively. Pupils engage in a wide range of sports and participation has increased.
• Disadvantaged pupils access the wide range of extra-curricular activities and educational visits. They are supported well academically and there is a range of catch-up sessions where needed. Staff also work well with families of disadvantaged pupils to successfully improve persistent poor attendance.
• Nearly all parents spoken to during the inspection or who responded to Parent View were positive about the school. Typical comments included: ‘I am so delighted my children attend this unique and nurturing school; they have mastered the curriculum and loved every single minute of their learning journey,’ and, ‘There is a true sense of community within the school; my children are very happy here.’ Staff are also extremely positive about their role in developing pupils’ learning and contributing to the caring ethos of the school.

Governance of the school

• The governing body is highly ambitious for the pupils and makes a strong contribution to the leadership of the school. Governors know the school well. They contribute effectively to school improvement and monitor the school development plan closely. They make frequent visits to speak to staff and pupils, scrutinise reports from leaders and cross-reference findings from the school improvement partner.
• Governors use their expertise and skills to challenge leaders appropriately. Governors’ minutes reflect their ability to ask a range of questions about the whole curriculum, for example in science. However, the clarity and precision of the information leaders provide inhibits governors’ effectiveness in holding leaders to account.
• Governors fulfil their statutory duties. They are diligent in their monitoring of safeguarding. Governors are proactive and systematic in ensuring that pupils are safe. For example, they have devised a list of questions to check that pupils feel safe.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders have a sharp focus on safeguarding children. Staff are well trained, knowledgeable and vigilant about safeguarding. Staff and pupils know what to do should they have any concerns about safety in the school.
• Safeguarding records are of a high quality. Leaders ensure strong links with parents and external agencies. Risk assessments are well understood by all staff, who diligently supervise pupils at all times.
• Parents confirm they are pleased to be sending their children to Kea Community Primary School because of the high level of care that staff provide. All parents who responded to the Ofsted questionnaire expressed the view that the school keeps their children safe and looks after them well.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers use their good subject knowledge to give clear explanations. Questioning is used well to check pupils’ understanding, which helps pupils settle quickly to their work.
• Teachers’ use of assessment to identify and target pupils’ needs at an early stage is effective. Teachers plan relevant work matched to pupils’ different starting points. The well-planned activities and additional help for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND are effective because they are specifically focused on pupils’ needs.
• Teachers plan work to ensure that pupils build on prior learning effectively. As a result, pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding are generally developing well.
• Teachers and other staff embrace new ideas and share good practice to maintain a good quality of education.
• The teaching of phonics in key stage 1 is strong. Pupils rehearse key words and teachers take time to check pupils’ understanding. Teaching provides pupils with appropriate work that matches their ability, including those who need additional support to catch up in key stage 2.
• Pupils throughout the school are encouraged to enjoy reading and are well supported to develop their reading of difficult texts.
• Teachers provide pupils with a purpose and context for their writing. For example, as part of a whole-school topic, pupils in Year 2 write letters home describing their experiences on board the sailing ship ‘The Mystery’. Pupils in Year 4 compose diary entries after watching a programme showing a severe storm at sea, explaining their fearful emotions. Teaching motivates and supports pupils to produce high-quality written work across the curriculum.
• Leaders have ensured that pupils are developing their writing well, especially grammar and punctuation. However, some pupils are less accurate when they write without adult support. Sometimes, spelling is often inaccurate, and errors persist over time. This results in too many pupils not achieving the higher standards of which they are capable.
• In mathematics, teachers ensure that pupils use appropriate methods for calculations and apply these to a range of problem-solving and reasoning activities. Recently, much improved teaching of mathematics is enabling pupils to achieve well. Increasing numbers of lower-ability pupils are now progressing well. However, on occasions, the most able pupils are not helped to achieve the highest standards.
• Pupils have good strategies to help themselves when they find work difficult. They are learning how to evaluate their success, developing an understanding of what they did well and how they can make their work better.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Staff know the pupils well and provide high levels of pastoral care to instil confidence and trust. As a result, the pupils follow the guidance they are given, knowing that their opinions and efforts are valued.
• Parents strongly acknowledge the school as a community that helps children to work happily with each other. The school’s effective work with parents contributes well to pupils’ enjoyment and achievement.
• Pupils work hard and want to do well. They are comfortable sharing their ideas when they work and regularly ask each other and the teacher questions. Pupils show high levels of tolerance and respect for each other, staff and visitors to the school.
• Pupils have a well-developed understanding of how to stay safe. They are clear about what constitutes bullying. Pupils say bullying is rare. However, when it does occur, pupils say it is dealt with swiftly. Pupils also know how to stay safe online.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Staff know how to help pupils when they are frustrated or upset. As a result, the school is friendly and calm, with pupils abiding by the rules to keep them safe.
• Most pupils concentrate well, and many show a love of learning. At times, when teaching is not sufficiently engaging, pupils lose interest and need a reminder from adults to focus on their work.
• Pupils move carefully and considerately around the school. Lunchtime behaviour is good. Pupils play happily together through a range of well-organised activities on the playground.
• Leaders place a high priority on attendance. Pupils enjoy school and want to attend. This is seen in the improved rate of attendance, which is in line with the national average. Staff work effectively with pupils and families from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is resulting in fewer pupils with persistently high absence.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In recent years, standards have been broadly in line with national averages in reading and writing but have been below average in mathematics in key stage 2 for several years. Leaders have acknowledged that they were slow to introduce the new mathematics curriculum. Following its implementation, standards in mathematics are now improving well.
• Pupils understand numbers well and can use their knowledge effectively to solve problems, for example with prime factors. Pupils manipulate numbers to arrive at solutions quickly.
• Pupils in Year 1 achieve well in the phonics screening check. They apply their reading skills successfully in a range of subjects. Most pupils make good progress in key stage 1. This ensures that attainment at the end of key stage 1 is broadly in line with the national average in reading.
• Pupils also make good progress in mathematics in key stage 1. As a result, pupils’ attainment was similar to the national average in 2018.
• In 2018, the proportion of pupils achieving greater depth in writing in key stage 1 was low. However, effective teaching is ensuring rapid improvement. For example, expectations of pupils’ use of punctuation and grammar in Year 2 are raising standards. As pupils move through the school, workbooks show evidence of the effective use of extended sentences containing adventurous vocabulary and strong character descriptions.
• Pupils achieve well at the end of key stage 2 in reading and writing. However, progress in mathematics has remained stubbornly low for three years. Pupils are now making stronger progress in mathematics and are deepening their understanding to be able to solve complex problems. However, some pupils are not yet progressing well enough to reach the highest standards of which they are capable, particularly the most able pupils.
• Pupils read with fluency and expression. When reading unknown texts, pupils use their secure knowledge of letter sounds to help them. Pupils read regularly, both at home and in school. However, this strength in reading letters and sounds does not translate itself into consistently accurate spelling. Misspelt words are too common in otherwise high-quality pieces of extended writing. This results in some pupils not achieving the levels that they are capable of in their writing.
• Pupils with SEND are supported well and make good progress from their starting points. Staff quickly identify their needs. Skilled teaching assistants then support them well, while at the same time promoting pupils’ independence.
• Most disadvantaged pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The effective use of pupil premium funding ensures that even those with irregular attendance achieve well.
• Pupils typically make good progress in a range of subjects other than literacy and numeracy. This includes science, art, history and geography. Pupils’ impressive artwork is displayed extensively around the school and celebrated along with exemplar pieces of writing and topic activities.

Early years provision Good

• Children join the Reception class with levels of knowledge, skills and understanding at or above those typically expected for their age. They make steady progress to achieve a good level of development, which has been consistently high over the past three years.
• Leadership of the early years is strong. Leaders ensure that teachers have a clear view about the strengths of the provision and how to improve children’s learning successfully.
• Teachers plan lessons that are matched well to the children’s needs. Teachers also value highly the assessments that parents make of their children at home. These are celebrated well through displays in the classroom.
• Teachers’ accurate assessments contribute effectively to planning appropriate next steps in learning. For example, children explore volume using different containers in the water tray. They follow up this idea in a story by discussing the displacement of water after adding pebbles to the containers.
• Historical outcomes in mathematics have been below those in reading and writing. As a result, teachers are targeting the development of early mathematical skills. This is ensuring that children are showing increasing awareness and skills to solve practical problems.
• The importance staff place on teaching reading (including phonics), writing, speaking and listening and mathematical skills is clearly evident. Adults ask probing questions to draw out children’s understanding. However, in free-choice activities, children do not regularly engage in activities that further develop mathematical skills.
• The early years environment is stimulating and exciting. It promotes development in most areas of the curriculum and is accessible to all children. Leaders have placed a high priority on the development of the outdoor provision and purposeful play. Children have access to a range of activities and can select equipment for themselves. However, some of the activities do not present children with sufficient challenge unless they are working with an adult.
• Safeguarding is effective. The classroom provides a safe environment, inside and out, while allowing children to try out new experiences and take suitable risks.
• The strong emphasis on creating a caring and nurturing environment is evident from the positive relationships that adults have with children. Children play and learn together very well.

School details

Unique reference number 111861 Local authority Cornwall Inspection number 10086876 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 211 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sarah White Headteacher Katherine Warren Telephone number 01872 272265 Website www.keaschool.org.uk/ Email address head@kea.cornwall.sch.uk Date of previous inspection July 2015

Information about this school

• Kea Community Primary School is smaller than most primary schools.
• The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is broadly average and is increasing year on year.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils’ learning during visits to classes and other areas around the school. Some observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.
• During visits to lessons, inspectors spoke with pupils and looked at their work to find out more about how well they are learning.
• Discussions were held with the chair of the governing body and governors, the headteacher, deputy headteacher, the school’s improvement partner, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, the sports premium coordinator and the pupil premium coordinator, staff with responsibility for safeguarding and a newly qualified teacher.
• Inspectors spoke with parents at the end of the school day and considered the 97 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including numerous written comments. The staff survey was also considered.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school. Inspectors met with a group of pupils from key stage 2 and spoke informally to pupils around the school.
• Inspectors evaluated a range of documentation. This included school policies, leaders’ evaluation of the school’s effectiveness, the school’s improvement plans, safeguarding records, governors’ minutes, and information about pupils’ attendance, attainment and progress. Additionally, inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work in books across the curriculum.

Inspection team

Julie Jane, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Andrew Lovett Her Majesty’s Inspector