St Newlyn East Learning Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that all pupils, especially those who are new, disadvantaged or who have SEND, make consistently strong progress across all year groups and subjects, by:
  • identifying and addressing any gaps in their prior learning
  • developing their knowledge and use of sentence structure and vocabulary
  • enabling them to read and understand a wide range of texts
  • drawing on the Kernow English Hub’s work on developing pupils’ love of reading
  • securing throughout the school the practice that is most effective in strengthening pupils’ progress.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The executive headteacher and head of school are passionate about enabling pupils to discover, explore and learn in a caring environment. They are committed to valuing all pupils. To this end, they and the trustees have agreed with the local authority to increase the school’s intake to almost double the size to accommodate the growth in the local population.
• This has resulted in an influx of pupils across the year groups and throughout the year, with a particularly large number of pupils arriving in the last academic year. This, together with staffing issues and a high proportion of pupils with SEND in the 2018 Year 6 cohort, contributed to a dip in progress and attainment at the end of key stage 2. There was also a dip in key stage 1 for similar reasons.
• The local advisory board successfully challenged and supported leaders to quickly improve the school’s performance. They drew well on the expertise in the trust to fill teaching and subject leadership posts. As a result, the dip has been reversed and most pupils are again making strong progress.
• The executive headteacher and head of school have identified appropriate priorities for improvement that are based on accurate self-evaluation. Improvement planning, together with performance management, give clear direction and set high expectations for the work of the staff.
• Subject leaders provide effective professional development for staff. They lead by example in strengthening pupils’ progress. This is securing improvements in teaching and learning, particularly in English and mathematics, in almost all year groups.
• The leaders’ actions are improving outcomes for all pupils. This includes the progress of disadvantaged pupils and of pupils with SEND. Their progress is now rising, including in English and mathematics, though not as strongly as for other pupils. This is due to gaps in some pupils’ prior learning and language development, including reading comprehension.
• Leaders have reviewed the use of the pupil premium to better address the specific barriers to learning for disadvantaged pupils. They have accurately identified the need to develop pupils’ reasoned answers in mathematics and reading, their understanding of the world through trips, residential visits and extra-curricular activities, and the need to ensure that pupils are emotionally ready to learn.
• Funding for pupils with SEND is used appropriately to provide additional support in lessons. Leaders have accurately identified the need for further training for staff to enable them to secure strong progress for all the pupils through meeting their specific needs.
• To fulfil their aims, the executive headteacher and head of school have established a broad and balanced curriculum that provides a wide range of opportunities for pupils to learn and develop. Pupils are particularly motivated to learn through the beach school and outdoor environment.
• The curriculum is enhanced by a variety of trips and clubs. The primary physical education (PE) and sport premium is used successfully to engage high numbers of pupils in a wide range of activities. It is also used well to develop teachers’ subject knowledge and skills.
• The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development successfully. Pupils are prepared positively for life in modern Britain through learning about British values such as democracy and mutual respect for, and tolerance of, those with different faiths and beliefs and those without faith.
• Senior and middle leaders lead by example to create a culture of respect and tolerance. Within this positive school ethos, leaders promote equality of opportunity.
• Parents who responded to the Ofsted Parent View survey are overwhelmingly positive about the school and all would recommend it to others.

Governance of the school

• The local advisory board:
  • maintains an overview of the work of the school and holds senior leaders robustly to account for its performance, as in challenging leaders to improve pupils’ progress following the dip in achievement in 2018
  • has an in-depth knowledge of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement gained from a range of sources, including visits to the school
  • challenges and supports senior leaders to secure school improvement
  • ensures that resources, including staff, are deployed effectively, and makes good use of the trust in this regard
  • makes sure that performance management is effective
  • ensures that funding is well spent, for example the pupil premium, PE and sport premium, and special educational needs funding, to improve progress and attainment for the identified pupils
  • checks that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Trustees and school leaders have created a safe culture in the school. Training ensures that all staff are vigilant in identifying when a child may be at risk and in reporting their concerns, including in relation to radicalisation and extremism. Leaders ensure that identified pupils receive effective support and involve external agencies when necessary. They also work closely with parents and families to keep pupils safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

• Recent issues in staffing have been addressed effectively. Staffing is now stable. Improvements in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment are leading to pupils making more consistently strong progress across year groups and subjects.
• In almost all year groups, teachers are making better use of assessment to identify pupils’ starting points and to match the level of challenge more closely to them. They deploy teaching assistants efficiently to help them to support effectively those pupils who start to fall behind and to deepen the learning of others. They use questioning effectively to challenge and extend pupils’ thinking. Pupils enjoy being challenged and they focus well on their learning.
• Pupils make the strongest progress when teachers have high expectations of what they can achieve and they have good subject knowledge to promote high standards. For example, due to teachers’ understanding of how to develop progress in forming sentence structures, pupils at the end of key stage 2 are making great strides in writing complex sentences.
• The subject leaders for English are developing teachers’ understanding of progress in sentence structure effectively. The impact is evident in the strongly improving progress that most pupils are making in writing across almost all year groups.
• Effective professional development in mathematics has strengthened teachers’ subject knowledge throughout the school. This has led to more efficient planning and productive use of time. As a result, pupils develop greater fluency in calculation and in applying it in problem solving. This is helping to address any gaps in their knowledge. The focus on developing pupils’ reasoning skills is enabling more pupils to reach greater depth in their learning.
• Improvements in the teaching of reading include an increased emphasis on developing pupils’ comprehension skills and regular opportunities to read. Challenging texts are engaging pupils, including boys, in reading in class. However, too few pupils in key stage 2 are motivated to read more widely or to take books home to read.
• In key stage 1, pupils regularly take books home to read. The teaching of phonics has been consistently strong over time.
• Teachers give feedback in line with the school’s marking and assessment policy. Pupils use this well to edit and improve their work. They are keen to practise new skills in reading, writing and mathematics across subjects.
• Pupils say that they particularly enjoy using technology to research new knowledge in lessons and for homework. A large number of pupils participate in the extra-curricular activities and this enhances their learning.
• Teachers set homework in line with the school’s policy and that consolidates learning and prepares pupils well for work to come.
• Parents are given school reports that contain accurate information about how well their child is progressing, how well their child is doing in relation to the standards expected, and what the child needs to do to improve the work.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Positive relationships throughout the school promote pupils’ confidence and self-assurance. Pupils enjoy school and take great pride in the presentation of their work. Their enthusiasm for learning supports the strong progress they make.
• Pupils work well together and respect the ideas and views of others.
• Pupils report that they feel safe in school, and parents agree. Through the curriculum, they learn about risks and how to stay safe. For example, they are very knowledgeable about how to deal with potential risks when using the internet or social media.
• Pupils say that there is little bullying in school, and records support this. They are confident that staff would address any concerns they might raise. They learn to value diversity. Records show there are no recent incidents of derogatory or aggressive language, or stereotyping.
• Pupils enjoy learning about how to stay healthy, for example through physical exercise and eating well. They develop attributes, such as resilience in learning, that support their emotional and mental health.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development ensures that they are prepared well to be reflective about and responsible for their actions as good citizens. For instance, pupils take their responsibility as lunchtime ambassadors seriously and take good care of younger pupils.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are considerate of others and conduct themselves well throughout the day, including at lunchtimes. The school is an orderly environment. Low-level disruption of lessons is rare.
• Pupils with particular behavioural needs are supported effectively. Case studies show that the pupils learn to manage their needs successfully.
• Pupils, parents and staff agree that the school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.
• Attendance is improving and is above the national average. The persistent absence of a few pupils who are disadvantaged and/or who have SEND is decreasing due to robust action taken by leaders.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Across almost all year groups and in a wide range of subjects, including English and mathematics, most of the current pupils are making strong progress.
• This is an improvement on last year, when progress and attainment in reading declined to below average at the end of key stage 2, making attainment overall below average. Progress was average in writing and mathematics. It was below average overall for the very small number of disadvantaged pupils. In 2017, progress and attainment in reading, and overall, were above average at the end of the key stage.
• Similarly, attainment at the end of key stage 1 dipped to below average in reading last year. It was also below average in writing. However, the school’s progress information, supported by inspectors’ scrutiny of pupils’ books, shows that attainment was in line with the national average for pupils who had attended the school since the early years foundation stage. In 2017, attainment was above average in reading, writing and mathematics in this key stage.
• Currently, the most able pupils are making especially strong progress across all year groups and subjects. Most pupils with average prior attainment are making better progress than previously. This is due to the higher levels of challenge in their learning.
• Progress is improving well for some current pupils who are new, disadvantaged or who have SEND. This is because gaps in their prior learning are being addressed effectively, especially in mathematics. However, some of these pupils are not yet making strong progress in some year groups and subjects.
• Barriers to learning for these pupils include gaps in their language development. The pupils say that they find it difficult to think of the words, and especially how to write sentences, to express their thoughts. Some of the new pupils also have gaps in their knowledge of phonics.
• Pupils read widely and often in key stage 1. For the past three years, a high proportion of pupils in Year 1 achieved the expected standard in the national phonics check. Most pupils currently in key stage 2 can draw on a range of strategies, including phonics, to read fluently with increasingly strong comprehension. They read regularly in class. However, some pupils are not reading widely enough to develop their understanding of a range of texts.
• Given that most of the current pupils are making strong progress in mathematics, writing and reading, they are well prepared for secondary school.

Early years provision Good

• Through their accurate self-evaluation, leaders have a clear understanding of the strengths and areas in need of improvement in early years. They ensure that staff receive effective professional development. This includes comparing children’s learning and progress with those in other trust and local authority provision. The positive impact can be seen in children’s outcomes. Over time, the proportion of children gaining a good level of development has been at least average and often above.
• Children’s specific needs are identified early and addressed well. For instance, leaders work effectively with external agencies, such as for speech and language, to support children with SEND.
• Safeguarding is effective. Staff consistently apply the up-to-date school policy and procedures. They review their work regularly to make sure they are keeping children safe. For example, leaders are taking appropriate action to ensure that there are sufficient staff with paediatric first-aid qualifications on site at all times.
• The learning environment in the early years provision is vibrant. The curriculum engages the children in a wide range of exciting learning challenges, such as trying to catch the wind, and supports their strong progress towards the early learning goals.
• The quality of teaching is good. All staff have high expectations of children’s learning and progress. This is based on accurate assessment of what the children know, understand and can do when they join the school. Good use is made of regular assessments to plan work at the right level of challenge for all children.
• Parents make a positive contribution to the assessments. They are kept well informed about their child’s progress, regularly see their work, and are encouraged to support their child’s learning and development at home.
• Children are motivated by the broad range of activities provided and they are keen to learn. They listen carefully to the staff and each other. They work well together.
• Children’s behaviour is good and shows that they feel safe. Outdoor activities help to develop their understanding of risk and how to keep safe. Children learn to respect others through developing an understanding of people in the wider world, for example through the theme of the Chinese New Year.
• Children make consistently strong progress from their starting points. This includes children who receive additional funding because they are disadvantaged, or they have SEND. However, starting points for some of these children are much lower than for others due to gaps in their language development. The funding is used well to provide additional adult time to develop speaking and listening skills. This is helping these children to catch up with others in the school and nationally.
• The knowledge, understanding and skills the children gain in early years ensure they are well prepared and ready to start Year 1.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 139955 Cornwall 10086880 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy sponsor-led 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 201 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Executive Headteacher Head of School Telephone number Website Email address Pat McGovern Clare Crowle Hollie Bearne 01872510407 www.st-newlyn-east.cornwall.sch.uk secretary.stnewlyn@tlat.org.uk Date of previous inspection 24 June 2015

Information about this school

• St Newlyn East Learning Academy joined The Learning Academy Trust in September 2013. The trustees appointed a local advisory board and executive headteacher to direct the work of this sponsored academy. The day-to-day running of the school is managed by a head of school. The current executive headteacher and head of school have both been appointed since the previous inspection. The executive headteacher is a national leader of education. The subject leaders for English are specialist leaders of education.
• The trust works closely in association with the Kernow Teaching School Alliance and the Kernow English Hub, in both accessing and contributing to a range of professional development.
• Since the last inspection, there have been changes in staffing and, at the request of the local authority, the school has almost doubled in size. This is due to the growing population in the nearby town and surrounding community. Pupils join the school in different year groups and throughout the school year.
• The school is now almost as big as the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND who are supported by the school is below the national average. The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is broadly average.
• Most pupils are of a White British background. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, head of school, other school leaders and pupils. They met informally with a few parents. They also met with members of the local advisory board (the chair of which is also a trustee), and the chief education officer for the trust.
• Together with the executive headteacher and head of school, inspectors observed pupils’ learning in all classes. They engaged the leaders for English and mathematics in jointly examining pupils’ progress over time in a sample of books from each year group. Inspectors listened to small groups of pupils reading.
• Inspectors examined a range of documents, including the school’s improvement plan and self-evaluation, and documents relating to pupils’ progress, behaviour and attendance, and safeguarding.
• Inspectors took account of the 57 responses to Ofsted’s online Parent View survey and the many written responses from parents. They also took into consideration the responses to the online surveys completed by four staff and 42 pupils.

Inspection team

Sue Frater, lead inspector Paula Marsh

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector