Tywardreath School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve outcomes further by: − ensuring that the most able pupils are given the support they need to reach the standards of writing they are capable of − ensuring that standards of writing and numeracy are equally strong across all subjects.
• Improve leadership and management further by ensuring that middle leaders gain the skills to monitor the quality of teaching effectively and lead improvements in the quality of teaching.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The principal leads the school with great dedication. Her commitment to the pupils and to improving the school is infectious. As a result, teachers and other staff are motivated and focused on ensuring that the school continues to improve. Parents are very supportive of the school and its staff. They feel that the school has improved rapidly since it opened as an academy in 2014.
• Senior leaders are reflective and honest with themselves in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They analyse school performance in detail and rapidly respond to shortcomings. They are self-critical and are prepared to change their plans to improve them. This single-minded and direct approach has led to significant improvements in the quality of teaching and to improvements in attendance.
• Senior leaders monitor the quality of teaching closely. They work with teachers to improve their teaching and have acted robustly to tackle weak teaching where that has proved necessary. They also make sure that teachers receive good-quality training to enhance their skills. For example, teachers have undertaken training to improve their questioning techniques. This has had a significant impact. Teachers are good at asking questions that test out pupils’ understanding and that encourage them to think more deeply about their work.
• Leaders have made sure that a rigorous assessment structure is in place. This allows them to discuss the progress of each pupil regularly with teachers and to put support in place for individual pupils if they fall behind and need to catch up.
• Senior leaders have ensured that pupils have access to a broad curriculum. Pupils study key themes and topics alongside their English and mathematics. The curriculum plans are detailed and well thought out. They draw together science, the arts and the humanities effectively to stimulate and enthuse pupils.
• The curriculum provides good opportunities to develop the spiritual and moral aspects of pupils’ development that will help to prepare them for life in modern Britain. Pupils are able to engage in meaningful discussions about freedom, tolerance and respect, for example. There is a pupils’ parliament where pupils discuss school life. There is also a wealth of extra-curricular opportunities for pupils of all ages. Sports and music clubs are popular with pupils.
• Middle leaders are beginning to take on more responsibility for ensuring that the quality of teaching is consistently good across the whole school. They are increasingly effective as a result of the training they are being given. Currently however, some are relatively new to their roles and have not yet been able to provide the support to target and improve any remaining weak teaching.
• Leaders make effective use of pupil premium funding to support the progress of disadvantaged pupils. Pupils are monitored closely and leaders use a broad range of additional support to help pupils catch up. Leaders have evaluated which intervention strategies are the most effective and have revised the programme to make it more effective. Leaders have also worked closely with families to improve the attendance of some disadvantaged pupils. Until recently, disadvantaged pupils had lower rates of attendance and made slower progress than other pupils. As a result of leaders’ work, pupils are now attending more regularly and are catching up with other pupils.
• Leaders make effective use of the additional funding they receive to support pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. Leaders have an in-depth knowledge of the needs of these pupils and put detailed plans in place to support them. The plans are monitored rigorously and adjustments made where necessary. As a result, these pupils are making good progress.
• Leaders also make good use of the sports premium. Teachers are trained to use resources that improve the quality of physical education across the school. This gives pupils access to a broad physical education curriculum.

Governance of the school

• The trust has a well-established and effective structure in place to support the work of school leaders. Trust leaders challenge the school to meet ambitious targets. They have a good knowledge of the school because they commission external evaluations that run alongside their own scrutiny. Consequently, they are able to monitor the school’s performance closely.
• The trust has also ensured that resources are made available to improve facilities and enhance the quality of the school’s work. For example, it acted swiftly to improve access to an outdoor area for children in the early years. This has strengthened provision for these children significantly.
• Local governors, known as the ‘drive team’, work closely with school leaders and the trust to check on performance. They are also effective in acting as a strong link between the school and parents and the community. As a result of the work of the drive team and the principal, the community is closely involved in the school and very supportive of it.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There is a culture of vigilance across the whole school. Leaders have ensured that staff are well trained and know what to do should they become concerned for a pupil’s safety or well-being. Parents are confident that their children are safe. Pupils know who to go to share a worry should they need to.
• School leaders work well with the local authority’s social care team to keep vulnerable pupils safe and allow them to make progress in school.
• All the necessary records and checks on adults who work with children are in place. The trust monitors the school’s safeguarding work closely. This provides an additional layer of scrutiny.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Pupils are making good progress because teachers know their pupils well and ensure that the work they set is closely matched to pupils’ needs. Teachers assess what pupils know, understand and can do and then target specific areas as next steps.
• Pupils understand what they are being asked to improve and so focus on it. For example, when writing, some pupils try to include passive and active sentence structures in their writing, while others focus on formal and informal vocabulary. Pupils respond well to this approach because they can see the improvements they are making.
• The quality of assessment is good. Consequently, teachers are clear when pupils do not understand something they have been taught. Disadvantaged pupils are monitored particularly closely. When teachers become aware that a pupil is falling behind, they make sure that they are given extra support. School leaders have a range of strategies at their disposal and use those which suit the pupil’s need. As a result, most pupils are making good progress in each year group.
• Teachers teach reading well. Pupils read widely and are enthusiastic about their books. Teachers are increasingly successful in motivating boys to read as well as girls. School leaders have ensured that children get off to a good start with their literacy by introducing twice-daily story times into the early years.
• Most pupils make good progress with their writing because teachers precisely target next steps in their learning. However, the most able sometimes make slower progress because teachers do not set targets that are precise or challenging enough. Consequently, fewer pupils reach the highest standards.
• The quality of mathematics teaching is good. Teachers make sure that pupils practise their number fluency and are able to reason and solve problems. The most able pupils are challenged to stretch themselves and tackle complicated problems.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are well taught. Leaders make sure that teachers know the barriers these pupils face and that the right support is in place to overcome them. Teachers work well with teaching assistants to support pupils and help them to make good progress from their starting points.
• There is still some weak teaching. Pupils make slower progress when teachers are less precise in analysing what pupils know, understand and can do and do not set work that challenges pupils to move on to the next steps in their learning.
• Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not as high in other subjects as they are in English and mathematics. The quality of writing and numeracy expected in history or geography, for example, is lower. Consequently, pupils do not give their work in these subjects the same attention as their core subjects.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are proud of their school and they enjoy their lessons. They are enthusiastic and come to school keen to take part. They enjoy answering questions and respond positively to their teacher’s feedback on how to improve their work.
• Leaders are committed to ensuring that pupils are growing up healthy in both mind and body. For example, in the early years, teachers work with children on healthy lifestyles. Older pupils are encouraged to discuss feelings and emotions in a positive classroom environment. The school has a significant commitment to positive mental health. Leaders and teachers make sure that pupils who are experiencing anxiety or stress in their lives are well cared for and supported.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. Bullying is rare, and pupils are confident that teachers will deal well with any issues should they occur. School leaders also put an emphasis on internet safety. Pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe when online.
• Pupils work and play together well. From the early years, when teachers set expectations of good behaviour, through to Year 6, pupils are tolerant and respectful of each other. They are courteous and polite when talking to adults. Pupils are also taught to be respectful of those who hold different opinions.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• The school is a calm and orderly environment. Pupils conduct themselves well around the school at breaks and lunchtimes. The atmosphere is positive and good humoured. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive and respectful.
• Behaviour in lessons is good. There is little disruption in lessons and pupils react quickly to their teacher’s instructions. Occasionally, however, when teaching is weaker, some pupils lose concentration and become disengaged.
• Attendance is in line with the national average. The proportion of those absent from school regularly is also broadly similar to that in other schools. In previous years, the number of disadvantaged pupils who were regularly absent was too high. Leaders recognised this and have begun to tackle the issue. Rates are now in line with national averages.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils make good progress to achieve standards of reading, writing and mathematics broadly similar to those of pupils in other schools. However, in 2017, fewer of the most able reached the higher standard. This is now improving, particularly in reading and mathematics. Writing is improving more slowly.
• Pupils achieve standards of reading similar to those in other schools. In the past, girls have tended to make better progress than boys. However, boys are now catching up as a result of the focus teachers are putting on improving boys’ reading.
• Most pupils reach the expected standard in writing in key stage 2. They write extended passages confidently, using a rich vocabulary. They understand how to use language to either inform or persuade. They are proud of their writing, and their presentation is generally good. Not enough of the most able go on to reach the high standard, however. This is because they are not challenged sufficiently to write consistently well, without errors.
• In 2017, pupils achieved a lower standard in key stage 2 grammar, punctuation and spelling assessments than pupils in other schools. Teachers are now successfully improving this aspect of pupils’ writing. The vocabulary of current pupils is rich and engages the reader. Their punctuation is good. Younger pupils can reliably and consistently construct sentences. As they progress, pupils understand how to use more complex punctuation for effect to enliven their work. Spelling remains a weakness, however. Pupils are improving as a result of the focus teachers have on it, but they have not yet closed the gap and this remains the weakest aspect of pupils’ writing.
• Pupils make good progress in mathematics. Their basic arithmetic is sound and they can use their mathematics to solve problems. They achieve standards broadly similar to the national average. In 2017, fewer pupils reached the high standard than in other schools. However, the most able are now making better progress and reaching the standards they are capable of.
• Pupils are making good progress in key stage 1 because teachers are building on the good start pupils have in the early years. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and pupils respond well. The most able pupils are making good progress and are working at a greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils reach standards in the Year 1 phonics check that exceed the national average. This is because teachers are skilled and make sure that no time is wasted in building pupils’ skills and knowledge in phonics. Pupils respond well to the energy and focus of phonics sessions.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points because teachers understand their needs and make sure that they have the necessary help. Teaching assistants are deployed appropriately and are skilled in giving pupils the right level of support for them to progress.
• In 2017, disadvantaged pupils made progress in reading and mathematics in line with that of other pupils nationally. Their writing was weaker, however. This year, as a result of the support leaders have put in place, this has improved. Disadvantaged pupils are now making good progress in writing.
• Pupils do not achieve the same standards in other subjects as they do in English and mathematics. Teachers do not have the same high expectations of their writing and number work in science, history and geography, for example, and so pupils achieve less well.

Early years provision Good

• A higher proportion of children reach expected rates of development than in many schools. Children respond well to the rich learning environment. It is lively and engaging, and teachers set stimulating and thought-provoking tasks. There is a broad range of activities for children to explore their health and the world around them. As a result, most children make good progress. However, too few of the most able children achieve all that they are capable of. This is because they do not make enough progress through their own independent use of resources and the environment.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress because teachers give them the extra support they need. Teaching assistants work closely with teachers to give children the stimulus and support they need to make progress. By the time children enter Year 1, many disadvantaged pupils have caught up with other children.
• Teachers have high expectations of behaviour. There are well-established routines and strong, positive relationships. Consequently, children are attentive and learn to work and play together well.
• There is an appropriate emphasis on developing literacy. Children are expected to learn their letters and sounds and to practise their phonics in reading and writing. As a result, they are well prepared for a good transition into Year 1.
• Early years provision is well led. Leaders are reflective about their work and continually keen to improve teaching and learning. They also ensure that children are kept safe. Systems to protect children are robust and all appropriate risk assessments are in place.
• Leaders make sure that children’s transition into the school and then, later, into Year 1, is smooth. Relationships with families are good. Parents value the information they receive from teachers about the progress their children are making.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141616 Cornwall 10036958 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 270 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Principal Telephone number Website Email address Steve Moore Claire McColville 01726 812807 www.tywardreathschool.org.uk head@tywardreathschool.org.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school is an average-sized primary school.
• The number of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium is in line with the national average.
• The proportion of pupils whose first language is not English is well below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and an education, health and care plan is above average.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning across the range of subjects and age groups, and scrutinised a wide range of pupils’ written work. Some of the observations were conducted jointly with senior leaders.
• Inspectors looked at a range of documentation including minutes of academy committee and trust meetings, development plans, analysis of pupils’ progress, attendance and behaviour data, safeguarding documents and the school’s review of its own performance.
• Meetings were held with trustees and members of the drive team, the headteacher, senior and middle leaders and groups of pupils.
• An inspector spoke to the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust.
• Inspectors took account of 61 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. They also took into account the responses to the staff and pupil questionnaires.

Inspection team

Andrew Lovett, lead inspector Mark Ackers Tracy Hannon

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector