Cornwood Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils to be successful. Since the previous inspection, the school has prioritised the development of the curriculum to promote high expectations for all pupils.

These actions are beginning to make a difference. However, it is still early days. The curriculum does not yet support pupils to build their knowledge well enough across all subjects.

Pupils enjoy coming to Cornwood Church of England Primary School. This is reflected in their regular attendance. Pupils are proud of their school motto, 'A family where we flourish and learn to be the best version of ourselves'.

They relate this to supporting one another as 'one big famil...y'. This ambition is realised by pupils, who are kind and supportive of each other.

Staff take time to build positive relationships with pupils.

As a result, pupils learn in a nurturing and caring environment. Parents and carers value this. They praise the support for pupils' well-being as well as the many wider opportunities on offer.

These include clubs such as one for invasion games. Pupils benefit from residential trips with pupils from other schools in the federation. They say that these trips help them to make new friends and develop a range of skills.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has worked on the design of the curriculum. Subject experts from across the federation have helped the school to identify and sequence the knowledge it wants pupils to learn. Through monitoring, the school checks how well pupils are learning the curriculum.

From this, weaknesses in the teaching of the curriculum are identified and supported, such as through staff training. However, in some subjects, the identified improvements are not acted on quickly enough. As a result, the curriculum does not yet support all pupils to learn well.

Assessment is used to check what pupils know and remember. For example, recap tasks are used at the beginning of units of work to check gaps in pupils' prior knowledge. Subsequent end-of-unit assessments are used to check how well pupils learn the curriculum.

However, assessment is not always used with enough precision. Some pupils make repeated errors in their work that are not routinely identified and supported. As a result, pupils embed misconceptions and make slower progress.

The school has prioritised the support it provides for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff identify the needs of pupils with SEND with accuracy. Teachers adapt learning to ensure that pupils receive the support they need to learn the curriculum.

Children are taught how to read from the very start of Reception. Staff receive the training they need to teach the phonics programme well. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know.

This helps them to become confident and fluent readers. The school encourages a love of reading. This is supported by regular library visits and daily class stories, where pupils enjoy voting for their favourite.

Warm relationships with staff mean that children in early years settle well. They know the school routines, such as wearing an apron when they are painting. The school has identified the knowledge it wants the children to know and remember to prepare them for key stage 1.

For example, children benefit from the phonics programme to help them to learn to read well. However, learning intentions across the broad curriculum are not clearly implemented. Children do not receive sufficient opportunities to develop their knowledge and language across all areas of learning in the early years curriculum.

This is because learning opportunities are not always in place to encourage children to deepen their understanding. This stalls progress for some children.

The school is calm and orderly.

Pupils show positive attitudes towards their learning. They know how the school's values help them to be successful. Pupils are nominated to receive the 'values award' through which they are recognised for their achievements.

The school supports pupils to develop beyond the academic curriculum. The personal, social and health education curriculum helps pupils to widen their understanding of relationships, health, well-being and living in the wider world. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

They have a lived experience of democracy through standing in elections for the various school councils. Pupils know their voice matters and that they make a difference. For example, pupils take ownership for planning fundraising events to raise money for a variety of charities.

Staff value the support they gain from federation colleagues. This includes shared training to develop their subject knowledge. Those responsible for governance know the school well.

They understand the school's priorities. Governors are ambitious for pupils at this school to do well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some identified weaknesses in the teaching of the curriculum are not addressed quickly enough. As a result, some pupils are not well prepared for their next stage of learning. The school needs to ensure that improvements are followed up with rigour to enable all pupils to learn the curriculum well.

• Assessment is not used with enough precision to identify and support gaps in pupils' knowledge. Some pupils embed misconceptions and so do not learn the curriculum well. The school must ensure that assessment is precise and used effectively to support all pupils to learn the curriculum successfully.

• Children in early years are not supported well enough to develop their knowledge and language across all areas of learning and development. Consequently, some children do not develop a breadth of knowledge across the early years curriculum. The school must ensure that learning intentions are clear and implemented effectively to support all children to learn a broad curriculum.

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