Coverack Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Coverack is a happy and friendly place.

In the words of one pupil, 'We are a small school but a big family.' Staff know pupils and their families well. Parents and carers value the school's caring ethos.

Since the last inspection, the trust has supported the school heavily to make many positive changes. Its actions have been timely and wide ranging. For example, younger pupils now learn in a stimulating and engaging environment designed to enhance their learning.

However, it is too soon to see the full impact of the curriculum changes on pupils' knowledge in the long term.

The school has improved pupils' behaviour in recent times. This is because it ...has raised expectations of how pupils should behave in lessons.

In addition, learning is now mostly well matched to pupils' needs. Their attitudes to learning are highly positive. Pupils play well together on the playground and the field.

Bullying is rare.

Pupils enjoy many positive experiences beyond the classroom. They pursue their interests through clubs.

The school ensures that cost is not a barrier to these. Pupils learn to be part of a team through representing Coverack in sports tournaments.

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

After a long period of decline, the school has started to improve the quality of education.

With the exception of early reading, the trust identified that the curriculum was not fit for purpose and needed a complete rebuild from early years to Year 6. It has done so through partnerships with other schools as well as using the expertise of its leadership team. Actions have been briskly paced but with due consideration of workload so as not to overwhelm the small teaching team.

There has been significant training for staff. They have been trained in methods of effective teaching. The trust has helped to ensure that staff have the appropriate subject knowledge and understand the new curriculum plans.

This has resulted in a higher ambition for what pupils can achieve.

Staff have embraced the trust's support. They have worked hard to implement the new curriculum as leaders intend.

Teachers provide work closely matched to the curriculum's aims. They take into account the different needs within the mixed age classes. The impact can be seen in pupils' recall of their most recent learning.

For example, pupils talk in detail about why the Vikings invaded Britain.

Nevertheless, due to the historic weaknesses, pupils still have significant gaps in their knowledge in the wider curriculum. They have difficulty connecting new learning to previous content.

This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). On some occasions teachers do not address misconceptions that pupils have. Consequently, gaps in knowledge persist.

Furthermore, the school does not know how well pupils are learning across the curriculum, for example in religious education. Therefore, it is not able to make changes to plans or approaches so that pupils learn consistently well across all subjects.

Reading has continued to be a strength.

From the moment they start school, children learn to read well. Staff have the expertise to quickly identify any pupils who fall behind. They precisely identify the gaps in knowledge and give extra support and practise in these areas.

Consequently, pupils catch up and keep up.

Provision for pupils with SEND has improved. There are now more effective systems for the early identification of pupils.

This means they swiftly receive the adaptations they need to learn alongside their peers. The impact of this work is not yet evident over the long term.

Pupils develop their character through residentials.

They learn about beach safety through visitors to the school. However, while the school has an emphasis on diversity throughout its curriculum, its impact is limited. Pupils' knowledge of faiths and cultures different to their own is not secure.

The trust, including the local hub council, has an accurate view on the quality of education. They make regular checks on the schools to ascertain its progress.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In the wider curriculum subjects, pupils have significant gaps in their knowledge and understanding due to the historically weak curriculum. As a result, they are not always able to build effectively on what they already know and make connections to their learning. The trust needs to ensure that staff adapt their teaching to address the gaps in knowledge or misconceptions so that pupils know more and remember more.

• In many subjects, the curriculum is too new to see its impact. The school is not sure how well pupils are learning in these subjects. The trust needs to ensure they monitor how well pupils are learning in these subjects so that they can be sure of its impact and make changes accordingly.

• The personal development curriculum does not promote pupils' understanding of different cultures and faiths well enough. This means that they are not fully prepared for life in modern Britain. The trust should ensure that the curriculum enables pupils to develop a secure understanding of the diverse nature of modern Britain.