Lewannick Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Lewannick Community Primary School are happy at school. They know and understand the school's values. These, along with the school motto, 'to be the best you can be', encourage pupils to have positive attitudes to learning.

However, the curriculum does not help pupils to learn as well as they should.

Parents and carers who responded to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, describe the school as 'friendly, welcoming and caring'. Staff know pupils well and provide effective pastoral support.

This helps the majority of pupils to attend school regularly and on time.

Pupils show respect for staff and peers. Whether in lessons, the corridors or... the school playground, pupils are polite and kind to each other.

Older pupils show care for younger pupils. They insist that bullying does not happen. Pupils know that adults would swiftly sort out any problems they have.

Pupils have opportunities to develop responsibilities through school- and eco-councils. They consider how they can include the local community in the school council's plans.

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

Leaders have identified what is needed to improve the quality of education and broader development for pupils.

They are in the early stages of this work, so its impact is not yet realised. Leaders have become more ambitious for what all pupils will learn. Trustees and local governors are beginning to strengthen their checks on, and support for, leaders' actions, so that they have an accurate picture of the school's performance.

Staff are positive about how well leaders consider their well-being. All staff feel that they are part of a strong and supportive team. Staff value the changes leaders are making to support their workload.

The curriculum in many subjects is new. Leaders have begun to identify important knowledge and vocabulary they want pupils to learn. They have ordered content so that pupils build on what they know.

Pupils demonstrate that they know and remember content that they have learned this term. However, the development of the curriculum is in its infancy. Staff have not yet had the professional development they need to implement the curriculum well.

Pupils have gaps in their knowledge, which hinders new learning.

Across many subjects, teachers check on and address pupils' misconceptions. Staff use this information to make adaptations to the curriculum and to ensure that resources support pupils' learning.

Pupils read regularly. Leaders have identified high-quality fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts to widen pupils' reading experiences. For example, older pupils enjoyed reading a poem by Lewis Carroll.

Children in the early stages of reading learn phonics as soon as they start school. Staff select books that match the sounds they know. This helps pupils to build their fluency.

Many pupils become confident readers.

Leaders have prioritised mental and emotional support for all pupils. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well to build positive relationships with their peers and staff.

However, leaders do not use information well enough to adapt the curriculum to meet pupils' needs. As a result, pupils with SEND sometimes say that learning is too hard.

Children in early years settle quickly.

This is because adults have developed strong relationships with them. Children learn in a caring, supportive environment. They enjoy learning with adults.

Staff purposely talk with children so that they learn new words. However, the curriculum in early years is not implemented effectively. This means that children lack knowledge and resilience to learn independently.

Sometimes, staff are not clear about what children should be learning.

Pupils participate in a range of extracurricular opportunities. Leaders provide additional experiences to strengthen curriculum learning.

For example, pupils confidently perform to parents using djembe drums. Many learn to play a musical instrument and sing regularly. Leaders ensure that pupils have a well-sequenced personal, social, health and economic education.

Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of families, relationships and being healthy. They know that everyone should be treated with respect.

Leaders support pupils to understand their local community.

However, pupils have a weak understanding of religious beliefs and different cultures outside their local area. They sometimes struggle to understand fundamental British values. This means that pupils are not as well prepared as they could be for some aspects of life beyond where they live.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils feel safe. Parents agree.

Leaders ensure that staff have relevant safeguarding training. As a result, staff understand their roles and responsibilities. Pupils get the help that they need.

Leaders engage with other agencies appropriately. However, there are some inconsistencies in maintaining and checking policies and recruitment information. This needs to be strengthened further, but does not place pupils at risk of harm.

Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of how to keep themselves safe. They have an awareness of risks associated with technology. Leaders ensure that the curriculum supports pupils to know about healthy relationships.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders, including those responsible for governance, do not monitor some aspects of school improvement as well as they could. As a result, they do not have an accurate understanding of how well pupils learn. Leaders, at all levels, should ensure that monitoring and evaluation of school provision are timely and robust.

• Staff do not benefit from timely and well-planned professional development in some subjects. This means that they lack the expertise needed to implement the curriculum well. Leaders need to ensure that staff have the knowledge and training to implement the curriculum confidently.

• Some pupils with SEND do not benefit from precisely planned support to meet their needs. Therefore, these pupils do not learn across the curriculum as well as they could. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum is designed and implemented to meet the needs of all learners with SEND.

• The curriculum in early years is not well considered and implemented consistently across all areas of learning. Consequently, some children do not develop the knowledge and independence to learn without an adult. Leaders should ensure that the provision in early years is supporting all children to know and do more.

• The curriculum for personal development is not supporting pupils to understand fully religious beliefs, cultures and how people may live differently. Therefore, pupils are not well prepared for some aspects of life in modern Britain. Leaders must ensure that provision for personal development enables pupils to develop a secure understanding of religious beliefs and cultures.