Marazion School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Marazion School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

A focus on kindness starts in the early years and continues through the school to Year 6. Staff know the pupils well.

Relationships are warm and nurturing. Pupils care for each other and act responsibly. Leaders have made sure that pupils know what to do if they have a worry.

This means that pupils feel safe in school.

Expectations for learning and behaviour are high, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils live up to these expectations and behave well in lessons and at playtimes.

Pupils in Year 6 take on positions of respon...sibility to help younger pupils. The 'class angels' act as mentors and support in the classroom and the playground.

Pupils enjoy the lunchtime and after-school clubs on offer.

The Marazion Monster Mechanics Club involves building, maintaining and driving lightweight electric vehicles. Other clubs include drama, rock band and cross-stitch, which all develop pupils' talents and interests.

School life is further enriched by engaging visits.

Highlights include sleepovers in aquariums and residentials to London and Oxford. These prepare pupils to be independent and resilient. Trips to Plymouth for faith experiences at the mosque and synagogue broaden pupils' world views.

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

Leaders and staff are ambitious for all pupils. They are determined for pupils to achieve well, particularly pupils with SEND or those who are disadvantaged. Leaders have designed a broad and balanced curriculum that is suitable for pupils who are taught in mixed-aged classes.

It starts in the early years and is well sequenced. Pupils are excited by their learning. Each topic has a purpose.

Leaders have identified the important knowledge pupils need to know and remember. Leaders make it clear to teachers when this knowledge should be taught.Teachers use leaders' precise curriculum thinking to construct well-thought-out lessons.

Staff use subject-specific vocabulary and encourage pupils to think deeply about their learning. Pupils have opportunities to learn and try out new skills across a wide range of exciting activities.

In some subjects, teachers use assessment well to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge.

For example, in reading, teachers identify pupils who fall behind and support them to catch up. However, in other areas of the curriculum, assessment is not used with enough precision to ensure that all pupils build their knowledge as well as they could over time. As a result, some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge and do not deepen their understanding.

For example, Year 5 pupils struggle to recall previous learning about the British Empire.

Pupils typically achieve well in reading. However, in 2022, the proportion of Year 1 pupils who met the expected standard for the phonics screening check was low.

This does not reflect how well current pupils are learning to read. Children learn to read as soon as they start in Reception. They practise their phonics by reading books which contain sounds that they already know.

Leaders ensure that staff are well trained to deliver the phonics curriculum. Older pupils talk about their favourite authors with enthusiasm. Pupils show a genuine love of reading.

They hear adults reading to them daily.

The culture of inclusion is strong. Leaders work closely with parents, carers and teachers to identify the support each pupil needs.

Teachers and staff benefit from specialist training and guidance. They are adept at helping pupils with SEND to participate in learning. Leaders' careful approach means that pupils with SEND learn effectively across the school.

Leaders have carefully considered how to support pupils' wider development. They have designed a personal development curriculum that covers diversity and equality. For example, pupils have chosen places that reflect diverse cultures for their class names, such as Notting Hill and Stonewall.

Pupils talk about respecting difference and embracing everyone for who they are. This means pupils can understand and appreciate the unique qualities they all have.

Staff feel valued.

They are proud of the school. Leaders and governors make sure that staff well-being is high. Workload is well managed by leaders, including for teachers early in their careers.

Governors are committed and passionate about the school. They know it well. They hold leaders to account effectively for the quality of education, including the development of the curriculum.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of vigilance at the school. Leaders ensure that staff can identify pupils who may be at risk and report any concerns swiftly.

Staff show accurate and detailed knowledge about all aspects of safeguarding.Leaders work with outside agencies to follow up any concerns with tenacity and rigour. This means that pupils and their families get the support they need.

Pupils learn about the dangers of the internet and how to keep safe online. Pupils know not to share passwords or personal information.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Assessment in some subjects is not yet fully developed.

As a result, pupils do not build on prior learning well enough and have gaps in their knowledge. Leaders need to support teachers to use assessment information to adapt the curriculum effectively to ensure that pupils know and remember more.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2017.

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