Mousehole School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

Pupils currently in the school make good and sometimes outstanding progress because : they are taught well. Some teaching is outstanding. The headteacher and governors have taken effective action to improve teaching with the result that rates of progress, particularly in reading and writing, have increased.

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding because they understand and follow the school's core values, 'careful, respectful, helpful, and hard working', which are consistently modelled by adults in school. Excellent use is made of the outdoor learning environment to motivate and interest pupils, who say, 'Learning is exciting...; we need some skills to stay safe.' The school's links with, and contribution to, the local community are a strength, and give the pupils a sense of belonging and pride as well as developing their social skills.

Pupils are provided with a wide and stimulating range of topics and activities, which are well planned to fit in with local events, such as Mazey Day, and which give them opportunities to appreciate music, art and literature. Their artwork is of a very high standard. The governing body provides excellent support for the school, as well as challenging the headteacher and staff to do even better.

Governors are fully involved in the life of the school. It is not yet an outstanding school because: Progress in mathematics is not as rapid as it is in reading and writing because there is not yet a clear policy for teaching mathematical skills progressively. Pupils are not always expected to produce enough work during mathematics lessons which would enable them to learn a concept securely and be ready to move on.

Information about this school

This is a much smaller than average size primary school, with one Reception class and three mixed-age classes for pupils in Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6. There are very small cohorts of pupils in each year group, with considerable differences in the composition of each year group. For example, the number of boys and girls varies considerably from year to year, as does the proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.

In addition, there are varying numbers of pupils joining and leaving the school in each year group during the academic year. The proportion of pupils entitled to support from the pupil premium, which is the funding provided by government to help pupils eligible for free school meals or those who are in the care of the local authority, is similar to the national average. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported by school action is much higher than the national average. The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also much higher than the national average. The school met the government's floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress.

There have been some unavoidable changes to the teaching staff within the school over the past two years. The school has gained a number of awards, including the Healthy Schools Award and the Artsmark. The school is a member of the Penwith Education Trust, a group of schools in the local area which are independent of one another yet work together for the benefit of their pupils and staff.