Nansledan School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Nansledan is a school where everyone is welcomed.

It is a nurturing and caring environment. Staff know pupils' individual needs well. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils speak with pride at being the first cohorts to attend Nansledan.

The school has improved greatly over recent times. New leadership swiftly identified key issues to address in the curriculum and pupils' behaviour.

There has been strong impact in these areas. Pupils now learn well across most subjects. Their behaviour is much improved.

Staff ably support the small number of pupils who find it difficult to manage their emotions.... Bullying is rare.

The school has also developed a carefully considered personal development curriculum.

Pupils develop responsibility in roles such as sports leaders, eco-councillors and prefects. They make a tangible difference to the school. For example, the eco-council take part in litter picking across the school grounds.

Pupils enjoy a breadth of clubs in which to explore their talents and interests.

Parents now feel much more involved in their child's education. They speak highly of leaders and the changes they have made.

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

The school got off to a shaky start after its opening. The pandemic struck early on, which meant that the curriculum and systems did not have time to embed. This disruption, along with changes in staffing and leadership, unsettled both parents and staff.

Some pupils did not learn well.

Since the head of school's appointment, there has been a rapid and sustained improvement in the quality of education. Together with her strong senior leadership team they have ensured that staff are consulted when changes are made.

This helps them to appreciate why there have been changes in their workload. Staff feel their voice is heard and that leaders take any concerns they have seriously.

These changes were made to ensure that pupils learn a well-sequenced curriculum.

The school has identified the key knowledge it expects pupils to know. This starts in Reception. Together, with the trust, the school has supported staff to teach it well.

Teachers know what to teach and how best to teach it so that pupils' learning is embedded in their long-term memory. However, on some occasions teachers do not take into account well enough what pupils can already do. Consequently, pupils complete work that does not deepen their knowledge fully.

The impact of the well-taught curriculum has been significant. Pupils' recall in many areas is strong. This includes pupils with SEND.

This is because staff make adaptations to help support their learning. For example, in history, pupils can talk with confidence about ancient empires and are able to compare these to other periods of time. However, these changes came too late to see an impact in the 2023 national tests.

These results were also affected by significant numbers of pupils joining the school partway through their education.

Further improvements are needed in the implementation of the writing curriculum. This work is at an early stage.

Some pupils do not apply their grammatical knowledge well in their writing. This hinders the fluency of their written work.

The curriculum identifies the key vocabulary that pupils should use.

Teachers ensure this is explicitly taught. As a result, pupils use technical vocabulary with accuracy and confidence. For example, in design and technology pupils use terms, such as 'aerodynamic' in evaluating their models.

In science, pupils can discuss the process of photosynthesis.

The school has made reading a top priority. It has made substantial changes in its approach to early reading.

Again, this has paid off. The school has trained all new staff to ensure they teach the phonics code well. Children in Reception apply their phonics knowledge when writing 'books' independently.

As a result, pupils are making much quicker progress through the reading curriculum than in the past. Staff quickly identify those pupils who need extra help. They provide well-targeted support to help them catch up.

The school is passionate about broadening pupils' experiences beyond the classroom. For example, pupils visit the Jurassic coast to learn about rock and soils. This enriches pupils' learning and helps them put it into context.

A trip to London helps pupils experience and understand different places. Pupils understand how people can be different. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

The trust, including the hub council, has supported the school well through a difficult period. Frequent checks on the school's work mean it knows the school's strengths and weaknesses well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Improvements to the writing curriculum are at an early stage. Some pupils do not write at length often enough or do not apply their grammatical knowledge to their work. The trust should ensure that they embed the changes to the writing curriculum so that pupils apply their knowledge well and write regularly to a high standard.

• On some occasions, teachers do not take into account well enough what pupils can already do. As a result, they do not provide tasks which deepen pupils' knowledge fully. The trust should ensure that teachers are supported to ensure they provide tasks that take into account what pupils can already do to fully deepen their thinking.