St Breock Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Breock Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this happy, welcoming school where the motto is 'learning, love and laughter'. Leaders and staff share a determination for every pupil to develop emotionally, socially and physically, as well as academically.

Throughout the school, pupils demonstrate the school's ethos through small, kind deeds. For example, they open doors for others or older pupils look after the youngest children. At playtimes, pupils love to show their physical prowess on a wide range of equipment.

Adults have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Well-considered emotional suppo...rt is available to pupils who need it. This helps pupils rise to meet these expectations.

The school is a calm and purposeful learning environment. Pupils say that behaviour is typically good in lessons and on the playground. Bullying is not something that happens often.

If it does, adults deal with it very quickly. Pupils know that staff will listen to them if they have any concerns. As one pupil said, 'When we feel sad, we know someone will listen to us and help us to feel better.'

Pupils say they feel happy and safe at school. An overwhelming majority of parents and carers share this view.

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

School leaders are ambitious for pupils.

They have developed a curriculum that builds on what pupils already know. Leaders link this curriculum to children's learning in the Nursery and Reception classes. Starting in the early years, pupils develop subject-specific skills as they progress through the school.

For example, in mathematics, pupils develop a secure understanding of numbers in the early years. They use this knowledge when learning about more complex mathematics in later years.

Leaders support school staff to develop subject knowledge.

This helps teachers to deliver the curriculum effectively. Teachers introduce subject matter clearly. They consider what pupils already know and can do and how this will help them to make sense of new learning.

Teachers check pupils' understanding before they move on to more complex learning. This approach supports pupils to use and remember what they have learned in the long term.

Leaders and staff work together to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

They gather information to identify pupils' needs from parents and external specialists. In classrooms, teachers make suitable adaptations so that pupils with SEND can follow the same curriculum as their peers.

Reading has a high priority for school leaders.

Well-trained staff teach phonics and early reading. By the end of Reception, children begin to read simple books. By the end of Year 2, most pupils read with fluency and understanding.

Older pupils continue to read widely. Pupils choose from a wide range of genres in the school's library.

Staff identify pupils who struggle to read.

These pupils usually get the help that they need to catch up. However, leaders have not ensured that older pupils always read books that match their reading ability. As a result, some older pupils encounter words they cannot read.

This knocks their confidence and hinders their progress.

Pupils engage well in lessons. They contribute to discussions and show interest in what they are learning.

Off-task behaviour is rare. If it occurs, staff support pupils to re-engage and ensure that poor behaviour does not distract other pupils.

Leaders place great importance on pupils' wider development.

There is a strong emphasis on developing pupils' physical and emotional well-being. Encouraging physical activity to support pupils' academic development is highly prioritised. Experienced staff support pupils' emotional well-being well.

Leaders have carefully planned their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum. They have considered what pupils know, the community in which they live and the risks they may face. The PSHE curriculum helps pupils to learn how to stay safe.

Pupils learn about tolerance and respect. They understand the importance of recognising and celebrating difference. Residential trips to cities allow pupils to experience different cultures.

The school receives effective support from the trust. Trustees know the school well and provide informed challenge to school leaders. Staff are proud to work at the school.

They appreciate that leaders ensure that their workload is manageable and support their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Checks on the suitability of staff are rigorous.

Leaders ensure safeguarding has a high priority in the school. Staff receive regular training. This enables them to recognise signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm.

Staff record accurately any concerns. Leaders monitor these reports regularly and act appropriately. Leaders work effectively with external agencies so that pupils and families receive timely support when needed.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in the community and when online. The school has suitable policies in place to raise awareness among staff and parents about the dangers of sexual harassment, online sexual abuse and sexual violence.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils' reading books are not matched to the sounds that they know.

This means that those pupils who struggle to read are not always able to use their phonics knowledge to decode words accurately. Leaders need to ensure that the books pupils read are well matched to their reading ability.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2012.