St John’s Catholic Primary School, Camborne

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St John's Catholic Primary School, Camborne continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they always feel safe and happy at school. They appreciate how well all members of staff care for them. Pupils do not believe that there is bullying at the school.

On the rare occasions when friends fall out, pupils say that staff help them to solve any problems. Older pupils show empathy regarding the problems some pupils may face in their lives.

Pupils behave well in class and at break times.

This is because they respond positively to the high expectations of staff. Teachers ensure that all pupils can access a broad and exciting curri...culum. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders provide opportunities for pupils to broaden their learning through external visits and by working with subject specialists who visit the school. In physical education (PE), pupils experience a wide range of competitive and non-competitive sporting events.

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the warm welcome given to their children each day.

They also shared examples of how school leaders have supported families at difficult times.

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

The inspirational headteacher, governors and other leaders have established a safe, purposeful learning environment in which pupils and staff are highly valued.

In most subjects, the curriculum has been carefully crafted to make sure that pupils remember and build on their prior knowledge and skills.

Pupils learn subject content in a well-planned order that helps them to master key ideas. For example, in PE, pupils learn skills and tactics before competing in team matches. Pupils understand how this helps them to perform at a higher level.

However, planning in some subjects is at an earlier stage of development.Teaching is adapted effectively to support pupils who struggle with new learning. Teachers understand pupils' needs, and the strategies they use help pupils to develop their understanding of the curriculum.

Pupils with SEND are making good progress because they are supported by experienced staff who know when and when not to offer help. This is enabling the pupils to grow in self-confidence and take ownership of their learning.

Leaders have ensured that provision in early years has improved significantly since the previous inspection.

The learning areas have been transformed to offer excellent opportunities for children to develop in all areas of learning. All activities are purposeful. For example, during the inspection, children were learning the names of three-dimensional shapes by building robots made from cylinders, cuboids and spheres.

The teaching of reading is effective. Children learn phonics from their first day in Reception. The well-structured plans for reading ensure that most pupils move quickly through the phonics programme and learn to read fluently before they leave key stage 1.

Pupils throughout the school practise the sounds they have learned by using carefully selected reading books. Older pupils can describe a wide range of authors and compare writing styles.

The mathematics curriculum is sequenced well and teaching successfully enables pupils to build on their prior knowledge and skills.

Teaching equips pupils with essential knowledge that they use to solve challenging mathematical problems. For example, Year 6 pupils could solve complex fraction problems quickly and accurately because they had mastered key knowledge, such as their times tables.

Subjects also foster pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

This is reflected in the views shared by pupils. Pupils are confident to debate issues connected to relationships and health. They display mature views on racism and discrimination.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff know pupils well and this helps them to identify pupils who may need help or are at risk. Pupils say that they feel safe and they know adults that they can turn to for help.

Pupils know how they can stay safe, including when online.

Staff are well trained and know what to do if they are concerned about a pupil. All staff use the school's reporting system to log concerns.

The trust provides excellent support for safeguarding and monitors concerns to identify patterns or areas requiring additional resources.

Leaders make sure that appropriate checks are made on new staff and recruitment procedures are managed well.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The planning of the curriculum in some subjects is at an earlier stage of development.

Where this is the case, pupils' understanding of essential subject content is variable. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum helps pupils to learn and remember more across the full range of subjects.

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

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2016.

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