St Mabyn CofE School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Mabyn C of E School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

St Mabyn is a school at the heart of its community. Leaders encourage pupils to care for themselves and others, to be active in mind and body and to nurture their resilience. Pupils live up to these expectations.

They behave well, both inside and outside of the classroom. They are adamant that bullying does not occur. However, they are confident that staff would sort it out if it did.

Pupils are proud of their school. They describe a culture where everyone looks out for one another. Parents speak highly of the staff, who they describe as 'encouraging and supportive'.

Pupil...s enjoy the opportunity to take on responsibilities through roles on the school council or as house captains.

Pupils learn an interesting and varied curriculum. They are enthusiastic about special visitors to assemblies, such as speakers from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Staff plan trips in the locality and further afield to complement the curriculum. Pupils experience a range of clubs over the year, from learning to play the recorder to gardening. They develop a strong affinity with the village community, for example by writing Easter cards to residents.

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

Leaders have created an ambitious curriculum that aligns with the school's Christian values and ethos. They monitor its impact regularly. They successfully adapt the curriculum to take into account the mixed-age groups within each class.

Leaders prioritise reading from the moment pupils join the school. Teachers read engaging texts to inspire and enthuse pupils. As a result, pupils develop a love for reading.

They read a wide range of authors. Pupils talk excitedly about how reading widens their vocabulary and deepens their knowledge.

The teaching of phonics is systematic and well established.

Teachers and support staff address any misconceptions precisely. They swiftly pick up when younger pupils fall behind. Books are well matched to the sounds pupils know.

This helps pupils to read with increasing fluency and confidence. Staff check that pupils understand the meaning of words. In the early years, children apply their phonics knowledge to their writing effectively.

This means they are well prepared for Year 1.

Staff have implemented a well-planned, ambitious mathematics curriculum across the school, including in the early years. Leaders ensure there is a focus on developing pupils' fluency.

Pupils have a growing knowledge of basic number facts, such as number bonds and times tables. They frequently apply their knowledge across the curriculum, for example when they draw and interpret graphs in science. However, in some subjects, the checks that teachers make on what pupils know are not timely enough.

Therefore, pupils develop gaps in their knowledge.

Staff support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well in the classroom. Staff work closely with families.

The support for pupils is reviewed regularly to check it is meeting their needs. As a result, pupils with SEND grow in confidence and experience success.

Pupils have a range of experiences beyond the classroom.

Music lies at the heart of many of these. Pupils are proud of their success in local choir competitions and talked excitedly about a forthcoming school production. These events help to improve pupils' confidence and resilience.

Girls appreciate initiatives aimed at increasing female participation in sport. Leaders promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle through daily physical activity.

Leaders develop pupils' spirituality through strong links with the local church.

This helps to promote positive behaviour throughout the school. Low-level disruption is rare. However, pupils' understanding of cultures other than their own is underdeveloped.

The curriculum does not help pupils to learn about diversity. Nonetheless, pupils show respectful and tolerant attitudes.

Staff feel proud to work at St Mabyn and share in leaders' aims and vision for the school.

They appreciate leaders' consideration for their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure there is a strong culture of safeguarding.

They review their risk assessments regularly. As a result of effective training, staff can identify pupils at risk of harm. Leaders have clear procedures to follow up on any concerns.

They work with external agencies to ensure families get the support they need. Leaders make appropriate checks on staff and visitors to the school.

Pupils know how to stay safe, including online.

Leaders use the curriculum to ensure that pupils understand important concepts such as consent.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, assessment is not as timely as it could be. Therefore, teachers do not identify and address any gaps in pupils' knowledge quickly enough.

As a result, pupils do not learn as much as they could in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that teachers make effective use of assessment to check that pupils' knowledge is secure. ? Leaders have not considered carefully enough how to improve pupils' understanding of cultural diversity.

Consequently, pupils' knowledge of cultures different to their own is not developed as well as it could be. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum helps pupils to learn about different faiths and cultures.

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 March 2017.