Torpoint Nursery and Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is an infectiously happy school. Staff have warm and positive relationships with pupils. This promotes an environment where pupils feel safe and secure.

The school has high expectations of its pupils in all areas of school life. They live up to these and learn the curriculum well. As a result, pupils are well prepared for junior school.

Pupils' behaviour is impeccable. They learn in a wonderfully calm and purposeful environment. This is because staff expect pupils to behave in a kind and respectful way.

The schools' excellent pastoral support addresses any concerns pupils have. 'Worry monsters' encourage pupils to talk about their feelings. 'Forces Frien...ds' meet regularly to support pupils whose family members are in the armed forces.

This helps pupils to feel confident and flourish in their learning.

The school gives pupils an exceptionally strong sense of their place in the world. Pupils learn about local customs and traditions.

The school's cultural days help pupils to learn about how people from different backgrounds live. It taps into some of its families' countries of origin to do this. This helps pupils to understand life beyond Cornwall.

Pupils learn new skills in an extensive range of clubs, from Spanish to taekwondo.

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

The school's determined and ambitious leadership team has fostered a united vision. The construction of the curriculum has been a team effort.

The school has considered carefully staff's workload and well-being throughout this. Consequently, staff morale is high.

The school has a well-designed curriculum.

It draws upon its locality to help provide context for pupils. For example, pupils learn about local landmarks, such as the significance of the Tamar Bridge. The school uses trips to help pupils deepen their knowledge further.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from high quality support matched closely to their learning plans. Consequently, they learn the same curriculum as their classmates.

The school has ensured there are strong links in the curriculum between the early years and older classes.

As a result, pupils' learning builds successfully on their existing knowledge. Children in the early years learn exceptionally well. They flourish and become highly independent, focused learners.

This is because staff provide activities that are well matched to children's needs.

The school provides focused professional development for staff to develop their teaching. Consequently, staff have the expertise to implement the curriculum well.

For example, teachers check what pupils can recall from previous learning. This helps to address any gaps in pupils' knowledge quickly. The school identifies pupils with SEND swiftly.

It has found that a growing number of children start school with gaps in speech and language. The school has trained staff in supporting pupils effectively to overcome these barriers.

Reading is central to the school's curriculum.

Children in the nursery recite nursery rhymes regularly. This helps them to start recognising the sounds in words. Staff teach the phonics code well.

They spot adeptly those pupils who fall behind. Staff give them the right support to help pupils catch up. Pupils develop a deep love of reading.

This is because the school promotes this wherever possible. For example, teachers share a range of carefully chosen books with pupils regularly.

The school ensures that pupils apply their phonics knowledge to their writing frequently.

However, some pupils, who find writing trickier, are sometimes not given the right level of scaffolding to help them to write well. As a result, they find some tasks too hard, and they do not progress through the writing curriculum as well as they could.

Pupils' exceptionally high standard of behaviour continues at social times.

The school provides a range of interesting activities to engage pupils. The 'friendly lunch club' provides quieter play for those pupils who require it. Consequently, lunchtimes are a joyful experience for pupils.

The school works closely with families to ensure pupils attend well.

Pupils benefit from a personal development programme of the highest standard. It is ingrained throughout school life.

Pupils contribute to the community extensively. For example, they sing at a range of events in the community. Pupils learn to think of others through raising money for charities.

They show great maturity in their leadership roles as school councillors and play leaders.

The governing body knows the school well. They check on the school's work regularly and continue to develop their expertise to support and challenge leaders.

The school's positive relationships extend to its excellent engagement with parents and carers. Families rightly appreciate the school's efforts to involve them in their child's learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils who find writing more difficult sometimes do not receive the appropriate adaptations to help them write well. When this happens, pupils struggle to write fluently and progress through the writing curriculum securely. The school should ensure that it provides pupils who need additional help in their writing with the appropriate support and adaptation to help them achieve well.