Pupils enjoy attending school. The school’s values underpin the strong community ethos that runs through the school. Pupils celebrate the achievements of others as if their own. They get on well with one another and behave well in and around school. Bullying is rare. Pupils feel safe in school. They know staff want the best for them. Staff lead extra-curricular clubs, which pupils enjoy attending. The head of school and other leaders are a close team and want the best for pupils. Pupils get off to a flying start when learning to read. Pupils develop the skills and knowledge they need in physical education (PE). They know that being active has a positive impact on their physical health. In art and design and mathematics, pupils do not achieve as well. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) particularly struggle in mathematics. Senior leaders have been slow to improve the curriculum. Pupils learn about different religions, recognising why it is important to do so. They appreciate that people come from different backgrounds and cultures and have different beliefs. One pupil, whose opinion reflected the view of many, said, ‘We treat everyone equally as everyone is unique.’ What does the school do well and what does it need to do better? Pupils, parents and staff are overwhelmingly positive about the school. Pupils play a vital role in the school community. They value the help that staff provide. The weekly celebration assembly is an opportunity for the school to come together and celebrate each other’s successes. Pupils benefit from a range of extra-curricular clubs. Pupils enjoy these and all attend at least one of them. Parents are positive about the efforts that staff at the school made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pupils know how to keep safe online. They know the steps they should take if someone unfamiliar tries to contact them. Pupils also learn about relationships and families. They identify that love, respect and trust are important. Phonics is a strength of the school. Staff teach children to read as soon as they start the Reception Year. Leaders have made sure that a consistent phonics programme is taught by highly-trained staff. They adapt the reading curriculum to match pupils’ needs well, including for those who need to keep up. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know. This helps pupils develop their reading fluency well. Pupils have positive attitudes towards reading; they particularly enjoy listening to class stories. In subjects such as PE and history, the curriculum supports pupils’ progress well. Curriculum plans build on what pupils already know and teachers bring curriculum plans to life well. In PE, teachers have benefited from high-quality training to help them achieve this. The art and design curriculum is sequenced less well. Pupils have plenty of opportunities to create different types of artwork and to consider different Inspection report: St Tudy CofE Primary School 13 and 14 October 2021 2 artists. However, lessons do not form a cohesive sequence which builds on what pupils already know, can do and understand. In mathematics, the curriculum approach does not fit the school’s mixed-aged class structure well. Staff have known this for some time and have tried lots of ways to make the curriculum work well. Pupils who have gaps in their mathematical knowledge continue to struggle, particularly pupils with SEND. The head of school and her team know the school well. Nevertheless, alongside the leaders of the trust, their efforts to improve the curriculum have not been successful in some areas. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), who works across a range of schools in the trust, is spread too thin. Leaders have not communicated clearly their vision for teaching mathematics. This has led to confusion and a curriculum which does not reflect the school’s mixed-aged setting well enough. Academic targets for some pupils with SEND are too broad. Teachers create pupils’ targets each half term. However, leaders have not checked to ensure these targets are matched precisely to pupils’ needs. The school monitoring council provides challenge and support to senior leaders. Members of this council want the best for pupils and staff. Nevertheless, the monitoring council does not communicate clearly with the trust board. Members of the trust board do not have the complete picture about what is and is not working at the school, according to the monitoring council.