St Dennis Primary Academy

Overview

St Dennis Primary Academy is described as a “happy and welcoming environment” built on “strong relationships” where pupils have a “great sense of pride.” The report highlights a “highly ambitious” curriculum and effective leadership that prioritises pupil well-being and individual needs, resulting in high staff morale and positive parental feedback.

Strengths

• Staff “meet pupils’ individual needs well,” including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, ensuring they learn the “same broad and balanced curriculum as their peers.”
• Leaders have made reading “central to the school’s work” with a “systematic approach” that helps pupils who fall behind to “catch up quickly.”
• Pupils behave well, are “polite and courteous,” and show “great enthusiasm for learning,” including in the early years.
• The school offers a “highly effective personal development curriculum” that prepares pupils for life in modern Britain, including understanding online safety and mental health.
• Leaders prioritise “trips and experiences beyond the classroom,” such as residential visits, which “increase their knowledge of life beyond Cornwall.”

Areas to improve

• In “a few subjects,” teachers “do not build precisely enough on what pupils already know,” meaning some pupils’ knowledge is “not as strong.”
• Leaders must ensure teachers build on prior knowledge in all subjects so that “pupils know and remember more,” particularly in areas like religious education where recall is currently weak.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting a “strong safeguarding culture” where staff identify risks and work with agencies to support families.