Bacup Holy Trinity Stacksteads Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Holy Trinity enjoy school. They are happy to attend each day.

Pupils especially appreciate the exciting ways in which teachers capture their curiosity through the topics that they study. This ensures that pupils are enthusiastic about their learning.

Pupils generally respond well to the high expectations that are set for their achievement.

In the main, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), remember the key learning that is set out in the school's curriculum in most subjects.

Pupils behave well in school, especially at breaktimes. They are respectful of one another and they maintain strong friends...hips with each other.

Older pupils help to keep an orderly and calm environment in the school through their role as corridor monitors. Other leadership roles, such as being a well-being ambassador, also have a positive effect on pupils' confidence and self-esteem.

Pupils experience a number of trips and events that enhance their learning of the curriculum.

They also have a range of diverse after-school activities available to them, such as pom-pom making, basketball and history clubs. Pupils are proud to represent the school at a wide variety of sports competitions. Their recent sporting success has helped them to understand the need for fair play as well as developing their teamwork skills.

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

The school has set out a clear curriculum in most subjects to ensure that pupils build their understanding incrementally over time. Teachers follow these subject curriculums well. Staff use the key learning that is set out for each subject to check on pupils' understanding to help to reinforce this knowledge.

For example, in the early years, staff use their observations of children's learning to help to deepen children's understanding.

In most subjects, pupils remember their learning and achieve well. However, in a small number of subjects in key stages 1 and 2, the curriculum is not clear about some of the important concepts that the school wants pupils to know.

This means that teachers are unsure about some of the key knowledge that needs to be taught to help pupils connect different aspects of their learning together. As a result, some develop gaps in their understanding. This makes it difficult for them to explain some of their learning.

The school has clear systems in place to identify any pupils with SEND as early as possible. Staff receive suitable training to help them to cater for pupils' individual needs. As a result, these pupils receive the help that they need to achieve well in most subjects.

In reading, the school has ensured that staff follow the phonics programme effectively. Teachers make sure that pupils read books that match their phonics knowledge. In the Nursery Year, staff help to develop children's spoken language skills and children's love of books by talking about stories and children's interests.

This helps to prepare them for the sounds that they will learn in the Reception Year. In key stage 1, the majority of pupils become fluent and confident readers. They move steadily through the phonics programme to achieve success as readers and writers.

However, the arrangement to help some pupils to catch up with the intended learning is not as successful as it should be. As a result, some pupils, including some pupils with SEND, do not have the phonics knowledge that they need to read as fluently as they should.

Pupils behave well in lessons and cooperate effectively with each other when learning together.

For example, in the early years, children encourage each other to offer their opinions when discussing their work. Across the school, disruption to learning rarely happens, but when it does, the school tackles this quickly and decisively.

The school has clear systems in place to check on pupils' attendance.

This is treated as a priority. The school works well with parents and carers to help them to understand the importance of pupils attending school regularly. As a result, fewer pupils are persistently absent from school.

The school provides a range of opportunities for pupils' personal development. For example, the school's work on mental health has empowered pupils to deal with difficult situations, such as friendship issues. The recent focus on different faiths has ensured that pupils have a clear knowledge of the similarities and differences of the beliefs of others.

Pupils enjoy the link that the school has with another local school, which helps to develop pupils' social skills as well as their understanding of different religious festivals, such as Eid. Pupils understand the principles of equality and fundamental British Values. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Staff feel well supported by the school. They are given time to carry out their leadership roles and additional tasks. Staff feel that these welcome initiatives have helped to ease their workload.

Governors have a good understanding of the school overall. However, they do not have enough insight into the impact of the school's actions to improve the curriculum. This is because the school's proposed actions to develop the curriculum further lack clarity about what it is hoping to achieve.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority) ? The arrangements to support some pupils to catch up with the intended phonics curriculum are not effective enough. This means that some pupils do not overcome gaps in their phonics knowledge.

This hinders their reading fluency. The school should ensure that the support that pupils receive enables them to keep pace with the phonics programme. ? In a small number of subjects, the school has not set out the key knowledge that they want pupils to acquire.

This means that teachers are not clear on some of the important concepts that pupils need to remember. As a result, pupils do not gain some of the essential knowledge that they need for their future learning. The school should ensure that they are more specific about what they want pupils to know to deepen their understanding.

• The school is not clear about what it wants to achieve when it proposes actions to further improve the curriculum. As a result, governors do not have the information that they need to question the impact of the school's actions. The school should set its aims for developing the curriculum more clearly so that governors can measure how well the school achieves its goals.