Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to belong to this welcoming school. They enjoy learning because teachers make activities interesting and fun. Pupils are keen to make their teachers proud.

They work hard and meet the school's high expectations and ambitions. Pupils are confident that adults will help them if they are upset or have any worries. They see the school as a place where they are happy and can express themselves confidently.

Pupils behave exceptionally well. They are polite and respectful, using their manners. They understand the expectations for their behaviour.

Playtimes are full of fun because pupils get along.

Pupils relish taking on leadership responsi...bilities, such as school council members, playleaders and prefects. All the oldest pupils are allocated a role that contributes to the life of the school.

Pupils say this helps them to develop responsibility and confidence. They learn what it means to be a positive and active citizen.

Pupils' school experience is enriched with a range of clubs, trips and visitors.

Pupils take part in clubs including nature detectives, book club and board games to develop their interests. Pupils visit London and take part in bhangra dancing and African drumming to extend their experiences of other places and cultures.

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

The school has thoughtfully developed the curriculum so that it is broad and ambitious.

It is organised so knowledge builds from the early years to Year 6. Pupils achieve well and can recall their earlier learning. The school is effective in identifying and supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

When needed, staff adapt work so pupils with SEND learn the full curriculum. They are fully integrated into the life of the school.

Teachers have good subject knowledge.

They create engaging activities for pupils. For example, Year 1 pupils make moving story books for their friends in the Reception Year and older pupils use pneumatics to make model monsters that move. In most subjects, staff check what pupils know and understand.

This enables staff to design learning activities to fully meet pupils' needs. However, in some wider curriculum subjects, the school is not checking what pupils know and can do as effectively as it could. This means that learning activities are not always as well matched as they could be to pupils' needs or gaps in their learning.

Staff are experts at teaching early reading. They make sure that books are carefully matched to the sounds that pupils are learning. This means that pupils read with developing fluency and confidence.

Adults provide regular opportunities for pupils to practise letters and sounds. If pupils fall behind, they receive the help and support they need to catch up quickly.

In the early years, knowledgeable staff choose activities to promote effective learning.

Children's play has a clear purpose, such as learning about 'above, below, up and down' when building ramps and tunnels for the cars. This supports their growing imagination and their critical thinking skills. However, children do not get consistent support to develop skills for early writing such as correct and effective pencil grip and correct letter formation.

As a result, they are not sufficiently well prepared for later writing. This is reflected in weaknesses in the quality of some older pupils' handwriting.

Behaviour is exceptionally well managed by the school.

Expectations for pupils' behaviour are very high. Pupils proudly meet these expectations. In classrooms, the environment is calm and orderly.

Right from the start of children's first days in school, they soon learn to follow the school's expectations. Across the school, pupils focus on their work. They have highly positive attitudes to learning and are excited to find out more.

The school has established a broad and effective programme for pupils' personal development that is adapted to meet pupils' needs. Pupils enjoy learning about others and the surrounding world. This helps pupils to develop tolerance and acceptance.

Pupils learn to keep themselves mentally and physically healthy and gradually learn to take measured risks. For example, during their regular trips to a woodland area where their activities get increasing more challenging.

The school is well led, and leaders and governors know the school's strengths and priorities for improvement.

However, the school has not kept a close enough check on pupil's learning in some subjects. This means that the school does not have a clear picture of pupils' achievement across the breadth of the curriculum.

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

They recognise that the school is mindful of their workload and well-being. Staff and leaders are a united team who all put the best interests of the pupils at the heart of all they do.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school does not prioritise the teaching of early writing including letter formation. This impairs the quality of pupils' writing and hinders how well pupils can express their ideas fluently. The school should refine its approach to early writing and handwriting and ensure that greater focus is given to letter formation and pencil grip.

In a small number of foundation subjects the school has not established effective ways of assessing how much pupils have learned. This means that staff do not have the information they need to adapt subsequent learning to meet pupils needs. The school should continue to develop their use of assessment so that staff can successfully ensure that learning is adapted for all pupils in all subjects.

• The school does not have a clear or incisive understanding of the effectiveness of the curriculum. This includes the achievement of some groups of pupils. The school should ensure that it has a clearer understanding of the impact of the curriculum across the breadth of subjects to inform its strategic oversight.