Holy Trinity CofE Dobcross Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Holy Trinity CofE Dobcross Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enter the school with excitement and enthusiasm. They are all made to feel a part of the 'Holy Trinity family'. As one pupil explained, 'it doesn't matter what gender, colour or religion you are, everybody is welcome'.

Parents and carers appreciate the community spirit that leaders have instilled.

Pupils achieve well. Leaders have high expectations of pupils' behaviour and achievement.

Pupils' conduct is polite and respectful. At breaktimes they play happily with their friends. Pupils concentrate and work hard in the classroom.

They are p...roud to be rewarded in the good effort assembly for meeting leaders' high expectations.

Pupils said that name-calling and bullying are very rare. Teachers deal with any incidents immediately.

Pupils enjoy positive relationships with the staff of the school. They know that they can talk to their teachers if they have any worries. As a result, pupils said that they feel safe.

Pupils benefit from a wide range of school visits and visitors. Leaders provide pupils with a large selection of extra-curricular clubs. This includes the opportunity to learn to play different musical instruments.

Pupils in the well-attended choir club are excited about their forthcoming production. Pupils take their responsibilities seriously. Young leaders enjoy helping to support the younger pupils in the school, while house captains motivate their peers with speeches at sporting events.

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

Leaders have ensured that pupils receive a broad and rich curriculum. It is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Subject leaders have taken the time to review and further enhance the coverage of their curriculum area.

The content that pupils need to learn is made clear. Subject leaders have ensured that this content is ordered so that pupils build on their prior knowledge. For example, in a Spanish lesson Year 2 pupils were able to use their previous knowledge in the subject to correctly work out and pronounce the names of different family members.

Subject leaders know the importance of ensuring their area of learning begins in the early years. They have ensured that children are well prepared when they enter Year 1.Although teachers check on what pupils know and remember, in some subjects these checks are less developed than they need to be.

This results in pupils' next steps in learning not always being built on secure knowledge and skills.

Leaders have ensured a continued focus on reading. Teachers regularly read a wide range of high-quality books to pupils.

Older pupils said that hearing stories brings the books to life. Leaders have recently introduced a new phonics programme for younger pupils. Staff have received training that enables them to deliver the content successfully.

This helps pupils to quickly build their phonics knowledge. Leaders' regular checks ensure that any pupils who fall behind receive support to help them to catch up. Children in the Nursery class develop their early language with sounds, songs and books.

They are well prepared for the phonics curriculum in the Reception class. However, the books that pupils read are not always closely matched to the sounds that they are learning in class. This slows down the rate at which pupils' reading fluency develops.

Staff are skilled in supporting pupils with SEND. Leaders have trained staff to identify any pupils with SEND as early as possible. Appropriate support is put in place quickly.

Leaders work well with outside agencies to provide specialist support where required. These actions help pupils with SEND to achieve well.

Children in the Nursery class listen attentively to their teacher.

They work hard. These positive learning behaviours are displayed throughout school. Low-level disruption is not accepted.

This allows pupils to learn, free from interruption.

Pupils have a deep understanding of other faiths and cultures. They can explain the differences in religions, and talk about the various places of worship that they have visited.

Pupils promote the importance of tolerance and equality. They know that not all families are the same. Pupils, in their role as eco-councillors, understand the importance of sustainability and of looking after the world in which they live.

Governors are kept well informed about school improvement activities. They support and challenge leaders to keep pupils safe and receive an effective education. Staff are appreciative of leaders' and governors' efforts to improve their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that pupils understand how to stay safe online and in the outside world. Pupils know the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Leaders provide all staff with regularly updated safeguarding training. This enables staff to know what signs might indicate that pupils could be at risk of harm. Staff report any concerns, no matter how small, quickly.

These actions help to keep pupils safe. Leaders work effectively with a range of outside agencies so that any vulnerable pupils and their families are supported.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The books that pupils read are not always closely matched to the sounds that they are learning.

This leads to some pupils struggling to read many of the words in their chosen book. As a result, the rate of fluency with which pupils are able to read slows. Leaders should ensure that closer checks are made, so that books more closely match the sounds that pupils know.

This will enable pupils to better develop their reading fluency. ? In some wider curriculum subjects, pupils cannot recall some of their previous learning. This is because teachers' checks, and subsequent opportunities for recapping this learning, are less well developed than they are in other subjects.

Leaders should refine the strategies to assess learning in these subjects so that teachers' checks can more accurately ascertain what pupils know and remember. Teachers will then be better informed about the future content to be taught to pupils and, in turn, be better equipped to build on pupils' previous learning.Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2012.

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