Holy Trinity CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a very happy school community, which pupils and adults describe as a family.

Pupils' behaviour and attitudes are exemplary. They are respectful of all and enjoy learning about each other's cultures. Pupils said that everyone is welcomed with open arms.

The pupil behaviour and safety ambassadors keep a lookout for what is happening around the school. They share ideas for improvement with school leaders and contribute to ensuring that behaviours are consistently excellent.

The school has high aspirations for all.

Children leave the early years well equipped with the knowledge that they need for entry into Year 1. Last year's Year 6 cohort made ...significantly above-national-average progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The school has a large proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Many have education, health and care plans. The school creates a suitable bespoke curriculum for those with very high needs. There is no diminution of ambition.

All pupils are thus supported equally well to gain new knowledge and social skills.

The school seeks and acts on pupils' views. Pupils can join the school council and six other ambassador groups to represent their peers' views on a wide range of school matters.

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

New school leaders have worked effectively to review and identify a range of aspects that they wanted to strengthen. They have achieved a great deal in further developing the school's curriculum thinking and implementation. While pupils achieve well overall, some of the steps being taken to realise the school's vision for the curriculum are still a work in progress.

The processes for identifying, assessing, planning and reviewing provision for pupils with SEND are well established. This includes working effectively with parents and carers as well as a wide range of external agencies to support pupils' needs.

The school places the teaching of reading at the top of its agenda.

Staff have been trained well to teach the school's chosen phonics programme. They use their expertise to ensure that from the start of early years, children develop their reading skills effectively. Pupils, including those with SEND, who need extra help are quickly identified and supported.

Staff promote a love of reading and books in several ways. Examples of this include visits from authors and book illustrators as well as `Play in a Day' workshops, which teach each class to act out a part of a book. These workshops culminate in pupils bringing it all together in a presentation at the end of the day.

Pupils become keen, confident and fluent readers.

Across many subjects, curriculum thinking is secure and well embedded. This leads to pupils' strong achievement in those subjects.

This is because of ongoing quality professional development opportunities for subject leaders and teachers which means that they have the knowledge to teach the curriculum well. The school has considered carefully what pupils need to know and when. Teachers keep a close eye on pupils' knowledge and understanding.

They use these assessments to address knowledge gaps and misconceptions. Teaching and support staff adapt their resourcing and teaching approaches to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. These strengths are also true of the early years provision.

However, the high-quality approaches to teaching the curriculum in the indoor early years classrooms are not replicated in the outdoor provision. The school has correctly identified the improvement of the outdoor provision as a priority next step so that children can achieve their very best across all areas of learning.

There remain a few wider curriculum subjects that are at an early stage of the school's improvement work.

This is mainly down to subject leadership and teaching not currently having the same level of secure subject-specific knowledge and teaching expertise as that found in the well-established curriculum subjects. This means that pupils, including those with SEND, do not currently achieve as well as they could in those subjects.

In early years, children are inquisitive.

They engage in activities, together with their classmates, in a very purposeful manner. On instruction, near the end of the day, they collaborate in tidying up and putting equipment away in no time. They then quickly sit on the carpet, eager for story time to begin.

Pupils work hard in lessons and are very keen to succeed. Pupils and staff have highly respectful working relationships. This allows teaching and learning to proceed largely uninterrupted.

Pupils take on initiatives such as ensuring that no one is ever left lonely in the playground. For example, some older pupils give up their `golden time' to do art-based activities with younger pupils with SEND. The school works diligently with parents and external agencies to address any low attendance.

The school provides pupils with strong pastoral support. Much work is done to sustain pupils' mental health and well-being. Pupils have access to a multitude of sports-related activities, before, during and after school.

Clubs on offer range from teddy tennis for children in the early years to drama and ukulele. Pupils are taught about how to form healthy relationships and how to keep themselves safe online. They are also taught about the major religions practised in the UK.

Educational visits enrich the curriculum and pupils' cultural capital. Residential trips teach them teamwork. Pupils also have opportunities to take part in activities with other pupils beyond the school, such as in dance and music festivals.

Staff who responded to the Ofsted survey and those who spoke with inspectors unanimously agreed that they enjoy working at this school. They said that school leaders are considerate of their welfare. They also welcome their social get-togethers as a team.

With this level of morale, they are well motivated to teach their best.

The governing body keeps a very close watch on all aspects of the school's work. It provides high levels of support and challenge to school leaders.

It has a clear vision and plays a key role in supporting the drive for continuous improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects in the wider curriculum, curriculum development work has commenced but not fully realised the school's vision for pupils' learning.

This means that in those subjects, pupils, including those with SEND, do not routinely achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that subject leadership and staff gain the subject-specific expertise and teaching skills to teach all subjects securely. The school should also ensure that teaching assesses pupils' knowledge to identify and address gaps, including making adaptations to learning and resources to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

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