Holy Trinity CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming and friendly school, where pupils are exceptionally supportive of each other, caring and kind. The school teaches pupils extensively about the importance of community through shared 'growing together' values and initiatives, such as a monthly collection for a local food bank.

Pupils take up responsibilities widely. For example, reading ambassadors in Year 6 read with younger pupils. Junior leadership team members helped to write the school's 'equality charter'.

The school has high expectations for all pupils, who achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children in the early years develop a good found...ation for later learning. Older pupils build exceptionally well on their starting points.

Behaviour is excellent. Pupils are courteous and polite. They are tolerant and sympathetic to each other's needs.

This contributes to a harmonious school community.

Pupils' wider experiences at school are of exceptional quality. Musical opportunities such as choir, orchestra, instrumental lessons and school productions enable pupils to develop their talents, including by performing at notable venues.

Sporting experiences are broad and include pupils at all stages of sporting aptitude. Educational visits develop pupils' confidence and enrich their experience, such as a stay in France for pupils in Year 6 where they speak the French language and experience local culture.

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

The curriculum is well devised with careful thought about the ambitious end points pupils should reach in order to be well prepared for their next steps.

For example, from Year 4 onwards, all pupils study music technology extensively to help them understand the music industry and prepare them to study the subject at secondary school.

Pupils produce high-quality, accurate work. They draw on detailed knowledge across the curriculum, applying what they have previously been taught to understand increasingly complex and ambitious concepts.

The carefully sequenced knowledge within the school's curriculum supports them well to do this. For example, in history pupils in Year 2 learn about the beginnings of the British Empire under Elizabeth 1, then consider what made the Roman, British and Nubian Empires powerful, before going on to consider in Year 6 how Britain relied on the people, land and resources of its empire for support during the World Wars.

Training, support and close monitoring by leaders has a strong influence on the expertise of staff.

Staff know the aims of the curriculum well. Teaching focuses precisely on small steps in learning. Information is presented clearly and teachers and leaders check that pupils have understood it well.

This includes for pupils with SEND, who develop a secure understanding of the subjects they study, preparing them well for the next stage in their education.

In the early years, adults support children especially well to develop a secure foundation in mathematics, literacy and communication and language. However, in a few other areas of the early years curriculum, content is not broken down in the same careful detail as it is in others.

As a result, staff are not sufficiently clear about what to focus upon in their interactions with children in the provision and how to help them to get the most out of the activities they have access to, nor to ensure that all children have developed the essential knowledge they need to be prepared for future learning.

Reading is prioritised throughout the school. Library visits, author workshops and book weeks help to promote the value of reading.

The school provides a diet of classical and contemporary fiction, poetry and non-fiction texts. Teachers, volunteers and pupil reading ambassadors provide many opportunities for pupils to read. Pupils at the early stages of reading develop secure phonic knowledge.

The curriculum has been carefully planned and leaders check how well children have learned it, identifying gaps in their knowledge and tailoring teaching to address those gaps swiftly and effectively. Pupils receive timely additional support where needed.

Pupils listen attentively and work hard.

Staff take thoughtful approaches to supporting the individual needs of pupils who find it more difficult than others to meet the school's high expectations. Attendance rates are high. The school works intelligently to support families when attendance rates are low and encourages them to ensure that their children attend regularly.

Pupils are taught extensively about respect and treating everyone equally and fairly and with kindness. The school helps pupils to recognise healthy relationships, resolve differences with others and to spot risks in relationships and online.

Leaders, including the governing body, have strong expertise.

Their keen focus on improvement has brought about substantial redevelopment of the curriculum and initiatives to improve workload for staff.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes, some of the knowledge that children in early years need to know is not explicitly identified.

As a result, children miss opportunities to secure fully their understanding of some concepts in readiness for their learning at the start of Year 1. Leaders should ensure that the early years curriculum builds sequentially in all areas. This will ensure that children are developing the necessary language and knowledge to prepare them consistently well for their future learning.

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