Holy Trinity CofE Secondary School, Crawley

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This highly inclusive school has a strong sense of community. One member of staff described it as a 'culture of fellowship'.

Pupils like and trust their teachers. They know their teachers expect the best from them. Relationships are very positive because staff take the time to get to know their pupils well.

Pupils feel safe and cared for.

Staff and pupils recognise the recent improvement in pupils' behaviour overall. This is helping pupils to learn more effectively.

Pupils appreciate the clear behaviour rules and the rewards they receive for their efforts. In lessons, most pupils behave well. At breaktimes, pupils are respectful of each other and hap...pily chat together.

If bullying happens, most pupils are confident that it will be dealt with effectively by the staff, including the pastoral team.

The school offers a wide range of activities to develop pupils' talents and interests. Pupils enjoy sports and arts clubs as well as some more unusual ones such as game board club and croquet club.

Pupils greatly enjoy the 'cultural capital' days when the school organises visits and activities to help them experience the world around them. Sixth-form students are strong role models. They enjoy organising events and helping younger pupils with their reading.

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

Leaders recognise that pupils have not always achieved as well as they should in the past. Previous difficulties in recruiting staff had been of concern. However, more high-quality staff have now been appointed.

In addition, teachers are also benefiting from a comprehensive training programme which is further developing their teaching skills and knowledge. The school is working hard to improve progress across all subjects. As a result, current pupils are achieving well.

The curriculum in key stage 3 provides pupils with a strong foundation for later study. In key stage 4 and in the sixth form, pupils have a wide range of options to choose from. The sixth-form curriculum is well matched to students' aspirations and ambitions.

Pupils with special educational needs/and or disabilities (SEND) follow the same curriculum as their peers. The school recognises that more pupils would benefit from studying an even more ambitious curriculum, such as represented by the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). Numbers studying modern languages are increasing, and leaders are ensuring that pupils are aware of the benefits of taking languages.

In many lessons, the teaching reflects the careful curriculum plans that outline what pupils will learn and in what order. Teachers are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their subjects. They present information clearly and logically and revisit topics to ensure pupils learn more and remember more.

Many teachers use questioning well to test pupils' understanding of new content. Action is currently being taken to ensure the curriculum is securely and consistently embedded across every subject.The school identifies where pupils with SEND need extra support.

Pupils who are more disadvantaged are actively encouraged and supported to achieve well. Many teachers are becoming skilled at adapting the curriculum for those with particular needs. Some pupils with SEND receive additional bespoke support that helps them learn and achieve.

A range of strategies have recently been introduced to develop pupils' reading skills. Some have only been in place a few months, and leaders have not yet evaluated how well they are working. The weakest readers receive help from specialist staff.

Consequently, these pupils are starting to become fluent and confident readers.

The school works hard to provide support for pupils who do not come to school regularly. This is paying dividends.

Likewise, leaders' work to improve behaviour has resulted in far fewer suspensions this year. The school is generally a calm and orderly place for pupils to learn. Pupils are courteous and polite.

The personal development of pupils is strong. The school has designed a carefully considered programme from Year 7 to 13 that teaches pupils how to stay safe and look after their health and well-being. Pupils have a range of opportunities to develop their leadership skills, such as school council representatives, ambassadors and chaplaincy assistants.

High-quality careers advice and guidance prepare pupils well for their next steps. Most sixth-form students gain places at their chosen university or on apprenticeship courses, with some going on to prestigious universities.

Leaders and governors are committed to making the school the best it can be.

They talk with enthusiasm and pride about the school. They are focusing on the right things to move the school forward. However, as yet, they do not always evaluate the impact of their actions with sufficient rigour.

Staff enjoy working at the school because of the sense of shared moral purpose to improve pupils' life chances. They appreciate the consideration leaders give to their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Too few pupils in key stage 4 choose to study a modern foreign language. This means that the proportion of pupils gaining the EBacc is below the government ambition. Leaders should continue their efforts to increase the uptake of languages to support pupils in studying an ambitious curriculum.

• The quality of education is not yet securely and consistently embedded across all subjects. This means that pupils' achievement is not as high as it should be. The school should ensure that teachers consistently apply their training and development to help pupils achieve well.

• The school does not consistently check the impact of actions to improve key aspects of the school, such as reading. Consequently, many strategies are not always improving pupils' achievement as intended. The school should further consider the impact of its work in strengthening how well pupils learn and achieve.