Holy Trinity School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the family feel of this all-through school. They say that teachers know them well and that this helps to make them feel safe. Pupils work hard in their lessons to make sure that they meet teachers' high expectations of them.

They enjoy coming to school and their attendance is good. Pupils appreciate the range of subjects they can choose for GCSEs and in the sixth form.

Across the school, pupils behave well in lessons and during social times.

Generally, any bullying that happens is dealt with well. Pupils in the primary phase play well together. Children in the early years have well-established routines.

They are confident and get on well... with their peers.

Leaders make sure that pupils benefit from a wide range of trips and visits to support their learning. Children in early years take part in walks in the local environment to help them understand the world around them.

Older pupils take part in trips to support their learning. For example, in Year 5, pupils who are learning about the Civil War visit the Commandery museum in Worcester. Older pupils take part in the extensive range of clubs that are available to them.

These include swimming, sports, music, drama, and Korean club.

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

Leaders are ambitious for pupils and want them to do well. Pupils in all years learn a broad range of subjects.

However, pupils in key stage 3 study music and design technology on a carousel for half a term each year, and this limits their subject knowledge. Leaders have worked hard to develop a carefully sequenced curriculum, and this is having a positive impact on pupils' learning. In a few subjects, however, planning is not as advanced and pupils are not always sure about what is the important information that they need to know and remember.

Children in the early years get off to a strong start. Leaders have designed the early years curriculum so that children can develop a secure foundation for their next stage of school. Children are confident and enthusiastic about what they are learning.

However, leaders have not made sure that the curriculum consistently builds on this strong starting point in all subjects in key stages 1 to 3. This limits pupils' ability to make the most of what they have already learned. In the sixth form, students benefit from a well-thought-out curriculum.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge and students build on prior learning effectively. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities throughout the school are identified quickly and supported effectively by teachers.

Leaders are determined that all pupils are able to read fluently by the time they join Year 3.

In early years, children can recognise letters and have started to blend sounds effectively. Teachers spot children who are finding it hard to learn to read, and support them to keep up with their peers through targeted teaching of letters in other sessions throughout the day. Leaders have introduced a new scheme to teach pupils to read.

Teachers have not yet completed the training in the new scheme and this limits the effectiveness of the programme. Pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 who are finding it difficult to read have not received sufficient support to make progress in their reading.

Pupils behave with respect towards each other and towards adults in lessons.

They behave well in unstructured time. Some pupils in Year 8 and Year 9 say that when bullying happened last year, it was not dealt with effectively. Leaders identified when these issues happened and introduced effective strategies to prevent them.

Pupils agree that these strategies have been successful. However, there is a minority of parents who do not feel that leaders address their concerns. Leaders have not always communicated well with stakeholders about the actions they have taken to address issues that have been raised with them.

Leaders have prioritised pupils' personal development. They identified pupils' well-being and social interactions as a concern after the COVID -19 pandemic. In response, leaders have put in place a school mental health practitioner, a school counsellor, and an expanded pastoral team to support pupils' well-being.

Students in the sixth form take on leadership roles. They take part in paired reading schemes, mentor younger pupils and are proud of their role in the school. Pupils are elected to be members of the 'student action group'.

They discuss with school leaders the changes they would like in the school.

Leaders have identified appropriately the areas that they want to improve. However, they do not always monitor and evaluate these improvements consistently well enough, so they do not know quickly enough it their actions have the impact they intend.

Governors know the school well. They are clear about their role and provide challenge and support to leaders.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding leaders are knowledgeable about their pupils and the risks that they may face. They work hard to ensure that pupils who need help receive it, and have put in place additional support in school to make sure that pupils and their families can get assistance for their concerns. Staff are well trained and know how to spot potential harms.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe online and understand how to make the right choices in school and in the community. Leaders are vigilant when recruiting staff and they complete all pre-recruitment checks.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some teachers have not been trained to teach the new phonics scheme, and the resources are not fully in place.

This means that pupils are not receiving the teaching they need to learn to read fluently. Leaders should make sure that all staff in the primary phase develop sufficient subject knowledge to teach all pupils to read fluently, and that all pupils have access to the reading resources they need to practise their reading. ? The curriculum does not build consistently well from early years and across all key stages.

This means that pupils are not always able to make important links with what they have learned before. Leaders should make sure that the curriculum is well sequenced in all subjects and across all key stages so that pupils can build on their prior knowledge. ? A small number of pupils and parents do not think that their opinions are being heard.

This means that they are not always confident that leaders have acted on their concerns. Leaders should take steps to ensure that all pupils' and parents' views are listened to and that stakeholders receive information about what actions leaders have taken as a result. ? Leaders do not make sure that their actions are systematically monitored and evaluated.

This means that they do not always identify what is working and what is not. This slows down improvements that they might make in their work. Leaders should implement a systematic approach of monitoring and evaluation to all areas of their work so that they can take the right actions, in the right order, at the right time.

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