Trinity Academy Newcastle

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Trinity Academy Newcastle provides a nurturing environment for all pupils. The school provides specialist support for pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. All pupils have an education, health and care (EHC) plan.

Relationships between adults and pupils are positive.

The curriculum in English, mathematics and science is inconsistent. Turbulence in school leadership and staff vacancies has had a negative impact on leaders' ability to monitor curriculum development and delivery.

Curriculum quality and provision vary significantly between the lower and upper school sites.

Pupils' behaviour across the school varies. Many pupils en...gage well in lessons.

They interact well with their friends and with the adults who support them. However, there is a small but significant group of pupils who struggle to meet the school's high expectations for behaviour. These pupils disrupt the learning of others and show unacceptable levels of aggression and violence towards staff.

Some parents express concern about the impact these behaviours have on their child's well-being.

The school works closely with external professionals, including the local police, to keep pupils safe. Following a tragic incident in 2022, pupils collaborated with police to set up the 'Knives Down League' to help educate the school and the local community about the dangers of carrying knives.

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

In the upper school site, teachers implement the curriculum well. Staff tailor learning activities to meet pupils' individual learning needs. This helps to engage pupils in learning.

The curriculum in the lower site is less consistent. The school has not provided staff with clarity on exactly what should be taught and when. Some staff do not use assessment well to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge.

They move learning on before pupils are ready. As a result, pupils struggle to recall and apply what they have learned.

The school prioritises the teaching of reading.

A new upper school library provides pupils with a quiet space to enjoy books. Staff help pupils to select books that match their interests or reading ability. Pupils who struggle with their reading benefit from daily phonics sessions.

Leaders have provided effective training for the staff leading these sessions. Training for other staff has been less effective. This means they do not have the knowledge they need to support pupils well in lessons.

The school supports pupils' SEMH needs well. Leaders have recently extended the nurture group provision to provide a calmer, more bespoke learning environment for a small group of pupils. In addition, the 'Sanctuary' provides trauma-informed care for pupils with more complex needs.

Pupils in the 'Sanctuary' benefit from the regular support of a psychotherapeutic counsellor and educational psychologist.

The school has reviewed the behaviour management procedures to ensure that all pupils can learn in a calm learning environment. Some pupils are finding it challenging to meet leaders' high expectations.

As a result, the number of suspensions has increased. A minority of parents express concern that the school does not meet their child's behaviour needs well. Some staff feel that the support they receive from leaders during and following serious behaviour incidents is inconsistent.

Rates of attendance are too low. Leaders use alternative provision placements effectively to help re-engage pupils in learning. The school uses a range of providers to best meet pupils' learning needs and interests.

Leaders have used the three school values of 'calm, kind and honest' when developing their personal development offer. They tailor the curriculum to meet pupils' needs, including individual lessons on relationships and sex education in key stage 3. The careers education offer is a strength of the school.

Leaders have designed a range of opportunities to help pupils develop communication and employability skills. Activities to develop life skills, such as managing budgets, are included in the offer. A range of visits, speakers and work experience opportunities enhance the careers programme.

Trust leaders do not have the detailed information they need to hold leaders to account for the quality of education in the school. Leaders have not monitored the quality of the curriculum sufficiently well. Most staff feel proud to work in the school.

However, recent staffing issues have impacted negatively on staff workload. Teachers, including those in the early stages of their career, have not received the time they need for the planning and preparation of lessons.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum for English, mathematics and science across the school is inconsistent. Leaders have not provided teachers with the detail of what should be taught and when. This means that, in some lessons, learning activities do not help pupils to gain the most important subject knowledge.

Leaders should ensure that they identify the small steps of learning for each year group, including the sequence in which these should be taught, and share this information with teachers swiftly. ? The school has not monitored the implementation of the curriculum in the lower school effectively. It has not provided staff with the support and training they need to implement all areas of the curriculum well.

The school should ensure that it monitors the effectiveness of the curriculum regularly, ensuring that it identifies and addresses any ongoing development needs. ? Some teachers do not use assessment effectively to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge. As a result, they move learning on before pupils are ready.

This means that some pupils struggle to retain and recall important subject knowledge. The school should ensure there is a consistent approach to assessment across the school and that this assessment information helps to inform pupils' future learning. ? Staff are subject to regular physical and verbal abuse from pupils.

Some staff feel that the support leaders provide during and after these incidents is inconsistent. This impacts on staff well-being. Leaders should continue to address these extreme behaviours and must ensure that there are comprehensive support systems in place that are consistently applied following all incidents of physical and verbal aggression.

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