Trinity Church of England Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 19–20 January 2012 Inspection number 380614 Trinity C of E Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 123173 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 380614 Inspection dates 19–20 January 2012 Lead inspector Paul Edwards

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 334 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jo Edmondson Headteacher Roger Grant Date of previous school inspection 11 September, 2006 School address Vicarage Road Henley-on-Thames RG9 1HJ Telephone number 01491 575887 Fax number 01491 575887 Email address office.3254@trinity.oxon.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors observed 12 teachers, visiting 15 lessons. Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders, teaching staff, members of the governing body and groups of pupils. Meetings were not held with parents and carers. Inspectors took account of the responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at the governing body minutes, the systems for assessing and monitoring pupils’ progress, safeguarding procedures, pupils’ work, and teachers’ planning and marking. Inspectors took account of questionnaires completed by 148 parents and carers and those completed by pupils and staff.

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Information about the school

Trinity is a larger-than-average primary school. Most pupils are of White British heritage and none is at an early stage of speaking English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below the national average. The percentage of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs is below that seen nationally. The school has Healthy Schools status.

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Information about the school

The number on roll has increased significantly since the previous inspection, following a temporary increase in admission numbers for two years to take account of demographic changes. A breakfast club, managed by the governing body, operates on the school site each morning during term time.

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Information about the school

The school meets the government’s current floor targets for academic performance. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 Trinity is a good school where pupils achieve well. Its inclusive ethos encourages all pupils, whatever their backgrounds, to work well together and to enjoy school. Pupils feel extremely safe in school and almost all parents and carers responding to the questionnaire acknowledged that their children were looked after extremely well.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children make consistently good progress. A good range of well-planned activities enables them to settle quickly to work. There is a good emphasis on developing their personal and social skills which stand them in good stead as they move through the school.  Overall, good progress throughout Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 ensures pupils’ attainment is significantly above average by the end of Year 6 in the key areas of reading, writing and mathematics.  Teaching is mainly good and there are strengths in all year groups. Occasionally, teachers do not pitch the work sufficiently accurately at the

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Key findings

correct level or enable pupils to move on to more challenging work soon enough in lessons and to find things out for themselves. The school has a very clear policy for the marking of pupils’ work but teachers do not apply it consistently to enable pupils to understand what they need to do to improve their work.  Most parents and carers responding to the parent questionnaire feel that behaviour around the school is good and that lessons are not disrupted. Inspectors found that pupils behaved exceptionally well both in and out of lessons. This makes a significant contribution to pupils’ outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. As a result of improved monitoring, attendance has improved and is now above average.  School leaders have been effective in maintaining pupils’ good levels of achievement and monitoring of teaching and learning is rigorous. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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Key findings

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching so that more is outstanding by:  ensuring a greater consistency in written feedback to pupils when marking their work so that they have a clearer understanding of what they need to do to make their work better  making better use of the information that shows what pupils understand, know and can do when planning work, so that it is consistently pitched at the correct level for all groups of pupils  encouraging pupils, particularly the more able, to move on to more challenging activities sooner within lessons  providing more opportunities for pupils to find things out for themselves so that they develop the skills of working independently.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter the school with skills and abilities that are in line with those expected for their age. Children’s confidence develops throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage as a result of teachers providing a good range of activities for them to choose. Strategies for the teaching of reading, writing and numeracy skills provide the children with a secure foundation in these basic skills. Pupils are avid readers and the good progress they make throughout the school ensures that by the end of both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, their attainment in reading is above that seen nationally.

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Achievement of pupils

Observations of lessons and an analysis of pupils’ work show their writing and mathematical skills develop well, confirming results from national tests, which have been consistently above average over the past five years. Most parents and carers feel their children are making good progress and this is confirmed by inspectors’ judgements. There is no discernible difference in the rates of progress between boys and girls seen in lessons and the gap between boys’ attainment and that of girls in both English and mathematics is narrowing. Lessons and work analysis show that activities are becoming more stimulating for boys through linking them to areas that are of more interest to them. This was typified in a good Year 5/6 lesson where pupils’ understanding of persuasive language was enhanced well through an activity which built on homework encouraging pupils to consider a product for promotion and advertising. The increasing range of opportunities for pupils to utilise literacy and

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Achievement of pupils

numeracy skills in other subjects is improving their confidence. Although handwriting skills are taught regularly and systematically, they do not always transfer to pupils’ other writing.

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Achievement of pupils

Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress, the result of effective identification of their needs and well-targeted support. Staff know what inhibits their learning and pupils know there is additional guidance and support that enables them to take a full part in all areas of learning. More-able pupils are Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Achievement of pupils

provided with challenging work so that most make good progress and achieve well. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher Level 5 in national tests is above that seen nationally and work seen in lessons shows that this is the case throughout the school. The computer suite is used regularly to support learning but the school is rightly considering alternative strategies to enable pupils to have easier access to computers for research when appropriate in lessons.

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Quality of teaching

Almost all parents and carers responding to the parent questionnaire express their satisfaction with the quality of teachers, and inspectors agree with their views. A key feature of the good teaching is the incisive questioning that encourages pupils to respond at length and thus develop their speaking skills. The many good opportunities for pupils to discuss work with partners or in small groups promote their confidence and understanding well. There is good pace to most lessons and time is not wasted, as was seen in a good Year 3/4 lesson where the teacher moved pupils quickly on to the main activity of planning their version of a traditional story. Consequently, pupils remained enthused by the work. Throughout the school, teachers plan work for pupils of differing abilities and consequently pupils learn well. Very occasionally, however, although this planning is undertaken, work is not always sufficiently well matched to what pupils, particularly the more able, know and can

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Quality of teaching

do. These pupils are also required to undertake work that is too easy and they do not move on to more challenging work soon enough in lessons.

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Quality of teaching

Most teachers mark pupils’ written work regularly and systematically, and provide clear advice as to how well pupils are achieving, what they are doing well and what needs to be done to improve. This is particularly so in writing where the quality of marking has a good impact. However, the marking is not consistent in all classes and consequently some pupils do not receive the advice to enable them to make more rapid progress.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers have high expectations of behaviour and pupils respond well. Underpinned by the planned curriculum, lessons provide excellent opportunities for the pupils to encompass the school’s ‘core values’, including respect for people from other backgrounds. Visitors from many different faiths, and visits to different places of worship, have provided pupils with an outstanding awareness of different cultures. Music plays a significant part in the pupils’ lives and contributes significantly to their ability to work cooperatively. There is a constant stream of pupils attending instrumental tuition and a large number attend the choir before school. An excellent range of visits, visitors and out-of-school activities contribute very effectively to pupils’ learning.

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Quality of teaching

Learning support assistants make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning, particularly of those with special educational needs or a learning disability. Those who have been trained support pupils effectively in the teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) and the school rightly acknowledges that the training of other assistants would benefit pupils. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Behaviour is outstanding because pupils’ enthusiasm for learning is stimulated well through the many interesting activities they undertake. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the theme weeks, learning French and the residential visit to the Isle of Wight, to which they were looking forward. Most parents, carers and pupils feel that behaviour is good and pupils are confident that on the rare occasions when bullying occurs, it is dealt with effectively. Pupils are aware of cyberbullying but none felt it was an issue for them. During the inspection, behaviour in lessons was outstanding and pupils were very sensible as they moved around the school. The buildings and play areas are on several different levels and pupils are extremely careful to follow the rules so that they feel extremely safe. Discussions with pupils and an analysis of behaviour logs show the outstanding behaviour observed during the inspection is

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

typical of that normally seen in the school.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils develop an extremely strong sense of fairness and are very keen to take on responsibility; for example older pupils really enjoy their responsibility as play leaders for their younger peers.

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Leadership and management

School leaders have been successful in maintaining the standards seen at the time of the previous inspection. Improved tracking procedures now provide all staff with a very clear picture of how well all groups of pupils are achieving. The recognition that boys were not achieving as well as girls resulted in some staff participating in training sessions aimed at raising boys’ achievement, particularly in writing. The implementation of new strategies has resulted in a narrowing of the attainment gap between boys and girls. These good developments demonstrate that the school is in a good position to sustain further improvement. The governing body has a wide range of expertise that is used effectively to challenge and support the school. School leaders regularly monitor teaching and learning and have an accurate picture of what is done well and where improvements are required. Performance appraisal is used effectively to raise teachers’ skills and to accelerate pupils’ learning.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is effective because there is a strong focus on the development of literacy and numeracy skills as well as the promotion of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. There is, however, a good emphasis on other aspects. Pupils’ learning in French, and information and communication technology, is enhanced through an effective partnership with the local secondary school. School leaders ensure that disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are well supported, enabling them to learn alongside their peers in class wherever possible, but also providing additional support where necessary. Links with a school in France raise pupils’ awareness of life beyond the local community. An outstanding range of enrichment activities adds considerable interest to the curriculum. For example, visits to the local theatre provide incentives for the pupils’ drama activities and they talk

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Leadership and management

with pride of the opportunity for them to perform with the local choral society. There Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Leadership and management

is a good range of physical and sporting activities that take place after school and which enhance pupils’ awareness of the importance of keeping healthy and fit. The pupils have an exceptionally strong social and moral awareness, are keen to become involved with the local community but also support many charities, both locally and further afield.

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Leadership and management

School leaders and governors ensure all safeguarding procedures are in place. All staff undertake training for child protection and regular risk assessments are undertaken to ensure pupils’ safety. Governors are diligent in ensuring the site is a safe place for pupils and staff. Discrimination is not tolerated and equality of opportunity is promoted well. Links with parents and carers are good and the school’s website is used effectively to keep them up to date with what is happening in school.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Trinity C of E Primary School, Henley-on-Thames RG9 1HJ

Thank you very much for being so welcoming when we visited your school recently. We appreciated the time taken by some of you to show us round your school and to those of you who spoke and read to us. We enjoyed watching you in lessons and at playtimes, and seeing how you clearly enjoy school. Trinity is a good school and these are some of the things we found.

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Inspection of Trinity C of E Primary School, Henley-on-Thames RG9 1HJ

 You behave exceptionally well, both in lessons and in the playground, and this helps to ensure you feel really safe. Your attendance has improved and it is now above average.  Children in the Reception classes learn well and this helps them as they get older.  You make good progress throughout the school so that your skills in reading, writing and mathematics are above average by the end of Year 6.  Teachers provide you with interesting activities and you have many visits, visitors and clubs that make learning more exciting.  Your spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding; you are very keen to help those who are less fortunate than yourselves. You have a very good understanding of right and wrong, and have a very good understanding of people from other cultures and backgrounds.  Those in charge of the school provide good leadership and are working hard to make the school even better.

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Inspection of Trinity C of E Primary School, Henley-on-Thames RG9 1HJ

To make the school better, we have asked the headteacher and governors to ensure more teaching becomes outstanding and to do this by: making sure that when marking work, teachers are more consistent in telling you how you might improve it; by planning work that builds on what you already know and can do; by encouraging you, particularly the more able to move on to more challenging work sooner in lessons; and letting you find out more things for yourselves.

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Inspection of Trinity C of E Primary School, Henley-on-Thames RG9 1HJ

Paul Edwards Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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