Trinity Road Primary School

Trinity Road Primary School Trinity Road, Chelmsford, CM2 6HS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils make good progress in both Key Stages 1 and 2.  Teaching is good. Pupils get on very well with their teachers, and want to meet their high expectations.  Pupils in the speech and language centre learn well. They are thoroughly prepared for secondary school.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They encourage each other to focus on their learning.  If pupils arrive at the school mid-year or mid- key stage, the school makes sure they settle in well.  The school is very successful at improving the behaviour of pupils who find it difficult to behave well.  Leaders and managers model outstanding teaching.  Leaders and managers are ambitious for their school and have brought about improvements in teaching and behaviour since the last inspection.  Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths, weaknesses and priorities for improvement.  Governors make sure that the headteacher and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

other staff are appropriately rewarded for improving achievement.  The school’s reputation in the local community has greatly improved over the last two years.  Parents are very happy with the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The planning of lessons does not always take into account how well the pupils have done in the lesson before. As a result, pupils are sometimes given activities to do which are too easy or too hard.  Some marking does not tell pupils how well they have done.  When leaders and managers observe lessons, they focus more on what the teacher does, rather than on what the pupils learn.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 27 lessons or part lessons, taught by 13 teachers. Eight lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, representatives from the governing body, a representative from the local authority, and staff.  Inspectors looked at a range of evidence, including the school’s documents on self-evaluation and safeguarding. They observed the school’s work, looked at pupils’ books and the tracking system used to monitor their progress.  Inspectors considered the 49 responses to the online Parent View questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Miranda Perry, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Fatiha Maitland Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Trinity Road is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals, is above average.  The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic groups and those whose first language is not English are above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported through school action plus, or who have a statement of special educational needs, is well above average.  The school does not meet the current floor standards, which set the government’s minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  The school has specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs, the

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Information about this school

speech and language centre. The centre offers enhanced provision for 20 pupils with speech and language difficulties.  There are before- and after-school clubs that are not managed by the school’s governing body.  In Key Stages 1 and 2, all classes are mixed age.  The school gained the Inclusion Quality Mark in July 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the amount of outstanding teaching by:  planning lessons which are consistently informed by what the teachers know about pupils’ progress  making sure that all work is delivered at the right level for pupils  ensuring marking in books takes account of the progress pupils should have made.  Improve progress so that it is outstanding by:  monitoring lessons so that the focus is on how well the pupils are learning rather than on what strategies the teachers are using to teach.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They enter Reception with knowledge, skills and abilities which are well below those typically found. By the time they enter Year 1, they are much closer to the level expected for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1. Difficulties they might have had with social skills are addressed effectively, so they are ready to learn. Attainment at Key Stage 1, although below the national average, has been improving over the last three years.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who have been all the way through the school make good progress in both key stages and attain at the national average or above at Key Stage 2. Their attainment and progress have been improving over the last two years.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A large number of pupils arrive at the school mid-year, particularly in Year 5 and Year 6. All of the pupils who have arrived in Years 5 and 6 over the last year have come with low attainment. This has affected the school’s overall attainment at Key Stage 2, which is below the national average. Nevertheless, these pupils make good progress in the short time that they are in the school. For example, in mathematics, the school focuses on improving their quick recall of times tables, so that they have the basic skills to tackle complex calculations.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who have special educational needs make good progress. Lessons provide an environment where they feel included and have the confidence to learn well.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who attend the speech and language centre make good progress. The school gives them intense support with their specific difficulties in the morning and, in the afternoon, the pupils get the chance to practise their skills, integrated in the main school’s lessons.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Because the school quickly identifies if a pupil is at risk of not doing well, and puts effective programmes into place to support them, pupils eligible for the pupil premium achieve well.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 More-able pupils make good progress because they really enjoy the activities provided for them. One parent said, ‘My daughter, who is very bright, has made much more progress here than at her last school, because she does such exciting things.’

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In a minority of lessons, pupils do not make good progress. Lesson planning does not always take into account the progress pupils made the lesson before so sometimes the work is not demanding enough and, at times, it is too demanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good, because pupils are enthusiastic and engaged in their learning. In a class for Years 1 and 2 on describing a character, one boy said, ‘I love describing Scrooge. He is so mean.’

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers consider the individual interests of their pupils. In a class for Years 5 and 6, a teacher had provided a bar chart on a pupil’s favourite cartoon. The pupil commented, ‘He often does things just for me, and so I learn what he wants me to.’  Teachers have good relationships with their pupils. Pupils in a physical education lesson in Key Stage 2 discussed how they were going to stretch their muscles extra hard to impress their teacher.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils benefit from the exciting resources teachers provide. Pupils cooed with excitement when they heard they were going to film a scene using an iPad in a Key Stage 1 lesson.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils who have special educational needs are taught well, because staff understand how they learn and that their learning needs to be continually reinforced.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils in the speech and language centre develop as independent learners. This is because staff share with pupils why they learn what they do. One boy in Key Stage 2 was able to explain why the class did exercises before they started writing. ‘Watch me. Now I find it hard to hold the pen. Once I’ve done my exercises, you would not believe how well I hold it, and how I can write with it.’

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The quality of teaching is good

 Letters and sounds are taught well in Reception and in Years 1 and 2. The school works in partnership with parents so that pupils can practise beyond the classroom. One boy in Reception was delighted to tell his teacher that ‘b’ for ‘ball’ was not a new sound for him, because his mother had worked with him on it at home.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils support their learning with well-developed social skills. They are always keen to work with partners and in groups to share ideas.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Although in lessons teachers work hard to include all pupils, sometimes teachers do not use their knowledge of pupils’ progress well enough to plan suitable activities.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking has improved since the previous inspection. Pupils are given next steps for improvement. However, the next steps are not always the right ones, and they do not consistently help pupils make progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have high expectations of their own behaviour and that of their peers. On his way to assembly, a pupil in Year 4 signalled that he was going to go off in the wrong direction. His friend said, ‘I don’t think it’s the right time to do that,’ and the pupil went in the right direction after all.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils prioritise their behaviour for learning. On the second day of the inspection it was a non- uniform day, and the pupils did not allow that to be a distraction in their lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils understand the moral implications of not behaving well. One pupil in Key Stage 2 discussed with the inspection team how behaving badly disrupted the learning of others, and that if your friend was not behaving well, it was your job to ignore them and concentrate.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parents think their children are very safe at the school, and the pupils agree. Pupils and parents think that bullying is rare, and are confident that the school sorts it out, when it occurs.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 A number of pupils arrive at the school mid-key stage with behavioural difficulties. The school is successful at improving their behaviour over time. This is because the school works hard to understand the reasons for their behavioural difficulties, and helps them to manage their behaviour in ways that are highly specific to them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils from the speech and language centre are integrated well in the main school and pupils from the main school also work well in the centre. This is because the school fosters good relationships and pupils demonstrate high levels of respect for each other’s differences.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school has regular assemblies on promoting equality of opportunity. The pupils participate willingly in these assemblies, and take their messages seriously.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The Inclusion Quality Mark achieved by the school celebrates how effectively and consistently the school tackles discrimination.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and managers have been successful in bringing about improvements in teaching in the main school, and the speech and language centre, since the previous inspection. The deputy headteacher in particular has modelled outstanding teaching, and coached staff to learn from her example.

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The leadership and management are good

 Over the last two years, leaders and managers have improved the provision in the speech and language centre so more pupils transfer to the main school and work independently of specialist support.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher sets very challenging targets for staff and provides training opportunities to help staff meet them. Staff understand the headteacher’s expectation that they should always be seeking to improve their teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and managers have used partnerships to bring about improvements in the school. The school is an active member of the Chelmsford School Network, and is eager to learn best practice from other organisations.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school worked closely with the local authority to address issues raised by the previous inspection. The local authority put a programme into place which helped to get rid of any inadequate teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has a detailed programme of monitoring lessons, and it has had a positive impact on improving teaching. As a result of monitoring, teachers are very clear about what strategies to use in order to teach well. However, monitoring does not focus enough on how these strategies bring about progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is always reviewing the range of activities on offer to maintain pupils’ engagement. Pupils love school trips. In Year 6, the pupils enjoyed a London theatre trip as a reward from the parent-teacher association for their achievement. One Year 6 pupil said, ‘They want you to know you are really special, because you deserve to go to the theatre.’

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body closely tracks the increasing percentage of good and outstanding teaching at the school, and always requires supporting evidence. Governors are confident in their performance management of the headteacher, because of their own professional expertise and background. They support the headteacher’s insistence that salary progression should match improvements in raising standards. The governing body allocates the pupil premium funding to provide extra staff to help with the rapid identification of pupils who might be at risk of not doing well. As a result, those pupils who arrive mid-term or mid-year settle in the school quickly. The Chair of the Governing Body meets the headteacher fortnightly to check on the progress of all pupils at risk of not performing well.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 114805 Local authority Essex Inspection number 401466

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 251 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Nicola Park Headteacher Marie Staley Date of previous school inspection 12 July 2010 Telephone number 01245 354517 Fax number 01245 495228 Email address admin@trinityroad.essex.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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 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

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School details

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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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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