Trinity Road Primary School

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

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Leaders and governors do not focus the work of the school sharply enough on ensuring that pupils make good progress whatever their circumstances.  Teaching is not helping pupils to make consistently good progress during their time at the school in all subjects.  Work is sometimes too easy for the more- able pupils. Not all teachers check carefully to make sure pupils understand what they are being taught.  Not all subject leaders have the expertise to make a significant contribution to driving improvements in their areas of responsibility.  Pupils make slower progress in writing than in reading or mathematics.  Boys do not reach the same level as girls in writing across the school.  The pupil premium is not being used effectively to close the gap between eligible pupils’ attainment and that of others in each year group.  Marking provides limited guidance for pupils on how to improve their work, and the targets

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

they are set are not sufficiently challenging. This slows their progress as errors are not eliminated quickly enough.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils who have a statement of special educational needs, including those with speech and language difficulties, are supported well and make good progress.  Strong teamwork is the key to the good teaching in Reception. This gives children a positive start to their school life and they learn how to work together constructively.  Leaders have eliminated inadequate teaching and an increasing proportion is outstanding. This is leading to improving progress.  Pupils are well-mannered and move around the building sensibly. They try hard in lessons because they want to succeed. They feel safe and say they trust staff to deal quickly with any problems they face.  The school has forged a strong partnership with parents and carers, by understanding their circumstances and providing good support for their children.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 22 lessons, nine of which were seen together with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, school staff and members of the governing body, including the Chair, and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 39 responses to the online parent questionnaire Parent View and held informal discussions with parents and carers at the start of the school day.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents including the school’s own information on the pupils’ current progress, planning and monitoring documentation, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and documents relating to safeguarding.  Inspectors listened to the reading of a sample of pupils in Year 2.

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Inspection team

Martin Beale, Lead inspector Additional Inspector John Ubsdell Additional Inspector Lynda Beale Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Pupil numbers are rising and the school is now above average in size.  The proportion of pupils from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds is broadly average. The proportion speaking English as an additional language is below average.  The school receives pupil premium funding for an above average proportion of the pupils. This is extra government funding given to schools to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, in local authority care or from service families.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average. This is partly because the school has specially resourced provision for 20 pupils with speech, communication and language difficulties.  More pupils than in most other primary schools join or leave partway through their primary

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Information about this school

education.  The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and learning, particularly in Years 1 to 4, by ensuring that:  teachers use methods and provide activities that challenge the more-able pupils and make them think harder  teachers keep a close check on pupils’ understanding in lessons, so they know when pupils are ready to move on in their work  marking and the use of targets provide useful guidance to pupils on how to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the impact of leadership and management by ensuring that:  all staff are focused on increasing pupils’ progress, supported by challenging targets for teachers, pupils and in leaders’ actions for improvement  subject leaders contribute fully to improvements by extending their skills in understanding and using data about pupils’ progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase progress in writing, especially for boys, by:  adopting methods and selecting texts that interest and motivate pupils more  providing examples of high quality writing for pupils to emulate.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance can be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils do not consistently make the good progress in reading, writing and mathematics needed to raise their attainment and reach levels expected for their age by the time they leave Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Year 6 test results in 2013 were well below average, although higher for those who had spent all of their time at the school than those who joined late. The majority of the year group were disabled or had special educational needs; over a quarter had a statement of special educational needs, which is much higher than average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Progress is best in Years 5 and 6. In Years 1 to 4, it requires improvement. Inspection evidence shows that it is beginning to improve as a result of leaders’ success in eradicating inadequate teaching. Progress is slower in writing than in other subjects across the school for several reasons and boys do not achieve as well as girls. Pupils do not have enough opportunity to see examples of high quality writing to act as a model, texts used do not always stimulate their imagination, and they are often unclear about the steps to take to improve their writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The pupil premium is used for a range of activities but these do not ensure that eligible pupils consistently make accelerated progress. Eligible pupils, who accounted for over three-quarters of the class, were two years behind others in mathematics in the 2013 Year 6 tests, four terms behind in writing and six months in reading. They made slower progress than their peers in mathematics and writing and similar progress in reading. However, in 2013, gaps in pupils’ attainment were narrower than in 2012, and there is evidence of some improvement, though it is not consistent in all year groups.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress made by more-able pupils varies across the school. They are challenged well and make good progress in Years 5 and 6 but elsewhere not enough is expected of them and their progress requires improvement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds achieve at a similar level to other pupils, as do pupils speaking English as an additional language.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children make good progress in Reception from skills on entry that in most cases are well below those typical for their age. Their good progress is a result of carefully planned and well- resourced activities and a strong emphasis on the development of speaking and other aspects of communication.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils who have a statement of special educational needs, including those with speech and language difficulties, make good progress. They are taught well because their needs are carefully identified and effective individual support and guidance provided. Skilled support staff work with these pupils so many become integrated quickly into mainstream classes. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs in mainstream classes also make good progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching does not always help pupils to develop skills quickly or understand new ideas in depth. Pupils are not always stimulated and engaged by the methods used by teachers or challenged by the work they are given. Not enough is expected of them and work is too easy at times for the more-able pupils. In some lessons, teachers do not ask questions effectively to check pupils’ understanding and teaching moves on before some are ready, leaving gaps in their learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils are at times unclear about how well they are doing or what they need to do to improve their work. This is because marking, while improving, does not always giving clear guidance and not all pupils have targets to which they can aspire. This reduces the possibility of them making more rapid progress as mistakes are not eliminated or work improved quickly.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is good in Reception, where all adults work closely as a team. Children are absorbed by the interesting activities inside and outdoors, and work hard in response to high expectations of their effort and behaviour. Learning moves forward quickly because adults use their knowledge of the children well to adapt teaching to meet each individual child’s needs.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils who have a statement of special educational needs are taught well because their needs are carefully identified and effective individual support is provided. Skilled staff work with these pupils so many become integrated quickly into mainstream classes where their needs are equally well met.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 High expectations of the pupils, the creative use of resources and stimulating displays all contribute to the most successful learning. In these lessons, teaching assistants are briefed and deployed well so they make a significant contribution to learning of individuals and groups. Pupils were seen to be inspired by lively teaching in Years 5 and 6 that really fired their imagination when preparing and planning a piece of writing. Their thinking was constantly challenged, their understanding continually checked and adaptations made in the light of their responses. As a result, their learning moved forward rapidly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are usually polite and courteous. They show others respect by listening carefully in lessons to their answers and moving sensibly around the building. Appropriate support is provided for those who need to adapt their behaviour and attitudes in order to live up to the school’s high expectations. This has led to a reduction in fixed-term exclusions since the last inspection.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The pupils’ positive attitudes to their learning, including when working in groups or by themselves, are a key factor in their improving progress. Pupils work hard in lessons and retain their concentration and effort even when teaching is undemanding. They make a significant contribution to school life and take their responsibilities such as ‘Junior Leaders’ and ‘Eco- Warriors’ seriously. They happily help newcomers settle in quickly by acting as their ‘buddies’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Parents and carers agree that their children feel happy and safe. Teachers and governors strive to maintain a safe environment, take steps to identify and protect those at risk, and do their utmost to safeguard their welfare.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Bullying is rare according to pupils and school records. Pupils say any incidents are usually friends quarrelling and often resolved by peer mentors or swiftly by staff. The ‘Listening Jar’ enables pupils to express any concerns confidentially, and these are always followed up swiftly by staff.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 School leaders have ensured that no teaching is inadequate; as a result, pupils’ progress is improving. However, leaders have not succeeded in focusing all staff sufficiently on how to accelerate the pupils’ progress so they can reach the standards expected for their age, whatever their circumstances. Targets for pupils in some classes are not challenging enough to raise their achievement significantly. Actions in the school improvement plan do not have enough impact on pupils’ progress as a basis for measuring their success, including the allocation of the pupil premium.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher and senior leaders have a clear understanding of the issues facing the school. Their checking on teaching is now more focused on its impact on learning than at the last inspection. Financial incentives are used to reward those teachers whose performance results in pupils making at least good progress. This is leading to improved achievement in Reception and Years 5 and 6. There is still work to be done in other year groups..

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The effectiveness of subject leaders is varied. Some are making a contribution to school improvement. However, not all subject leaders have the skills to drive improvement in their areas, particularly the quality of teaching. Their understanding of how to use assessment data to evaluate the impact of their actions is shaky.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Support from the local authority has been occasional, as the school was good at its last inspection. However, it is now taking a closer interest because of recent test data. The school has made effective use of the local network of schools to access training and support for improving teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Themed events such as ‘Young Enterprise Week’ help to broaden the pupils’ experiences. They contribute ideas to each topic by identifying areas they would like to explore. Pupils enjoy sessions in the ‘Forest School’ where they learn first-hand about the natural environment. Respect for all is reinforced through assemblies and studying other faiths. Pupils celebrate festivals such as Chinese New Year, and on ‘Aspirations Day’ parents and people from the local community share their interests and talk about the pathways into their jobs.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 New sports funding is being used well to provide outdoor and adventurous activities for Key Stage 2 pupils. More pupils are participating in sporting activities through newly introduced basketball coaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The strong partnership with home is based on a good understanding of circumstances and tailoring support for the benefit of the pupils. This includes a wide range of activities to enable parents to find out how subjects are taught and how to support their children at home. This partnership starts in Reception, such as by parents sharing with the school ‘Star Moments’ their children have outside school as part of the record of their learning.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership of provision for pupils with a statement of special educational needs is strong, particularly for those in the specially resourced provision.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is led and organised well. Governors undertake regular training to update their skills, including in their understanding of assessment data. This has enabled them to ask pertinent questions of school leaders about why the pupils’ progress is not better. They are aware of the headteacher’s actions to eliminate inadequate teaching and where strengths lie in the school and how teachers are being set challenging targets when managing their performance and rewarding them financially. . They rightly identify boys’ writing as a major concern for action and also the school’s success in supporting pupils with a statement of special educational needs. Financial management is strong and governors are investigating how the pupil premium can be better used to benefit the achievement of all eligible pupils.

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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 440533

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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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 279 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Nicola Park Headteacher Marie Staley Date of previous school inspection 13 November 2012 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

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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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