Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School

Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School Victoria Street, Littleborough, Lancashire, OL15 9DB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Early years provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 This highly successful and popular school is a haven of big opportunities for every pupil.  There is a wonderful focus on developing the academic, personal qualities, skills and interests of all pupils. This leads to a highly positive and nurturing atmosphere in which to learn.  The inspirational and charismatic headteacher and other senior leaders have worked tirelessly with staff and governors to significantly improve all aspects of the school’s work since the last inspection, including the quality of teaching and pupil achievement.  The team spirit is exceptionally high because all staff are valued and supported. Staff and governors share a vision of working as one for the benefit of all the pupils.  The school has excellent relationships with parents and the wider community and receives considerable praise for its work.  Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are outstanding. Their pride in the school was evident

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

in their eagerness to tell inspectors how much they enjoy school.  Pupils feel safe and secure because the school rightly ensures that the care and safety of pupils are of a high quality.  The exceptionally positive relationships pupils have with staff help them to grow in confidence and develop a ‘can do’ mentality.  Pupils are given a wealth of opportunities to enjoy sport, music and the arts and learn lifesaving skills.  Teaching is inspiring and highly imaginative. Pupils of all abilities are stretched and motivated to achieve as well as they can. Teaching is never less than good and much is outstanding.  Pupils throughout the school, including the most able, achieve exceptionally well, reaching standards that are consistently significantly above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Children in the early years make excellent progress from their different starting points. Despite this, the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

attainment of boys is not as high as that of girls, particularly in literacy and mathematics when they enter Year 1. The very best use is not always made of the outside learning area in supporting the attainment of boys.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in all classes in the school, including a joint observation with the headteacher.  The inspectors looked closely at a wide range of school documentation including plans for improvement, the school’s own view of its performance, records of the progress of pupils and their behaviour. Inspectors also checked on the work of governors and documents relating to safeguarding.  Discussions were held with groups of school leaders, governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body, and representatives of the local authority.  Inspectors observed pupils’ work in lessons, in books and on display around the school. Inspectors also spoke to pupils both formally and informally about their views of school and listened to some pupils read.  The views of parents were considered through their 34 responses to the Parent View online survey and responses to the school’s own surveys of parental opinions. Inspectors also took account of the views of

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Information about this inspection

staff expressed in the 27 responses to the voluntary questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Chris Maloney, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The number of pupils has increased significantly since the last inspection and building work has been undertaken to accommodate this.  Most pupils are of White British heritage. A very small minority of pupils are from other ethnic backgrounds and cultural traditions, including a few who are learning to speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is broadly average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium funding is well below average. This additional government funding is provided for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which is the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this school

 The school is a member of the local ‘Pennine Cluster of Schools’ and works closely with Wardle Academy 11–16 School.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen achievement in the early years even further, especially for boys, by always making the best use of the outdoor learning area in order to close the attainment gap between boys and girls, particularly in literacy and mathematics.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The exceptional headteacher leads by example with a heartfelt passion for never accepting anything but the best. He takes every opportunity to make daily visits to classes to check how well pupils are learning and to offer advice and guidance to staff. This unwavering determination and drive is shared by the assistant headteachers, other leaders, staff and governors. Morale is high because all staff feel valued and appreciated.  Teachers have a wealth of opportunities to improve their teaching through training and sharing their practice with ‘critical friends’ on the staff and chances to observe practice in other schools. They also receive regular checks by senior and middle leaders to ensure that their practice is as it should be.  Regular checks are made on pupils to ensure that they are making the best possible progress. Action is taken quickly to provide just the right level of support to any showing signs of underachieving. This clearly

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The leadership and management are outstanding

shows the school’s commitment to giving every pupil equal opportunities to learn.  Senior and middle leaders plan improvements that can be precisely measured. This has led to a significant and sustained rise in standards in reading, writing and mathematics across the school.  Pupils are provided with an exciting and stimulating range of opportunities to learn, with the promotion of key skills and the linking of subjects together to form themes with a strong focus on writing, such as ‘Super Heroes’. Pupils get the chance to learn a musical instrument and sing and perform to a high standard. They also get the opportunity to learn Spanish and French in preparation for residential visits abroad.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development exceptionally well with many visits and visitors to deepen their understanding about being ‘mini’ citizens. This prepares them well for

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The leadership and management are outstanding

life in modern Britain. Excellent opportunities are provided for pupils to help others, such as through charity work for UNICEF or raising funds for the local Springhill Hospice.  Excellent use has been made of additional physical education and sports funding to improve the quality of sports coaching, particularly in gymnastics, and the range of sports for pupils to try, such as Lacrosse. Pupils also get the opportunity to represent their school and Rochdale in a variety of sports. This is supporting the pupils’ health and well-being, as participation rates for clubs in and out of school – which pupils say they really enjoy – are high and increasing. It is also clear that pupils are more regularly choosing healthy food options at breaks and lunchtimes.  Excellent links exist with parents who feel valued and supported. There are also outstanding links with Wardle Academy, which greatly assist transition to the high school and the sharing of teaching expertise

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The leadership and management are outstanding

and sports facilities.  The school has received very good support from the local authority .  The governance of the school:  Governors know the school exceptionally well because they visit regularly and receive clear information from senior staff about the quality of teaching and the achievement of all pupils. They are well trained in aspects of their work; they are skilled in asking searching questions to check that the quality of teaching and achievement of all groups of pupils is the best it can be. Governors ensure that the progress of pupils is rigorously linked to teachers’ pay rewards by checking that senior leaders share information with them on how well teachers are meeting the high expectations set for the achievement of all pupils. This helps governors reward good or better performance and challenge and support any teachers that need it. Governors also make regular checks to be confident that safeguarding

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The leadership and management are outstanding

arrangements meet requirements.  Additional funding is used well for the benefit of those pupils who are eligible and their progress is closely tracked, ensuring they progress as well as other pupils in the school. Governors have successfully ensured that funding for physical education and sports has made a real difference to the quality and range of activities on offer and pupils’ participation in them. Governors have an excellent understanding of data and how well pupils are doing in comparison with other schools locally and nationally.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. It contributes exceptionally well to their outstanding achievement. This is evidenced by their enthusiastic response to questions from staff and their eagerness in telling inspectors just how much they enjoy doing hard work that really makes them think. Pupils’ love of learning is reflected in their above-average attendance and excellent punctuality.  Pupils are proud of their school, love learning and are courteous and welcoming to visitors. They are confident that staff know them well as individuals and care about them. A typical pupil comment was, ‘This is a great school. Teachers always make learning fun and entertaining.’  Their thoughtfulness and consideration for the lives of others were shown, for example, by some Year 6 pupils who very sensitively prepared for Remembrance Day by researching the lives of some of those who had died. This was recorded in their individual learning logs which make homework more interesting and

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Behaviour

meaningful.  Pupils show great respect for other cultures and faiths and understand the rights of people to hold different beliefs. Pupils benefit from links to a school in Kenya. A typical pupil comment was, ‘Everyone from different religions or backgrounds is equal. We should all be treated the same.’  Pupils eagerly take on responsibilities such as members of the school or sports council. They develop their leadership and team-building skills through opportunities to take part in many team sports, scientific investigations in the Lake District, skiing in Scotland or trips abroad.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils know a great deal about how to stay safe and healthy, particularly in water and on the internet. A typical pupil comment was, ‘All staff are very protective of us.’  Pupils show a really good understanding of the different forms of bullying, including bullying as a result of prejudice. They are adamant that bullying does not happen, but are confident they can trust staff to sort it out fairly if it did.  Pupils say they really enjoy improving their swimming skills under the skilled coaching of the headteacher or learning about lifesaving techniques in CPR and Defibrillator clubs.  Parents’ responses in the ‘Parent View’ and the school’s own surveys show parents are delighted with the standard of behaviour and safety in the school.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and use this alongside their excellent knowledge of pupils as individuals to support high-quality, caring relationships built on mutual respect.  Staff use their knowledge of pupils, including the most able, to plan tasks that stretch the abilities of all and make them think deeply. No time is wasted in moving pupils on to harder, more demanding work as soon as they are ready, leading to outstanding achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teachers ensure that reading is taught systematically and that pupils develop a love of reading. Teaching assistants provide specific additional support to those who need it. Pupils are given lots of opportunities to practise and extend their writing skills in many different subjects and to build up key skills that support high-quality writing.  Teaching assistants are highly skilled and provide superb support for those who need it. This helps to

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

remove any potential barriers to learning.  Teachers and support staff inspire pupils to have a love of learning. A typical pupil comment was, ‘Teachers always help us to understand our work so we can do our best.’ This enjoyment of learning was seen in a Year 6 mathematics lesson. Pupils excitedly explored a graph of their teacher’s emotions when watching a football match. The teacher prompted and challenged the thinking of all pupils as they shared their ideas with others and learned how these skills could be applied to real-life problems. The most able were engrossed in interpreting challenging data to support their reasons for buying particular players for a fantasy football team.  Teachers use their excellent subject knowledge to question pupils in order to check on their learning and move them on swiftly to harder work. This was seen in a Year 3 mathematics lesson when the teacher rapidly assessed that the most able pupils could quickly get on with more demanding work, subtracting

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

two-digit from three-digit numbers. This really stretched their thinking as they applied the strategies they had learned.  All staff manage pupils’ behaviour exceptionally well with skilled use of rewards and praise. This helps to keep pupils on task and concentrating hard.  The quality of marking is high; this ensures that all pupils are crystal clear about how to improve their work and are given time to show that they can.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 In the last two years, the vast majority of pupils, including the most able, have made outstanding progress in reading, writing and mathematics throughout the school. This is also true for the current pupils in school.  Standards by the end of Key Stage 1 have been increasing steadily for four years and were significantly above average overall in 2014.  Pupils make outstanding progress in Key Stage 2, particularly in writing and mathematics. The standards reached in 2014 were significantly above the national average and have been for the last three years. In 2014, the proportions of pupils reaching the higher level 5 were above average in reading and writing and significantly above in mathematics. Above-average numbers of pupils attained the high level 6 in mathematics.  The most able pupils make outstanding progress due to high-quality teaching and the provision of demanding work that tests their thinking and deepens their understanding. Teachers provide them with

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

targeted work that they can get down to quickly without wasting valuable learning time.  From their different starting points, pupils make outstanding progress in learning to read due to highly skilled teaching and the expert use of teaching assistants to provide extra help, where needed, to support individuals and groups of pupils. In the 2014 Year 1 check on reading, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard was above the national average, reflecting pupils’ increasing understanding of the sounds that letters make. Pupils enthusiastically told inspectors about their love of reading at home and at school and their favourite authors such as Roald Dahl and Jacqueline Wilson.  Writing standards in school are significantly above average by the end of Year 6 because pupils have many opportunities to review their writing and that of classmates to identify improvements. Pupils are given many interesting and exciting opportunities to write, as was seen when some Year 1 pupils were

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

inspired to write a leaflet for firework safety. They were given ‘top tips’ to guide them. Spelling, punctuation and grammar are extremely well taught, resulting in standards in Year 6 in 2014 being significantly above average, even at the high level 6.  In mathematics, pupils achieve outstandingly well in calculation and problem solving due to highly skilled teaching, regular teaching of key skills and practical tasks that stretch their thinking. Pupils make excellent use of information and communication technology (ICT) resources to support their work.  Pupils from minority ethnic groups, including those who speak English as an additional language, make outstanding progress, as do disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. This is because of the skilled and sensitive support they receive.  School data and current work seen by inspectors show that disadvantaged pupils are achieving as well as

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

others in the school in reading, writing and mathematics. In Year 6 in 2014, there were too few pupils supported by the extra funding to draw statistically significant conclusions.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Children usually enter Reception with skills and abilities that are typical for their age. All children, including those with special educational needs and the most able, make outstanding progress from their different starting points. The proportion of children who reach a good level of development is above the national average. As a result, children are well prepared for Year 1.  Children are well prepared for starting school due to the excellent links the school has with parents and nurseries. Induction and other regular meetings provide opportunities to share information with school staff to ensure that all children make a smooth and confident start to school life.  Teaching in the early years is always at least good and often outstanding over time. Staff have high expectations and settle children quickly within an extremely caring and nurturing environment. This fosters strong relationships of trust, which helps children to become eager learners who are inquisitive about the

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The early years provision is outstanding

world around them. Planned activities are adapted to meet the needs of the children within a very safe and secure environment.  The behaviour of children is outstanding. They are eager to learn, listen carefully and respectfully follow the guidance of staff. They cooperate exceptionally well and display a thirst for learning. High-quality risk assessments keep children safe. Children conduct themselves safely and show a good awareness of the safety of others.  There is a good mix of activities that are adult led and those which children choose for themselves. Children quickly learn to investigate, share resources and develop their early reading, writing and mathematical skills. Children demonstrate a confidence in learning. They clearly expressed how they had used measuring to determine who was the tallest or the shortest. The most able pupils quickly picked up how to measure in centimetres.  All staff are skilled in their knowledge of the ways in which young children learn so that learning can be

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The early years provision is outstanding

captured by skilled use of observations. These build up a detailed record of the progress of individual children.  Although boys and girls make similarly outstanding progress from their different starting points, opportunities are missed to make the best use of outdoor learning activities to help boys close the gap between their attainment and that of the girls. This is particularly the case in literacy and mathematics.  Outstanding links exist with parents who are encouraged to play an active part in their children’s learning by contributing to ‘learning journals’, home/school sharing sheets, suggestions for activities at home and daily discussions. Parents are also supported with access to workshops for reading and mathematics.  The leadership of the early years is excellent. High-quality support and guidance are offered to staff, which has ensured that achievement remains high during staffing changes. The leader has a very clear

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The early years provision is outstanding

view of strengths and areas for further development.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 105814 Local authority Rochdale Inspection number 448313

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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 Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 217 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Gary Davies Headteacher Mark Kenyon Date of previous school inspection 10 February 2010 Telephone number 01706 378061 Fax number 01706 838317 Email address office@holytrinityce.rochdale.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 and 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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