Holy Trinity CofE Primary School

School report Holy Trinity CofE Primary School

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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This is a good school

 Teaching is good because most activities are carefully planned and assessed at the right level for pupils. As a result, they make good progress..  Children get off to a strong start and make good progress in the early years.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very strong. This, together with the work of their active school council, helps to prepare pupils for life in modern democratic Britain.  Pupils speak very highly of their school, feel safe, behave well in class and treat each other with kindness and respect.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe is successful. Pupils feel well looked after and their parents are highly confident that their children are secure in the school.  Achievement was good by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 last year. The school’s records show that performance and good progress has also been sustained in the current Years 1 and 4.  Governors and leaders are ambitious for the school

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This is a good school

and have made sure that teaching and behaviour have improved rapidly.  The leadership team have set clear expectations for good teaching and there is very extensive support for staff to improve their practice.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not all adults are skilled in designing activities and asking questions that help pupils, particularly the most able, to deepen and widen their knowledge.  Pupils’ behaviour has improved considerably since new policies were introduced but it is not yet impeccable outside the classroom.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 13 lessons or parts of lessons taught by eight teachers. One session was observed jointly with the executive headteacher and the head of school joined an inspector in checking pupils’ workbooks. Senior leaders accompanied an inspector on a series of short visits to lessons to identify spiritual, moral and cultural aspects of pupils’ activities.  Inspectors also observed pupils’ activities at the breakfast club, during break and lunchtimes, and at an assembly.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, representatives of the governing body, and school and subject leaders. Discussions took place between an inspector and the Chief Executive Officer of the London Diocesan Board (LDBS) Academies Trust.  The inspectors took account of the 62 responses to a school questionnaire and one letter from a parent, as well as having informal discussions with parents. There were no responses to the online questionnaire

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Information about this inspection

(Parent View). The views of staff were taken into account through meetings and the 13 responses to the staff survey.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and discussed their choices of reading books.  The school’s own attainment record for the previous academic year were scrutinised in addition to published information on pupils’ achievement.  Records relating to pupils’ safety and welfare, including security checks on staff, were checked. Behaviour logs and attendance records were examined.

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Inspection team

Patricia MacLachlan, Lead inspector Luisa Gould Additional inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School converted to become an academy school on 1 February 2013. When its predecessor school, The Green Church of England Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be satisfactory overall.  It is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average with about one in eight pupils supported for their special needs.  The proportion of pupils who receive support through the pupil premium (extra money provided by the government for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after) is above the national average. About four out of 10 pupils are supported with this additional funding.  The majority of pupils in the school are of minority ethnic heritage with those of Black African or Caribbean heritage as the largest groups. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional

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Information about this school

language is above the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics.  Early years provision consists of a full-time Nursery and a Reception class.  The executive headteacher took up his post in February 2013. He is a local leader of education and leads two other Haringey primary schools in the London Diocesan Board (LDBS) Academies Trust. A head of school was appointed to Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School in September 2013. An assistant head and executive business manager have been appointed to the school leadership team since the school became an academy. 

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching further so that more is outstanding by:  training all adults to devise activities and ask questions that challenge pupils of all abilities to think more deeply and respond in more detail  Ensuring that teachers plan harder activities that enable the most-able pupils to make faster progress.  Consolidate the strong improvements to behaviour inside classrooms to make sure that behaviour outside meets equally high standards by involving pupils in evaluating rewards and sanctions, and celebrations.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leadership and management are outstanding because of the significant impact made in a short time. A talented and committed team of head of school and assistant head, supported by the executive headteacher, make focused and frequent observations of pupils’ learning and work. This enables them to consolidate and further strengthen the quality of teaching.  A tailored programme of staff development helps teachers to plan and teach lessons that meet the precise needs of their pupils. Frequent learning review sessions evaluate the impact on pupils’ progress. This approach has been successful in very quickly helping teachers to perform consistently well.  Extensive programmes of support and paired teaching help teachers to improve their work and quickly develop good, or better, practice. Teachers new to the profession receive effective support to reach the required standards.  This leadership team has been effective in introducing and monitoring a detailed scheme for pupils to

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The leadership and management are outstanding

respond to teachers’ marking. This, in a short time, has raised teachers’ and pupils’ expectations of their own performance.  Last year, standards in writing and mathematics were slightly higher than those in reading. Leaders are successfully addressing this by appointing new middle leaders, including a new leader of phonics (the sounds that letters make) and early reading.  While middle leaders are very new to their roles, they have quickly made improvements in their areas of responsibility. Actions have included training all staff in the use of phonics, revising the daily timetable and improving the range of reading resources. This has provided more opportunities for pupils to read frequently and with increasing fluency. Pupils’ progress and attainment has consequently improved already this academic year.  Robust systems have been developed to make sure that only those teachers who meet the ambitious

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The leadership and management are outstanding

targets that are set for them move up the salary scale. The executive headteacher tackles any shortcomings in teaching performance robustly when this is necessary..  The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is extremely strong. Pupils reflect on the differences between right and wrong in carefully planned lessons. For example, English lessons focus on ethical values when the rights and wrongs of urban development form the topic for persuasive writing.  Values of tolerance and democracy in British and other societies are highlighted in history and other lessons. Pupils have been encouraged to listen to each other respectfully when discussing personal experiences and feelings. Consequently, an unforced honesty was apparent in a religious education lesson on baptism in which experiences of fresh starts were shared openly.  Vivid art displays, cross-school projects such as one linking art and mathematics, and participation in

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The leadership and management are outstanding

musical performances widen pupils’ cultural horizons. Trips to different places of worship extend pupils’ spiritual understanding and visits to contrasting parts of London, for advanced computer activities for example, help to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.  The government’s sports funding has been used well to engage a specialist physical education teacher,. Pupils have three hours of physical education weekly and this has had a positive impact on their health, measured by the local authority, and their participation in clubs.  The pupil premium grant to improve the attainment of disadvantaged pupils is used effectively to reduce the gaps between their attainment and that of their peers.  Safeguarding systems meet current requirements and policies are applied consistently, so that pupils are safe and well-cared for. Leaders promote equal opportunities and do not tolerate any discrimination that

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The leadership and management are outstanding

may arise.  Leaders work with other schools in the trust to develop assessment arrangements for the new curriculum. The school joins with the other two trust schools led by the executive headteacher to check assessment standards, moderate pupils’ work and engage eminent educators to lead trust-wide professional development.  The governance of the school:  Members of the school’s Local Governing Body, formed on transition to academy status, are highly professional in their scrutiny of the standards of achievement and teaching in the school. This is because governors ask astute and probing questions about pupils’ performance when leaders report to them. The governing body augments this questioning with a schedule of focused visits to check that reported improvements are taking place.  Governors have an accurate understanding of how pupils are performing compared with national standards because they use the published data astutely to compare pupils’ performance. They have

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The leadership and management are outstanding

arranged their own training to use published data more effectively.  Governors understand the link between teachers’ pay increases and pupils’ progress. They are aware of what support has been provided to improve teaching and how any underperformance has been tackled.  Checks are made that the pupil premium funds are spent on the intended groups and governors hold school leaders to account for the impact of the expenditure on pupils’ performance.  British values of democracy and tolerance are actively promoted because governors meet the pupil council to discuss their concerns and proposals for improvement. The governing body welcomes the celebration of families’ diverse cultures and works on the principle that ‘tolerance underpins our Christian values’. They promote active celebrations of British culture and embrace participation in the London Citizens programme. By including families in events with other parishes from different economic

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The leadership and management are outstanding

and ethnic backgrounds, they are widening pupils’ cultural horizons and raising aspirations.  Governors are assiduous in ensuring that safeguarding arrangements meet requirements. The budget, delegated by the Academy Trust, is carefully managed to support the school improvement plan.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Their attitudes are very constructive because the colour-coded system of behaviour management is clearly understood and considered fair by the pupils. These ‘golden expectations’ were explained by pupils: ‘If we follow these rules, we learn. We discuss them in assembly.‘  Pupils aspire to improve their own behaviour because reflection upon their own actions is one of the values celebrated in the school. Typically, Key Stage 2 pupils conduct themselves positively around the school because they want to live up to the high expectations that are set for them. In the words of one pupil, ‘I choose to behave now because of the school’s Christian values.’  Pupils work cooperatively with adults and each other in lessons. Behaviour is good, rather than outstanding, because attitudes to learning are not consistently excellent across all classes and subjects. In addition, younger pupils need help to establish routines in the playground that are as well-mannered

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Behaviour

as their classroom behaviour. Pupils take pride in their brightly decorated classrooms and treat their environment with respect.  Pupils listen to each other with respect in classrooms and assemblies. Positive values are stressed in assemblies and pupils respond well to this. For example in the playground during lunchtime, where positive interactions are modelled by adults, Key Stage 2 pupils play together harmoniously, taking turns with group games in their assigned areas. In the words of a Year 4 pupil, ‘We get on because we’re a community and work as a team.’  Attendance rates are improving since 2013 and are in line with national averages. Improvements are evident among groups that have found regular attendance difficult in the past. This is because of effective checking and diligent following up of absences with parents. Exclusions, while initially rising when the academy behaviour policy was introduced, have now declined because management of

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Behaviour

behaviour is effective. The breakfast club provides a healthy, punctual start to the day.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Establishing supportive relationships with the pupils as individuals is a priority for all adults. Consequently, a typical comment from pupils is that all adults are very approachable and help them to feel very secure in the school. Pupils trust that their concerns will be addressed quickly and speak of how much safer they feel in the school since it became Holy Trinity.  Pupils have a very strong awareness of personal safety, including when using the internet, because it is explained well in lessons. Pupils understand and can explain the importance of cyber safety habits. Older pupils can describe how to keep themselves safe from gangs because the school works closely with community police officers who run assemblies on this topic. The school promotes safety in the locality by participating in the safe haven programme that enlists shopkeepers who will make contact with the school

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Safety

if a pupil feels unsafe on the way to and from school.  The school keeps a close eye on pupils’ concerns by using and responding to regular pupil surveys. When a small minority of pupils responded that they did not feel safe in school in the early autumn term, a school-wide Friendship Week was organised. The impact of this was overwhelming agreement that pupils now feel safe in school.  The parents who responded to a survey that uses the same questions as Parent View are unanimous that the school provides a safe and caring environment. Pupils are adamant that bullying is rare, and this is borne out by school records. Pupils are confident that if unkindness does arise, staff will deal with it effectively.

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Safety

 A hallmark of the good teaching in this school is the warm rapport quickly established between all adults and pupils in the classroom. Consequently, pupils are keen to involve themselves in lessons and offer answers to teachers and teaching assistants.  For example, pupils in Year 6 were very engaged in persuasive writing because they had begun by sharing recollections of having been persuaded in their own lives. Building on real-life examples, the teachers’ challenging questions prompted recognition of the use of alliteration, facts, opinions, rhetorical questions, emotive phrases and superlatives to persuade an audience. This helped the pupils to make good progress and draft lively paragraphs that they were able to evaluate with their partners. However, questioning is not always as skilful in promoting detailed responses and rapid progress in other year groups.  Activities in mathematics are usually designed to help pupils to apply their skills to practical problems.

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Safety

There is an emphasis in Years 5 and 6 on pupils working in smaller groups to discuss and explain their answers, thereby deepening their understanding of methods chosen. Teachers provide good guidance to pupils in mathematics through methodical marking., They make regular time for pupils to improve their answers and track their own successes on their individual target sheets.  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and support pupils’ progress by giving helpful advice for improvement to which pupils respond in their English and mathematics books. However, marking of writing in other subjects is not always as detailed so it is sometimes harder for pupils to see how to improve the accuracy and fluency of their written work, in subjects such as history and geography.  Conscientious teaching assistants plan with class teachers and give effective support to pupils who need additional help to complete tasks.

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Safety

 Interesting activities are planned and set at the right level of difficulty for most pupils so that they make good progress. However, sometimes, activities do not challenge most-able pupils sufficiently. As a result, these pupils may not make the best possible progress.  Reading is promoted across all year groups. Leaders have reorganised the routines and resources in classrooms so that time for reading is scheduled frequently for all classes. This has had a positive impact on the outcomes for pupils, particularly in the upper years of Key Stage 2. Younger pupils’ progress in reading is recorded methodically so that it can be checked against national expectations. Parents of younger pupils are attending workshops in larger numbers so that their children’s reading methods and schemes can be explained to them and reading at home encouraged.

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The achievement of pupils

.  Pupils make good progress and have achieved well by the end of Key Stage 2. In the first full year for which data is available, pupils had, by the end of Year 6, attained outcomes that were significantly above national average at Level 5 in writing and spelling, punctuation and grammar. Attainment in mathematics was well above the national average. While their performance in reading was relatively less strong, pupils last year attained above the national average.  In the same period, attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 was in line with the national average and, given their levels of development at the end of early years, pupils currently in Years 1 and 2 are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Achievement was good by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 last year. The school’s records show that good progress in mathematics and English has also been sustained in the current Years 1 and 4. Progress in the

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The achievement of pupils

current Years 5 and 6 was less strong last year and in Year 3 this year. However, leaders have tackled the issues and reorganised staffing, mathematics teaching and reading activities this year, and school records show that progress accelerated last term, so that pupils are on track to achieve much better this year.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make the same good progress as their classmates. This is particularly evident by the end of Key Stage 2 because of well-planned extra support that they receive from well-trained staff who carefully match activities to the pupils’ needs.  Pupils from different ethnic groups make equally strong progress. Those who speak English as an additional language achieve well because they receive good support to help them to develop their language skills quickly.  The performance of the small number of most-able pupils in 2014 was in line with their peers nationally,

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The achievement of pupils

However, of all the pupils currently on roll in Key Stage 2 who attained Level 3 at the end of Year 2, progress has been mixed given their strong starting points. Leaders recognise that this is because teachers did not always give hard enough work in the past to enable the most able to do well enough in a wide range of subjects. Leaders are regularly tracking the progress of this group in all years. Scrutiny of this year’s most recent data and the workbooks of most-able pupils shows that this picture is beginning to improve as a result of more focused teaching in mathematics and English.  Additional government funding to support disadvantaged pupils is used effectively to run additional activities in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2014, disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 were almost in line in mathematics and between three and five months ahead of their classmates in reading and writing. They were up to five months ahead of pupils nationally in mathematics and writing, and only a month behind

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The achievement of pupils

their peers nationally in reading. The disadvantaged pupils in the current Year 6 are also ahead of their peers in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders are aware that the disadvantaged pupils in Year 5 and Year 3 are almost a year behind their classmates and have made plans for additional help in these year groups.

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The early years provision

 High proportions of children joining the school in the early years have skill levels that are below those typical of their ages. As a result of good teaching, in 2014, achievement was only a little below that typically found at the end of the Reception Year. This reflects good progress in academic and personal development given the low starting point. Children are well prepared to begin Year 1.  Both Nursery and Reception provide a secure and stimulating learning environment. Children respond by behaving well and learning enthusiastically.  Leaders are aware that the outdoor learning area in Reception needs further development and plans are in hand to do this.  Staff interact skilfully to help children make good progress through a range of exciting activities. Their progress is very carefully recorded and leaders make sure that any children who may need additional help receive very effective support. Leaders were aware of the need to improve the teaching of phonics and

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The early years provision

have effectively revised staff training in this respect.  Leadership and management of the early years provision are good because the new leader has a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for development. A varied curriculum gives children experiences that help their development across a wide range of areas. Parents have been made very welcome and are increasingly involved in activities that help them to share and support reading and profile books with their children.

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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 139240 Local authority Haringey Inspection number 447828

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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 Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 205 Appropriate authority LDBS Academies Trust Chair Simon Atkinson Headteacher Simon Knowles, Executive Headteacher Hannah Scrase, Head of School Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 020 8808 2588

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Fax number

Email address admin@holytrinityn17.ldbsact.org 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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Fax number

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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Fax number

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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Fax number

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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Fax number

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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Fax number

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

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