Holy Trinity CofE Primary School

School report Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School Eagans Close, Market Place, London, N2 8GA

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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 Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils of all abilities achieve outstandingly well. They make rapid progress to reach standards that are well above average and rising by the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics.  These high levels of academic achievement, together with their enthusiasm for learning, ensure that pupils are exceptionally well prepared for their secondary education.  The quality of teaching is outstanding. Teachers have the highest aspirations for, and expectations of, their pupils.  Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They are polite and respectful of one another and adults. They behave extremely well around the school and are very keen to learn in the classroom.  The arrangements to keep pupils safe and secure are very thorough. As a result, pupils say that they feel exceptionally safe in school and have great confidence in the adults around them.  The school has a proud record of sporting excellence. The additional sports funding is being

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

used very effectively to provide even more opportunities for pupils to participate and excel.  The school enjoys a very productive relationship with parents and carers who hold it in very high regard.  The headteacher has provided inspirational leadership over many years which ensures that the school is committed to academic excellence and providing pupils with a rich curriculum and the highest levels of care and support.  The deputy headteacher and other leaders provide very strong support and play a key role in school improvement.  Governors are knowledgeable and highly committed to producing the best possible outcomes for pupils. They leave no stone unturned in ensuring that leaders continue to improve the school.  The relentless drive of leaders and governors has secured continuous improvement in the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement since the previous inspection.  The school’s strong values of care and respect shine

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

through all aspects of its daily life. All aspects of pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development are promoted to high levels.  The early years provides children with a good start to their education. After a dip in 2014, their achievement is improving strongly, although children are not yet making raipd progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning throughout the school. A number of these visits were made with senior leaders. Inspectors also looked at samples of pupils’ work and heard some pupils read.  Inspectors met with senior and middle leaders, four governors, the family support worker, two groups of pupils and a representative of the local authority.  The team examined a range of documentary evidence including information about the progress of pupils, the school’s plans for improvement and policies and procedures in relation to safeguarding.  Inspectors considered the 71 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. They also took into account the 26 questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Graham Lee, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Inspection team

Clementina Olufunke Aina Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school. In the early years, provision is part time in the morning and afternoon Nursery sessions and full time in the Reception class. Elsewhere there is one class in each year group except in Year 1, where there are two.  Just over half of the pupils are of White British heritage. The rest come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. About one in five pupils speak English as an additional language, which is slightly above average.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is above average and has risen in recent years.  The proportion of pupils eligible pupil premium funding is broadly average. In this school, this additional government funding is provided to support pupils eligible for free school meals.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this school

 The school runs breakfast and after-school clubs for pupils on the premises.  The headteacher provides support to a number of primary schools in Barnet.  The school recently underwent an inspection of religious education. The findings of this inspection were reported separately.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve provision in the early years still further by ensuring that next steps in learning are followed through, especially for the most able, so that all children make rapid progress and reach the highest possible standards by the end of the Reception Year.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher provides inspirational leadership and, supported by governors and other leaders, has ensured that the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement has continued to improve since the previous inspection. This has been accomplished within a caring and supportive environment where every individual pupil is valued and strong relationships and excellent behaviour are the norm.  The school has a very good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses based on a careful analysis of information about pupils’ progress. This ensures that all groups of pupils make rapid progress between Years 1 and 6 and promotes equality of opportunity very effectively. Leaders and governors focus relentlessly on the areas identified to develop thorough, succinct and purposeful plans for improvement.  The deputy headteacher and senior and middle leaders play an important part in improving the school. They have a very good understanding of the school’s priorities. They drive improvements in teaching and

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The leadership and management are outstanding

learning and pupils’ achievements in their areas of responsibility.  The leadership of teaching is highly effective. A culture has been created which encourages teachers to work together to improve their practice. This is underpinned by the regular checking of the quality of teaching by leaders and a rigorous system for managing the performance of teachers. This ensures that pay rewards are related to the progress of pupils and teachers’ wider responsibilities in the school.  The curriculum is exciting and innovative. It develops pupils’ basic skills in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) extremely well. It also provides many opportunities for pupils to use these skills in other subjects to enable them to see the relevance of their learning. Science, led by the headteacher, has a high profile in the school, as do the arts and modern foreign languages.  The promotion of sporting excellence has been a feature of the school for many years with notable

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The leadership and management are outstanding

successes in Barnet and London more widely, especially in gymnastics and swimming. In conjunction with the Barnet School Sports Partnership, the additional primary school physical education and sport funding has been used very effectively to provide further opportunities through professional coaches in particular. This is resulted in high numbers of pupils participating in sport, thus improving their health and well-being, and enabling many to excel.  The school’s values are well understood by pupils of all ages and result in warm and caring relationships throughout the school. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated and all aspects of pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development are promoted extremely well.  The school is outward looking and has good links with the community. Pupils learn to respect people of different faiths; during the inspection, for example, assemblies were focused very respectfully on the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

Jewish faith. They also learn about British values such as democracy, through elections to the school council, and the rule of law. They are very well prepared for life in modern Britain.  The additional pupil premium funding is reviewed regularly by leaders and governors to ensure that it is closing gaps for disadvantaged pupils. In the current year, it is being used very effectively to provide additional support in literacy and numeracy by teachers and teaching assistants. It has helped to fund the family support worker, which has provided invaluable support to some families. This is ensuring that the gaps in the attainment of these pupils and others are closing rapidly.  The school’s arrangements for the safeguarding of pupils are robust and meet statutory requirements. Policies and procedures are very thorough and evident in the everyday life of the school. Leaders and governors review them regularly.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The local authority has provided effective and appropriate ‘light touch’ support to the school over the years. The headteacher’s work with other schools in the area has also enhanced his work at Holy Trinity.  The governance of the school:  Governance is highly effective and governors are very ambitious for the school. They have a wide range of expertise and a detailed understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They constantly challenge leaders to make further improvements and are well aware of the school’s priorities, with a governor assigned to oversee each aspect.  Governors are very clear about the quality of teaching and ensure that pay rewards for leaders and teachers are linked closely to performance and that any underperformance is addressed.  Governors have a detailed understanding of information about the school’s performance and of how this compares to the national picture. They manage the school’s resources very effectively and ensure that

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The leadership and management are outstanding

all statutory requirements, for example in relation to the safeguarding of pupils, are met.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Around the school, in assemblies and on the playground behaviour is exemplary. Pupils are courteous and friendly to one another and to adults. They wear their uniforms with pride and are great ambassadors for their school.  Throughout the school, pupils are enthusiastic learners and really enjoy the challenges they are presented with. They take a pride in the presentation of their work and always strive to improve.  Pupils sustain concentration well when working on their own. They are equally productive when working in pairs or in groups. They cooperate well and benefit from listening to one another’s ideas and opinions.  The school’s records confirm that behaviour is outstanding over time. There have been no exclusions in the 10 years the headteacher has been at the school. Behaviour logs show that serious incidents are rare and that the few that occur are analysed carefully to bring about improvement.

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Behaviour

 The pupils spoken to by the inspectors confirm the excellent behaviour over time. Parents, carers and staff unanimously agree that pupils behave well at the school.  Staff set very high standards for behaviour to which pupils respond extremely positively. This creates a very positive atmosphere for learning where even minor disruption is not tolerated.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. The arrangements for safeguarding are exemplary and the safety of children is the highest priority for the school. This is exemplified in the everyday life of the school.  Pupils have a very good understanding of different kinds of bullying and are aware, for example, of the potential dangers of the internet. They are insistent that bullying is very rare in the school and they have the utmost confidence in the adults around them to keep them safe and secure.  There are a few pupils in the school with particular needs and the school’s records show that the school has been very successful in supporting families to improve the attendance and behaviour of their children. The family support worker plays a key role in this work and demonstrates the school’s commitment to its most vulnerable families.  The school’s breakfast and after-school clubs provide a stimulating and safe environment for pupils and

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Safety

invaluable support to families, especially those that are most vulnerable.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection. Throughout the school, its impact on pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has been outstanding over time.  Teachers have the highest expectations of pupils’ behaviour and achievement. They enjoy very good relationships with their classes and set a purposeful framework for learning.  Teachers enthuse their pupils with interesting activities and set tasks that challenge pupils of all abilities to improve their knowledge and understanding. This is an aspect of teaching that has improved considerably since the previous inspection.  Teachers use questions very effectively to check pupils’ understanding and deepen their thinking. They are particularly skilful at reinforcing ideas and moving pupils on more quickly in the light of what is emerging in lessons.  Teaching assistants make an important contribution to pupils’ learning, especially for pupils with special

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

educational needs and those who learn at a slower pace, when working with individuals or in small groups.  The quality of marking is much improved since the previous inspection. Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly in accordance with the school’s policy and provide comments which help them to improve their work. There is ample evidence that pupils have opportunities to put these improvements into practice.  The teaching of reading is highly effective. Phonics (letters and the sounds they make) are taught systematically and this is evident in the strong outcomes of the phonics screening check in Year 1. Thereafter, pupils are encouraged well to develop their reading for pleasure and information to high levels.  Spelling, grammar and punctuation are given a high profile by teachers but within a real context which encourages pupils to write. For example, in Year 6, with the objective of embedding quotations in their

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

writing, pupils were re-enacting a press conference related to the recent Hatton Garden robbery, assuming the roles of policemen, customers, owners and former robbers, as well as journalists. This helped them to understand the importance of well-chosen quotations in their reporting of events.  Teachers give an important emphasis to developing a good understanding of number in mathematics as well as other mathematical concepts. There is also an emphasis on investigations so that pupils are able to put their learning into a real context. For example, in a Year 4 lesson on fractions, pupils were required to cost out the ingredients for a cake based on the proportions that were required.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils of all abilities achieve outstandingly well. They make rapid progress from their starting points. As a result, standards have risen at the end of Years 2 and 6 since the previous inspection and are well above average in reading, writing and mathematics by the time pupils move to secondary school.  Pupils learn extremely well in a range of subjects because of the high quality teaching and additional opportunities they receive. In addition to the core skills, they become extremely accomplished, for example in science and their various sporting endeavours.  The most able pupils in the school are performing increasingly well. This is reflected in the above average proportion of pupils reaching the higher levels at the end of Years 2 and 6. In the current Year 6, an increasing number of pupils are working at the highest Level 6 in mathematics and writing. This is a level not achieved by most pupils until well into their secondary education.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils with a range of special educational needs make strong progress because of the highly effective support they receive. Those leaving Year 6 in 2014 had made exceptional progress, better than other pupils in the school.  Disadvantaged pupils make very good progress from their starting points throughout the school. Those leaving the school in Year 6 in 2014 had made better progress than other pupils nationally. However, their attainment in reading was three terms behind others in the school and two terms behind other pupils nationally. In writing, the gaps were four terms with others in the school and two terms with others nationally. In mathematics, they were five terms behind others in the school and three terms behind others nationally.  The current Year 6 pupils have made better progress in Key Stage 2 than their peers and attainment gaps have closed significantly. Currently, their attainment at least matches that of other pupils nationally in

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

2014.  The school keeps a close eye on pupils from different groups to ensure that they all make rapid progress. As a result, there are no significant differences in achievement for boys and girls, those from different ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language.

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The early years provision is good

 Provision in the early years is good and improving. All aspects of children’s learning are promoted well through the range of stimulating activities provided in the Nursery and Reception classes. They make good progress as a result.  Children’s skills and understanding are generally typical for their age when they arrive the Nursery of Reception class. However, in the ‘bulge’ intake last year, their skills on entry to the Reception class were much lower than is usual. Although they made good progress, the proportion reaching a good level of development by the end of the year dipped.  In the current year, children continue to make good progress and already they are reaching much higher levels of development.  Children quickly settle into the warm and welcoming Nursery and Reception classes and become eager learners. They behave well and play and learn harmoniously together. The early years is a very safe area

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The early years provision is good

for children and all aspects of children’s safety and welfare are given the highest priority.  Teachers and other adults provide stimulating activities for children to develop their learning both inside and out. They take every opportunity to develop their early thinking and communication skills through questioning and modelling.  The deputy headteacher leads the early years very effectively. She has supported new staff thoroughly and provision is improving. Information about children’s achievement is used to plan for improvement. Excellent relationships are established with parents and carers, which creates a productive partnership as the children move through the school.  Adults record children’s progress well through ‘learning journals’ and focus on the next steps that children need to take in their learning. These are not always followed through sufficiently, so children are not yet making rapid progress in their learning, especially the most able.

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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 101317 Local authority Barnet Inspection number 448217

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 252 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mark Chapman Headteacher Tim Bowden Date of previous school inspection 23—24 September 2009 Telephone number 020 8883 1824 Fax number 020 8883 9320 Email address office@holytrinity.barnetmail.net 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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