Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Cookham

Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School School Lane, Cookham, Maidenhead SL6 9QJ

p.1

Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

p.1

Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

p.1

Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

p.1

Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

p.1

This is an outstanding school

 The school is a happy and welcoming place with learning at its centre.  The executive headteacher and senior leaders have brought about rapid and significant improvements since the previous inspection in the quality of teaching and the pace of pupils’ progress. They have very high expectations of teachers and pupils and check the performance of the school thoroughly. They ensure that pupils are kept safe.  The new governing body manages the strategic direction of the school very effectively and provides the school with the right balance of challenge and support.  Teachers work hard to create an environment in which pupils thrive. They plan activities that engage and motivate pupils very well and ensure pupils feel cared for and valued.  Teachers’ practice in marking pupils’ books is exemplary. Pupils respond to marking very positively. They quickly understand what they have done well and how to improve.

p.1

This is an outstanding school

 Pupils make excellent progress throughout the school and in all subjects and attain high standards that are well above average.  Pupils enjoy school and love learning. They stick to their tasks, enjoy reading and always present their work well. They develop good study habits and are well prepared for the next stages in their education.  Pupils are invariably polite and courteous. They wear their new uniforms with pride and are rightly very proud of their school.  Behaviour is very good. Pupils are considerate towards each other and treat everyone as equals.  Children quickly settle into the Reception class and learn the school routines and how to get along with each other. They are happy to come to school, and make excellent progress in all early years areas of learning.  Parents speak very highly of the school and are delighted with the great improvements over the last two years.

p.1

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve provision in early years further by ensuring that the outside area for Reception children always includes a wide range of activities to complement the activities available inside the Reception class.

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The executive headteacher, together with other leaders, has developed effective systems to check and improve the quality of teaching and the progress pupils make. As a result, teaching has improved significantly and pupils are making outstanding progress.  Areas for improvement noted in the previous inspection have been tackled robustly and successfully. For example, teachers’ marking is now consistently effective, teachers are held to account for pupils’ achievement and pupils make much better progress in writing and mathematics.  The school measures its own performance accurately and comprehensively. Governors and senior leaders have high expectations of the whole school team. Ambitious plans for continuing the school’s improvement are clearly laid out and implemented and monitored effectively.  Senior leaders use a wide range of evidence, including from scrutinising pupils’ books and observing lessons,

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

to evaluate teachers’ performance. Teachers are very well supported and rise to the challenge of meeting ambitious targets for pupils’ achievement.  Holy Trinity is truly a learning school. As well as training courses, teachers are involved in research-based learning and are working closely with another outstanding school in raising the quality of teaching. Two members of the relatively small staff are embarking on programmes to gain national qualifications in leadership.  Teachers check the progress of pupils regularly and additional help is given to pupils who show signs of not progressing as well as others. The school makes sure that there are equal opportunities for all and no form of discrimination is tolerated. For example, teachers ensure all pupils have a chance to share their ideas and answer questions in class and that clubs are open to everyone.  The school offers a broad range of subjects that meet the needs of the new national curriculum and pupils’

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

interests. For example, pupils get a taste of several modern foreign languages, opportunities to sing and play musical instruments and to enjoy and compete in several sports, including sailing. Pupils regularly use modern information technology equipment, such as iPads, to enhance their learning. Parents are given valuable support in helping their children at home through workshops for mathematics and phonics (sounds that letters make), for example, and regular newsletters from class teachers.  A wide range of trips, clubs, and visitors to the school enrich pupils’ experiences very well. For example, pupils can try their hand at pottery and gardening and get active with kickboxing and gymnastics. Authors have held workshops, stimulating pupils’ interest in reading and writing, and a dentist has spoken on health matters. Pupils have been to theatres, museums and a literacy festival, as well as attending a residential

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

activity week in Devon. The school-run breakfast club is highly valued by parents. Pupils enjoy a healthy meal and have the opportunity to socialise with pupils from all years and read or engage in educational activities.  Senior leaders have used the primary sports funding to raise the coaching skills of staff and to improve the sporting opportunities for pupils. Specialist sports teachers have helped pupils to quickly develop their skills in sport, and trained teachers at the same time. More pupils now take part in regular physical activities, including competitions, with the consequent positive impact on their health.  The principles of fairness, honesty, caring for one another and respect permeate the school. They support the school’s promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well through assemblies, lessons and visiting speakers. Pupils have regular opportunities to reflect on British values and

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

understand them by ‘doing’. For example, they experienced democracy at work during the election of house captains by campaigning and voting.  The school’s leaders use the pupil premium to great effect, planning individual programmes of support for eligible pupils, such as giving them daily feedback on their progress and one-to-one tuition, and enabling them to benefit from all opportunities available at school, including trips and clubs. As a result, the small numbers of eligible pupils in each class make good or better progress in their learning. In the same way, support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is closely matched to individuals so that they are able to make similar progress to their classmates.  The large numbers of parents who met the inspection team or left comments on Parent View were effusive in their praise of the school and most reported their delight at the recent rapid improvement in the school’s

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

performance. Many parents commented on the effectiveness of teaching, how happy their children were and the good communication with the school.  The governance of the school Governance is effective. Governors moved quickly following an external review to reorganise the governing body into a smaller and more effective unit. The governing body has a wide range of relevant skills and governors participate in regular training, including on understanding school performance information, to enhance their skills further. Governors keep themselves well informed through regular reports and presentations from the school’s leaders and also from their own focused visits. They have a clear picture of how well the school is doing, including the quality of teaching and the achievement of pupils. They are very conscious of their responsibilities and are closely involved in setting ambitious targets for the executive headteacher.

p.4

Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

Records of governors’ meetings show that, as well as providing strong support to the school, governors ask challenging questions of the leadership team to hold it to account for its actions. Governors are prudent in their financial management. For example, they ensure that teachers’ pay awards are warranted, that the pupil premium supports disadvantaged pupils effectively and that the sports funding increases pupils’ physical activity and their enjoyment of sport. They make sure safeguarding arrangements fully meet requirements.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Parents rightly agree with the school that their children are well cared for and kept safe.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

 The quality of teaching has improved markedly since the previous inspection. Teachers have responded very positively to the focused continuing professional development opportunities. Seeing practice at another outstanding local school and being mentored by leaders of that school have been particularly effective in raising teachers’ expectations. As a result of better teaching, pupils are making outstanding progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teachers have very good relationships with their pupils. They manage their classes very competently, with well-practised, effective routines, for example, to gain the attention of the whole class. Consequently, pupils settle down to work without fuss and stick to their tasks, so that lessons are conducted in a calm and purposeful manner.  Teachers have a very good understanding of the subjects they teach and the way pupils learn. They often ask questions that make pupils think harder or give clearer explanations. For example, through the teacher’s

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

questioning, pupils in Year 6 had to think carefully to find a pattern in their measurements of diameters and circumferences. The exercise was very challenging and developed pupils’ understanding of the properties of circles very well.  Teaching assistants are well deployed and support identified pupils very well. Strong liaison with class teachers ensures teaching assistants are clear about their roles. Assistants provide individual pupils with a good balance of support and challenge.  When planning, teachers take account of the backgrounds and different levels of understanding of their pupils and provide extra support were appropriate and suitably challenging tasks. Activities are typically interesting and engaging, from Year 1 pupils learning about scales when cooking to Year 5 pupils using iPads to record persuasive letters.  Reading and writing have a high priority at the school. Teachers demonstrate accurately and clearly how to

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

make and blend sounds during sessions for phonics, and promote regular reading effectively. For example, reading is a regular homework and class activity. Pupils have numerous opportunities to practise writing, including extended pieces and in different genres, across a range of subjects. As a result pupils develop a love of reading and good writing skills.  Teachers provide pupils of all ages with a range of homework activities extending or consolidating their classroom learning well. For example, pupils speak proudly of rising to the challenge of spelling and times tables tests.  The school’s marking policy is followed closely. Teachers’ marking is of very high quality. They mark pupils’ written work regularly and always provide clear guidance on what pupils need to do to improve. Pupils are given time to respond to the marking and an ongoing dialogue develops between the class teacher and each

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

pupil, promoting rapid progress in learning.

p.5

Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Pupils are articulate, confident and self-assured. They show the characteristics of effective learners. For example, they persevere when working independently and work together effectively in teams, such as taking on different roles when reviewing a book as a group.  Pupils across the school relish taking on extra responsibilities, with Reception children returning the register and Year 6 pupils shouldering house captaincy roles, for example.  Healthy lifestyles are understood by pupils. They know the benefits of a balanced diet and regular physical exercise. They consider school meals to be healthy and say they enjoy the regular sporting activities available.  Pupils are kept safe at school, and they say they feel very secure there. They are learning how to stay safe in different situations. For example, they know about the different forms of bullying and speak

p.5

Personal development and welfare

authoritatively about how to stay safe when using the internet.

p.5

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils understand the way they are expected to behave and they know their behaviour affects how well they do at school. They work hard and are proud of their achievements. They keep trying even when tasks are difficult.  Attendance is above average. Pupils are happy at school and attend regularly. They say that everyone gets along very well and older pupils help younger ones. They feel valued and think teachers listen to and take account of their ideas. They respond positively to teachers’ marking, present their written work well and follow teachers’ instructions closely.  Pupils are considerate of others and are very polite and courteous towards visitors and each other. They report that bullying is very rare and they are confident that teachers would quickly sort out any problems if they did arise. The school’s leaders rarely need to deal with misbehaviour or bullying.

p.5

Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

 Due to improved teaching, pupils in all year groups are making excellent progress. In 2014, pupils in Year 6 left school with attainment that was significantly above the national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportions of pupils making and exceeding the expected progress in these subjects in Key Stage 2 were well above national figures. Information from the school shows that in 2015 Year 6 pupils also made outstanding progress and reached similarly high standards.  Pupils in Year 2 made better progress than nationally. They have also reached above-average standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1 for the last two years. Pupils in other year groups made consistently rapid progress in 2015 in all three subjects.  The school’s information on pupils’ current performance at this early point in the new school year, confirmed by pupils’ work seen in books, shows that all year groups are making rapid progress and achieving very well

p.5

Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

in reading, writing and mathematics. They are making similar progress in their other subjects, such as science. Reception children are making strong progress in all areas of learning.  Younger pupils in Reception and Key Stage 1 are making very good progress in learning the sounds letters make and how to combine them into words, developing their reading skills very well. Virtually all pupils in Year 1 passed the phonics screening check in 2015.  The school provides effective support for the relatively small numbers of disadvantaged and disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs in each year group. Consequently, these pupils are helped to make similar progress to their classmates in their learning. The small number of disadvantaged pupils made better progress than others nationally and similar progress to their classmates in reading, writing and mathematics in 2015.  Teachers ensure there are regular opportunities for the most-able pupils to tackle challenging activities so

p.5

Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

that they have to think hard and solve problems. The effectiveness of this approach was shown by the above-average proportion of pupils who attained the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics in Years 2 and 6 in 2015.  Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. For example, Year 6 pupils develop the necessary skills and study habits to enable them to flourish in secondary school while Reception children gain confidence and a firm foundation in reading, writing and numbers to get a good start in Year 1.

p.6

Early years provision is outstanding

 Children make excellent progress in all areas of learning in Reception. They enjoy the activities, which are highly engaging and spark their imagination. For example, learning about shapes in a treasure hunt and developing their balance and coordination skills when ‘feeding a crocodile’. Activities are closely matched to each child’s next steps in learning to ensure that they make strong progress. Early years staff, recognising relative weaknesses in children’s fine motor skills and their writing, provide many opportunities and effective encouragement to develop these abilities.  Most children start Reception with skills and abilities that are broadly typical for their age. In the caring and supportive atmosphere children quickly settle into school routines. They learn how to socialise with others and develop confidence in doing things for themselves.  Children are very well prepared for their move into Year 1. The proportion of children reaching a good level

p.6

Early years provision is outstanding

of development by the end of their Reception period has been significantly above the national average for the last two years.  The early years is led and managed extremely well. Evidence of children’s learning, including parents’ observations of their children’s abilities, is collected and recorded efficiently. Adults build up a comprehensive record of each child’s abilities to accurately gauge how well they are developing. The school regularly checks their evaluations are accurate by comparing evidence across a range of schools. Visits from local authority representatives confirm that the early years team is making accurate judgements.  Teaching is outstanding. There is a strong focus on speaking, listening and reading. Adults encourage children to talk and think about what they are doing. Children have many opportunities to share their ideas with one another. Adults skilfully ask them questions to check on their understanding to challenge them to

p.6

Early years provision is outstanding

explore and discover things for themselves. Individual programmes of extra support for disadvantaged children and those who are disabled or have special educational needs are very effective and these children make similar progress to others.  Phonics is taught very well. Adults pronounce sounds accurately and provide children with appropriately challenging and interesting activities to help them learn new sounds and how to recognise and say new words. Children are effectively encouraged to use books and read. For example, all children choose a book each morning and look through it.  Children’s behaviour is outstanding. They learn to sit sensibly and to take turns and share things. Children concentrate well and show resilience in sticking to their chosen activities. One parent said, ‘I’m constantly impressed by the behaviour of the children, even the tiniest Reception children walk quietly and calmly to

p.6

Early years provision is outstanding

and from class.’  Children are safe, valued and are well looked after. All necessary aspects of safeguarding are securely in place.  The learning environment in early years is bright, stimulating and attractive. Displays are interesting and rich in words and numbers. Adults organise a range of interesting activities in different areas of learning linked around a common theme, such as a story about a crocodile. Occasionally, the outside area is not as well utilised as the indoor area to support learning.

p.6

School details

Unique reference number 109961 Local authority The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Inspection number 10002291 This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 210 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Yasmin Thorn-Davis Headteacher Dave Rooney, Executive Headteacher Telephone number 01628 523766 Website www.holytrinitycofeprimaryschoolcookham.co.uk Email address office@holytrinitysch.co.uk Date of previous inspection 8–9 October 2013

p.7

Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average primary school. It has one full-time Reception class and seven classes for Years 1 to 6. Two classes are for combined Years 1 and 2.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (extra government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or children who are looked after by the local authority) is well below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below the national average.  The school runs a breakfast club.  The executive headteacher took on the role in September 2013.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

p.7

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors, accompanied by senior leaders on occasions, observed pupils in all year groups engaged in a range of activities in different subjects. They looked at pupils’ written work in all years and checked the records of children’s learning in the early years.  The inspection team held meetings with the headteacher, other school leaders, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Governing Body and one other governor. An inspector spoke to a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors spoke to two groups of pupils and, informally, with other pupils in lessons and around the school. An inspector listened to pupils reading and spoke to them about their reading habits.  Inspectors examined several school documents. These included the school’s evaluation of its performance and its improvement plan, notes of governors’ meetings, information about pupils’ progress and attainment, evidence about the quality of teaching, and records relating to behaviour, safeguarding

p.8

Information about this inspection

and attendance.  Inspectors took account of the 84 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, including 48 comments, and the views expressed informally by parents as they arrived at school. The inspectors analysed 23 questionnaires returned by staff.

p.8

Inspection team

Jim McVeigh, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Clementina Aina Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspection team

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.

p.9

Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.9

Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

p.9

Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspection team

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

p.9