Holy Trinity CofE Primary School

Holy Trinity CofE Primary School Trinity Road South, West Bromwich B70 6NF

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is an inadequate school

 Since the school was judged as requiring improvement at both previous inspections, leaders have been unable to bring about the necessary improvements.  Standards at the end of Year 6, particularly in reading and writing, remain too low.  Too many pupils fail to make enough progress from their individual starting points, particularly in key stage 2, because of inadequate teaching, learning and assessment.  Gaps between the attainment of Year 6 disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in the school and nationally widened in 2015 in reading, writing and mathematics.  Work in current pupils’ books shows a very mixed picture. Many pupils make weak progress in writing and mathematics. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are not consistently positive in lessons.  Opportunities for pupils to write and use their mathematical skills across the curriculum are limited.  The use of assessment is weak. Methods used to assess pupils’ progress in their learning are not

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This is an inadequate school

matched well enough to the curriculum being taught. Teachers and school leaders do not have a well-informed understanding of how well pupils are doing.  The curriculum fails to prepare pupils well enough academically for the next stage in their education.  Areas identified for improvement at the previous inspection have not been tackled successfully.  School leaders have an overgenerous view of the school’s performance. Over time, they have failed to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes.  Governors have accepted information about the school’s performance without question.

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The school has the following strengths

 Provision and outcomes in the early years have improved because leadership and management are more effective in this part of the school.  Teaching and assessment in phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) have improved and standards of reading in the younger classes are rising.  The school provides well for pupils’ welfare.  Pupils are polite and courteous.  Pupils’ attendance has improved since the last inspection to broadly match the national average.

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Rapidly improve teaching to accelerate the progress all pupils make and enthuse them for their learning in reading, writing and mathematics by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

ensuring the school curriculum more carefully matches the requirements of the national curriculum making better use of the pupil premium to support disadvantaged pupils in their learning making sure assessment is used more effectively by teachers to check what pupils know and need to learn next giving pupils many more opportunities to write and use their mathematical skills in different subjects building robustly on children’s success in the early years so they achieve well as they progress up through school providing more opportunities for pupils to use and explain their reasoning behind how they solve mathematical problems.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the impact leaders and managers have on pupils’ learning so improvements take place quickly, by making sure:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

leaders have a well informed and secure understanding of how pupils are progressing and how the school is performing compared to other schools nationally leaders hold teachers fully to account for weak progress through effective performance management leaders make more effective use of the skills and expertise within the school and across the federation in order to support and improve weak teaching the governing body increases its understanding of how well pupils are doing in order to enable them to challenge the leadership more effectively.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

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

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

The school may not appoint newly qualified teachers.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 The quality of education has declined since the previous inspection when the school was judged to require improvement for the second consecutive time. School leaders and managers, including governors, have failed to improve teaching, learning and assessment and, consequently, academic standards remain too low. These failings have significantly impaired pupils’ progress, particularly those pupils who are disadvantaged.  The school’s self-evaluation is overgenerous because leaders and managers have an inaccurate view of the school’s performance. The monitoring processes which inform self-evaluation are imprecise and do not identify specific weaknesses well enough in order for improvements to be made.  Plans for school improvement are detailed, but specific actions to bring about further improvement are not prioritised or linked to appropriate timescales.  Since the school has started to work on assessment without national curriculum levels senior leaders have

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

failed to devise a strong enough assessment system to enable them to gain an accurate view of how well pupils are progressing towards reaching their age-related expectations in each year group. Leaders do not understand fully what their assessment systems are telling them about how well pupils are learning.  The additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is not used effectively. The most recent performance information from the school shows huge variations in pupils’ attainment. Some disadvantaged pupils, such as in Year 2, are doing well, but others, such as in Year 6, are not. In many cases, disadvantaged pupils are a long way behind others in their academic work. In 2015 for example, many disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 underachieved, and the gaps between their attainment and that of other pupils nationally widened further than those seen in the previous year.  The curriculum is not designed to help pupils achieve the outcomes expected of them in the national

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

curriculum. As such, it fails to meet pupils’ academic needs. The curriculum is, however, broad and varied and pupils participate enthusiastically in a wide range of learning experiences. The forest school work, for example, supports pupils’ behavioural and social development effectively.  Although the local authority has put in considerable support to the school it has not had enough impact in improving teaching and learning and leadership and management. Support for the teaching of phonics has been more successful.  Pupils are well prepared for living in modern Britain because the school promotes British values. Pupils are taught to show interest in and acceptance of other people’s beliefs, while there is still a strong Christian ethos. In this school, where 33 different languages are spoken, pupils from many different religious beliefs socialise together extremely well in a culture of tolerance and respect. They learn in many lessons

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

about democracy and the rule of law.  Leaders of literacy, numeracy and other subjects in school have an understanding of what they should do to improve teaching and learning in their subjects further. For example, they understand that there are too few opportunities for pupils to use their skills in literacy and numeracy in other subjects across the curriculum and plan to improve this. Actions taken to date, however, have had a limited impact because they have not been well enough supported by senior leaders.  Additional funding for school sports is providing many additional opportunities for pupils to participate in a wide range of well-taught sports. Teachers benefit from being taught by specialised coaches about how they can improve their teaching of sports in school.  Since the previous inspection, school leaders and managers have brought about improvements in pupils’ attendance so that it is now broadly average.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 New leadership of the early years has improved provision and outcomes for the youngest children. Children’s outcomes in the early years are improving, although they remain below those expected nationally.  The proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has risen due to improved teaching of letters and the sounds that they make.  The governance of the school Governors recognise that the school has not yet improved to become a good school and point to many barriers to learning which they have been told about by senior leaders. Governors undertake monitoring activities in school to inform their strategic planning but these have failed to bring about the necessary improvements because they have not been focused clearly enough on improving pupils’ achievement. Performance management is not used well enough to improve teaching. Minutes of governing body meetings show too little challenge for school leaders. For example, when

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

talking about the low proportion of pupils in Year 4 reaching their age-related expectations in mathematics, governors did not question if this was good enough. Instead, governors accepted that it was the result of changes in the curriculum as explained by school leaders. Governors have not ensured that pupil premium funding has been spent well. An external review of governance was completed since the previous inspection. Governors have undertaken appropriate training but lack the expertise to improve the school further.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff training about child protection procedures is up to date and all policies are in place. Effective systems are in place for staff to report concerns about pupils. Twice-weekly meetings are held to discuss concerns and ensure appropriate action is taken to support pupils and to keep them safe. The school works well with other agencies in order to assist and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

support pupils’ well-being and safety. Regular risk assessments are carried out to ensure pupils are kept safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

 Teachers’ assessment of pupils’ learning is weak. As a result, teachers are not planning effectively. Assessment is not matched well enough to national curriculum programmes of study and paints an overgenerous picture of how well pupils are progressing in their learning.  Weaknesses in assessment limit effective learning. For example, a pupil was observed struggling to spell a word correctly. The dictionary provided was not appropriate for her needs and she was unable to make use of it. Consequently, she became confused and learning time was lost.  Pupils do not know what their next steps in learning are or what they should do to improve their work further. The target setting used by the school does not promote good learning. A few pupils are not able to read what teachers write in their books, which inhibits their learning.  In some lessons, teachers’ questioning of pupils lacks precision. Pupils do not always understand what

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

they are expected to learn and they become confused.  The quality of teaching across the school is inconsistent. As a result, pupils’ rates of progress vary.  Resources are not used well enough to support learning.  The teaching of the most able pupils is poor and does not challenge them enough in lessons to help them make enough progress in their learning.  Pupils’ learning is improving in mathematics because much more emphasis is now placed on teaching pupils to solve problems and providing pupils with opportunities to explain their reasoning for their solutions. However, this is not consistently effective.  In very few lessons, teachers match pupils’ learning tasks well to their abilities and learning needs.  Although the effectiveness of the deployment of additional adults is highly variable, there were examples seen during the inspection where some teaching assistants supported the learning of pupils who have

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

special educational needs and disability well.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  The school has maintained its previous success in providing strong emotional support for pupils.  Pupils are confident because of the successful emphasis placed on their personal development by members of staff.  The experience of vulnerable pupils and the pupils with special educational needs and disability in school is positive and they are progressing in their personal development because of the very well structured, caring and nurturing support which they receive.  Before- and after-school clubs run by the school provide well for the personal development and welfare needs of pupils. For example, attendance at the breakfast club ensures pupils have a nutritious and healthy breakfast which prepares them well for their day of lessons ahead.  Pupils are reflective and very understanding of the feelings and emotions of others and the impact their

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Personal development and welfare

actions have on them. For example, in discussion with an inspector, a pupil explained how important it was that they looked after shy pupils in school and it that does not matter if they are different to themselves.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe. They are very aware of cyber bullying and what they must do in order to stay safe when using the internet.  Pupils are less secure in understanding how to improve their learning.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Their attitudes to learning are too variable to support good progress.  While behaviour in lessons is mostly orderly and pupils accept what they are given to do, at times they become disengaged if they are not being supported or are not clear about what they should be doing.  Overall attendance and the rate of persistent absence are both broadly in line with the national average. The family support worker has had a strong impact on improving pupils’ attendance and punctuality since the last inspection. Lateness is rare.  The proportion of pupils who are regularly absent from school has also improved. A hard line is taken by the school to deal with poor attendance  The good standards of behaviour around school, noted in previous inspection reports, have been maintained and, across the school, staff have consistent expectations of pupils’ behaviour and conduct.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are polite, courteous and considerate. Those spoken to enjoy attending school and meeting their friends. On the playground they play well together. Play buddies help to make breaktimes happy and enjoyable for pupils and ensure that no one is left out.  In the dinner hall pupils take turns and wait patiently in an orderly queue before sitting with their friends to eat their lunch in a calm and well-supervised environment.  Pupils proudly report that bullying is not a problem in this school. This is borne out by parent and staff views and evidence scrutinised by inspectors in the behaviour logs.

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

 Pupils are ill-prepared academically for the next stage of their education when they leave Year 6 because they make too little progress from their individual starting points. Outcomes have not improved enough since the previous inspection.  In Year 2 in 2015, pupils’ attainment was below average in reading, writing and mathematics. In mathematics and reading, attainment had shown improvement over previous years but fell back in 2015.  In 2015, the progress made by Year 6 pupils from the time they left Year 2 was well below average in reading and writing. In mathematics it was also below average.  The progress made by disadvantaged pupils in reading and writing declined over a three-year period. This group of pupils underachieve significantly. The most able pupils and pupils with special educational needs or disability, and pupils who speak English as an additional language, also underachieve in reading and

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

writing.  In 2015, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in reading, writing and mathematics fell further behind that of other pupils in the school and nationally. In reading, the gap was nearly four terms compared to other pupils nationally and about two terms compared to other pupils in school. In writing, the gap was over three terms compared to other pupils nationally and nearly two terms compared to other pupils in school. In mathematics, the gap compared to other pupils nationally and in school was about two and a half terms.  The latest school performance information shows that wide gaps remain across subjects and year groups between disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special educational needs or disability and other pupils in school. Actions taken by school leaders and staff have failed to help disadvantaged pupils to learn well enough.  Evidence seen during the inspection supports the findings in the latest school performance information

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

showing that varying proportions of pupils are on track to reach age-related expectations at the end of this academic year.  During the inspection, there were examples where pupils with special educational needs or disability were well supported to learn; however, this was not the case throughout the school.  Attainment in the Year 1 phonics screening check is rising because of improved phonics teaching in the younger classes but remains below the national average.  The most able pupils make weak progress in their learning because they are insufficiently challenged in lessons.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 From starting Nursery with just below typically expected knowledge and skills for their age, children remain below the expected level of development for their age at the end of Reception. This means they are not yet fully prepared to join Year 1 at the expected starting points. Teaching over time requires improvement because pupils have not made sufficient gains in their learning to catch up with their peers nationally.  Since the previous inspection, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development has increased from an exceptionally low level in 2014 and it is getting nearer to the national average. It is predicted to improve again this year, although it is likely to remain just below average.  Assessment of how well children are learning is secure in the early years. Current teaching seen is well informed and meets children’s needs. During this inspection, for example, children practised their writing

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Early years provision requires improvement

skills well when taking part in writing gym activities set to music. This really engaged children, especially the boys, in writing effectively.  The new leader of early years provides effective leadership. She has worked closely with the deputy headteacher to make many changes in early years provision which have brought about improved outcomes for children. Strengths in current leadership in bringing about improvement in the early years are underused to support weaknesses identified elsewhere in the school.  Disadvantaged children benefit well from additional funding, which is used effectively to support their learning. An example of this is the well-targeted daily teaching of phonics, which is helping these children to strengthen their ability to read.  The classrooms and outdoor areas contain a good mix of exciting end enjoyable activities well matched to children’s needs.  Children behave well and enjoy socialising with other children in the bright and safe classrooms and

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Early years provision requires improvement

outdoor areas. Regular checks are carried out by staff to ensure the areas accessed by children are safe.  One of the key areas of success is how well staff work with parents to help the children make the most of their time in the early years.

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School details

Unique reference number 103986 Local authority Sandwell Inspection number 10002498 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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 420 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Pauline Brown Headteacher Andy Leivers Telephone number 0121 353 1573 Website www.holytrinitycofe.co.uk Email address headteacher@holytrinity.sandwell.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 27–28 November 2013

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported by pupil premium funding (additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children looked after) is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well above average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.  Early years provision is part-time in Nursery and full-time in Reception.  The school provides a breakfast and after-school club.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school is federated with Grove Vale Primary School, and they share an executive headteacher

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Information about this school

and governing body.  The school does not meet requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in lessons and part-lessons. Three parts of lessons were observed jointly with the executive headteacher, who has worked with the school for over four years, the head of school and the deputy headteacher.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, school staff and four members of the governing body, including the chair and vice-chair. The lead inspector also spoke with two representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors held discussions with parents and groups of pupils. Inspectors also spoke informally to pupils in lessons, during breaks and lunchtimes.  Inspectors scrutinised the work pupils produced during lessons and in a wide range of their books over time. They also listened to a small number of pupils from Year 1 and Year 2 read.  Inspectors closely observed the work of the school and looked at the latest school performance information showing the progress pupils are currently making.

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Information about this inspection

 Other documentation scrutinised included: plans for school improvement, safeguarding information, behaviour logs, attendance records and minutes of the meetings of the governing body.  Inspectors took account of 26 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), along with 40 responses from staff to the inspection questionnaire and 94 questionnaires which the school asked pupils to complete for the inspection.

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Inspection team

Declan McCauley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Tracy Stone Ofsted Inspector Khalid Din 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 .

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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.

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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

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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,

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Inspection team

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

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Inspection team

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

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Inspection team

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

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