Holy Trinity Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery

Inspection of Holy Trinity Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery Middleton Road, Oswestry, Shropshire SY11 2LF

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected 14–15 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a warm, friendly school where pupils feel valued. Pupils say they feel safe because the staff and their friends care for them. They appreciate this.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak confidently about the school’s Christian values and how they underpin all aspects of school life. Pupils say, ‘The values bring us together and it’s the golden thread of all we do.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations for all pupils and they want them to do well. This has resulted in some positive changes across the school. However, there is more work to be done to develop the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a very calm atmosphere around the school. Pupils behave well in and out of the classroom. Pupils enjoy learning, but at times they do not always engage fully in lessons. This is often because the work they are asked to do is not well matched to their ability.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the different types of bullying. Bullying is rare, but when it does happen, staff deal with it straight away.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Almost all parents and carers are positive about the school. They value the extra activities that their children are encouraged to take part in.

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better?

Children settle quickly when they join the Nursery and Reception classes. At times, teachers plan activities that link to a common theme. This helps children to make connections between the different parts of their learning. The activities build on what children already know. This helps them to remember more about what they have learned. However, this is not happening consistently across early years. As a result, some children are not learning as much as they could. Positive relationships exist between adults and children. Children are cared for well. Leaders are clear that language development remains a priority in the early years. They are continuing to develop this aspect of the curriculum.

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better?

Leaders have introduced new curriculum plans in all subjects, including English and mathematics, across the school. Most staff know what to teach and when to teach it. The subject plans are ordered to develop pupils’ knowledge and skills over time. However, the plans are in the very early stages of being introduced. Consequently, teachers are not applying them in all subjects and in all year groups. Lessons do not build on what pupils have learned in the past when the curriculum is not delivered effectively. This means that some pupils are not broadening and deepening their knowledge and understanding. 14–15 January 2020

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Leaders with responsibility for some subjects are very new to their role. Currently, they are developing the essential skills and required subject knowledge to develop and improve the curriculum in the subject for which they have responsibility. Other curriculum leaders are more skilled and experienced. The curriculum in their subject areas enables pupils to progressively build on what they know and can do.

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Many teachers provide work that is interesting and enjoyable. They display good subject knowledge in most curriculum areas. In many cases, pupils’ needs are met because teachers plan work that is matched to their ability. However, this is not always the case, particularly for the most able. These pupils sometimes find the work too easy. This stops them from achieving as well as they could.

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Reading is a whole-school priority. Teachers do lots to encourage a love of reading. From the very beginning, children and pupils have daily phonics sessions. However, the quality of phonics teaching varies between groups. Sometimes it is less effective. Leaders have just purchased sets of reading books that are linked to the phonics scheme. However, across the school, reading books are not always closely matched to pupils’ abilities.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in all lessons. Teachers and teaching assistants adapt pupils’ work when required. Staff plan and deliver focused one-to-one and group activities that supports pupils’ individual needs well. These sessions are closely monitored and are having a positive effect on pupils’ learning. Consequently, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Teachers plan and organise a wide range of exciting activities to enrich the curriculum. These include trips, visitors to the school, clubs and special events. Activities are interesting and support aspects of the curriculum, such as the beach litter pick in Rhyl. These experiences broaden pupils’ experiences. Pupils have a good understanding of other religions and cultures. The school celebrates the diversity of its pupils. This makes everyone feel welcome and valued.

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Senior leaders and staff work hard to improve the school. They are supported effectively by those responsible for governance and the trust. Staff say that leaders are considerate of their well-being and do all they can to make sure their workload is manageable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding leads work well as a team. All staff receive regular training and updates. Staff are aware that safeguarding is the responsibility of everyone. Staff know exactly what to do if they have a concern about a pupil’s welfare. The school works with external agencies, when required, to ensure that pupils get the help they need when they need it. Teachers help pupils to understand how to keep themselves safe in different situations, in and out of school. Leaders check staff’s suitability to work with children before they start to work at the school. 14–15 January 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The newly introduced curriculum is in the very early stages of being developed and implemented across the school. Consequently, some lessons do not build on what pupils have learned in the past. This means that staff must backtrack and fill gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding. This slows down learning. Leaders and staff need to continue the work recently started in developing the curriculum. Subjects need to be planned and ordered to develop pupils’ knowledge and skills over time.  Many curriculum leaders are new to their role. They are keen to see their subjects improve. However, some curriculum leaders have not yet developed the leadership skills, and in some instances the subject knowledge, to develop and improve the curriculum in their subject area. School leaders need to make sure that curriculum leaders have the expertise to plan, implement, support and monitor the curriculum in the subject for which they have responsibility.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, the work set by teachers is not closely matched to pupils’ needs, particularly those of the most able. This limits pupils’ learning and prevents them from achieving as well as they could. Teachers need to consistently use what they know about pupils’ learning, ability and aptitudes to plan and deliver work that challenges pupils and meets their needs.  The early years curriculum is not always planned and delivered to make the links between the different areas of learning explicit. At times, learning is disjointed and isolated. The connections between activities and subjects are not always clear to children. Activities do not always build on what children have learned in the past. This limits children’s progress across the early years. Leaders and staff need to make sure that the good practice seen in some areas of the early years provision is extended across the entire phase. Children should be able to apply their learning

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

across different subjects and activities.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 14–15 January 2020

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 14–15 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10122424 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Holy Trinity Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery became an academy on 1 April 2017. When its predecessor school, Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to require improvement overall.  The school is part of the St Chad’s Academies Trust.  A SIAMS inspection to evaluate the distinctiveness and effectiveness of Holy Trinity Church of England Academy and Nursery as a Church of England school took place on 23 June 2016.  The school has a breakfast club operating on the site. This provision is managed by the school.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We held regular meetings with the principal. We met with five members of the local academy committee, including the chair. We met with the chief executive 14–15 January 2020

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officer and two members of the multi-academy trust. We held a telephone conversation with the chair of the trust.  We held meetings with the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) and the leaders who are responsible for early years, attendance, behaviour, children looked after and pupil premium expenditure.  As part of the inspection, we completed deep dives in these subjects: reading, English, mathematics, history and physical education (PE). We met with groups of pupils, curriculum leaders and teachers to talk about the quality of education at the school.  We visited classrooms. Many of these visits were with curriculum leaders.  We listened to several groups of pupils read.  We spoke with pupils formally and informally about their learning and experiences at school. We looked at pupils’ work in a range of different subjects to see how well the curriculum is applied. A group of pupils accompanied us on a walk

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around the school.  Documents relating to safeguarding were checked, including the checks that leaders make on staff’s suitability to work with children prior to employment. We checked that safeguarding policies and procedures are implemented effectively across the school.  We talked to parents after school. We considered the 18 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and the nine free-text responses received during the inspection.  We considered the 12 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  We considered a range of documentation provided by the school. We looked at the school’s self-evaluation, school improvement plans, school policies, curriculum documents, published information about pupils’ performance, behaviour records, attendance information and minutes of meetings linked to governance.  We looked at published information on the school’s website.

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Inspection team

Wayne Simner, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Minton Ofsted Inspector 14–15 January 2020

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regulates and inspects to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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