Hoylake Holy Trinity CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Hoylake Holy Trinity CofE Primary School 126 Market Street, Hoylake, Wirral, Merseyside CH47 3BH

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Outcome

Hoylake Holy Trinity CofE Primary School continues to be a good school. However, inspectors have some concerns that one or more areas may be declining, as set out below.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Hoylake Holy Trinity is a happy school. Staff greet pupils with a friendly smile as they arrive each morning. Pupils feel safe and well cared for at this school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told me that they enjoy coming to school. They enjoy being with their friends and learning new things every day. Parents and carers appreciate the kind and nurturing environment provided by adults in the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop their skills and knowledge in a range of subjects. In most subjects, staff have high expectations of pupils. However, pupils do not achieve well in reading.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils behave well in lessons and at playtimes. They work and play together very well. Pupils said that staff deal with any poor behaviour quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils could not recall any incidents of bullying. However, they said staff would deal with any bullying quickly and effectively should it occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of educational experiences. These include well-planned assemblies where pupils learn about current issues. Older pupils are encouraged to take on many leadership responsibilities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils participate in sports competitions against other local schools. Pupils also enjoy the clubs and other activities on offer. Lunchtime play is well organised for pupils.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders, staff and governors want pupils, including children in the early years, to achieve well. In several subject areas, pupils and children do progress well across the curriculum. 10–11 March 2020

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However, there are some curriculum areas that are still in the early stages of development. Added to this, right across the school pupils and children do not achieve well in reading.

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In the early years and in key stage 1 too many pupils do not develop the knowledge and skills that they need to become fluent readers. This is because the books that they read do not always match the sounds that children and pupils are learning. Consequently, too many pupils do not meet the expected standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1. Added to this, not all teachers follow the agreed approach to the teaching of reading. This has a negative impact on pupils’ ability to develop their vocabulary and their fluency in reading. As they move through the school, pupils continue to underachieve. By the end of key stage 2, most pupils do not achieve well in reading. This does not set them up well for the next stage of their education.

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Leaders and governors acknowledge this issue. More recently, leaders have taken some effective action to improve standards in reading. For example, leaders encourage pupils to try their best to read five times each week. Pupils enjoy engaging in this ‘Strive for 5’ challenge. Leaders now consider more carefully their choice of texts for each year group. Leaders’ changes to the reading curriculum are helping pupils who are reluctant or hesitant readers. However, these changes are recent. It is too soon to see the impact on pupils’ outcomes in reading in the end-of-key-stage tests.

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In many other areas of the curriculum pupils achieve well. This is because the changes that leaders have made to the curriculum are well established. In the early years, there is a strong focus on early mathematics. For example, children in the early years become confident in their use of numbers up to 20.

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Staff across the school teach mathematics confidently. This is because they have had appropriate training and support from senior leaders. Pupils enjoy their mathematics lessons. Staff plan learning carefully. This enables pupils to build their mathematical knowledge step by step. Staff know their pupils well. They think carefully about the best ways to help those who find aspects of mathematics difficult. Children and pupils achieve well in mathematics.

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The curriculum in other subjects, for example science and history, is also well planned. Teachers ensure that pupils build the knowledge and skills in these subjects that they will need to help future learning. For example, in history older pupils could recall what they had learned about early man. In science, pupils had learned the skills that they needed to carry out reliable experiments.

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That said, leaders know that there is still some more work to do to develop the curriculum in other subjects. For example, in geography and art and design curriculum planning is still in development. Leaders are in the process of redesigning the curriculum in these areas.

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Most pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. Teachers plan carefully to meet the needs of these pupils. The recent changes that 10–11 March 2020

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leaders have made to the reading curriculum are also beginning to help pupils with SEND to become better readers.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and during social times. Pupils apply themselves well to their work. There is a positive climate for learning in most lessons.

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Leaders plan effectively for pupils’ wider development. Parents and carers agree that this is a strength. For example, pupils benefit from a range of additional experiences and opportunities to help them to understand the diversity in British society. For example, pupils learn about different religions. Pupils’ well-being is also a key priority of school leaders.

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Staff appreciate that leaders have involved them in the planning of the curriculum. Leaders and governors are considerate of staff’s workload and well-being.

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In discussion with the headteacher, we agreed that reading, geography and art and design may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are vigilant in their safeguarding duties. Leaders ensure that rigorous checks are made on all adults who want to work in the school. Staff receive regular safeguarding training and updates. They know what to do if they have any concerns about a pupil. Concerns are recorded and carefully monitored by school leaders.

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Safeguarding

Leaders work with a range of agencies to ensure that pupils and their families receive appropriate and timely support.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are very knowledgeable about how to keep safe. For example, they know how to keep themselves safe when using the internet. Pupils know who they should speak to at school if they are worried about anything.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have recently made changes to the reading curriculum. However, these changes are in their infancy and are not yet being applied consistently across the school. Children and pupils do not achieve consistently well in reading. Leaders must ensure that the reading curriculum is implemented with greater consistency across the school so that all pupils read well.  Children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 enjoy reading. Leaders do not provide some pupils with suitable books to practise the sounds that they are learning. Consequently, too many pupils do not meet the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. Leaders should ensure that the books which pupils take home 10–11 March 2020

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to read are matched to the sounds they are learning. This is so that pupils become confident readers and so that more pupils meet the expected standard in the phonics screening check.  Leaders have begun developing the wider curriculum by planning and implementing ambitious and well-sequenced curriculums in subjects such as science and history. Detailed curriculum plans are not yet in place in some other subjects. This means that pupils do not learn as much as they should. Leaders must ensure that their new curriculum plans are implemented quickly.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 25–26 May 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

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 .

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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. 10–11 March 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10122120 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.hoylakeholytrinity.wirral.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25–26 May 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in January 2018.  The school had a section 48 inspection in May 2017, carried out by the Diocese of Chester.

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Information about this inspection

 During this inspection, I met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and subject leaders.  I met with four members of the governing body. I also spoke with a representative of the local authority and a representative of the Diocese of Chester.  I carried out deep dives in: reading, mathematics and science. In these subjects, I visited lessons with leaders, checked on pupils’ work and spoke with pupils about their learning. I met with subject leaders and teachers to discuss the curriculum. I reviewed curriculum plans and pupils’ work in other subjects.  I checked on safeguarding arrangements by speaking with leaders, staff, pupils and parents. I scrutinised the single central record. I reviewed leaders’ checks on the suitability of adults who work in the school. 10–11 March 2020

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 I observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school. I reviewed leaders’ information about pupils’ behaviour.  I spoke with parents. I also considered the views expressed by parents and carers, and their responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. This included 91 free-text responses.  I reviewed the 95 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. I met with groups of pupils to ask them about their learning, bullying and the school’s support for their personal development.  I met with groups of teachers and considered the 16 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Timothy Gartside, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 10–11 March 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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