Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Cookham

Inspection of an outstanding school: Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Cookham School Lane, Cookham, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 9QJ

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of outstanding as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this nurturing school. As one pupil stated, ‘I love this school. The teachers are kind and welcoming and make it feel like a second home.’ Leaders aspire for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve highly. However, leaders recognise that there is still work to do to achieve this in all subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for behaviour and conduct. In lessons, pupils are fully engaged in learning. They play happily together in the playground. Older pupils take care of younger pupils. Pupils say that everything they do is centred on the school’s values of love, kindness, peace, friendship and sharing.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Incidents of bullying are rare. Pupils are confident that adults deal with bullying quickly when they need to. One pupil said, ‘If someone is mean, don’t retaliate. Tell the teacher. They sort it out.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value opportunities to contribute to their school and the local community. Year 6 pupils enjoy being ‘buddies’ to Reception children. Year 6 pupils are proud of leading a remembrance service at the local war memorial. In addition, pupils have links with the residents of a local nursing home.

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

Leaders have designed a broad curriculum. In most subjects, they have identified the essential knowledge that pupils need to remember right from the start of Reception. In some subjects, for example physical education (PE), a clear sequence of learning builds 2 and 3 March 2022

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over time. This means that pupils make connections between topics, remember their learning and achieve well. For example, pupils in Year 4 could explain how they are applying skills they learned in netball in the autumn term to playing tag rugby this term. However, this is not as consistently the case in all subjects. Leaders recognise what they need to do to complete this work.

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Teachers’ subject knowledge is not consistently strong across the curriculum. Where subject knowledge is effective, teachers set tasks that help all pupils to achieve well, including those pupils with SEND. In science, for example, teachers’ strong subject knowledge means that they plan activities to build and strengthen pupils’ understanding in lessons. All pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well in science. However, in subjects where teachers’ subject knowledge is less well developed, teachers do not always identify and address pupils’ gaps in knowledge consistently and effectively.

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Leaders prioritise reading. Teachers read to pupils daily. Children are taught phonics from the start of Reception, using a rigorous programme. Regular interventions help pupils to catch up quickly when they fall behind. Leaders have recognised that, due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, they need to address gaps in pupils’ phonic knowledge in all year groups. Leaders have recently implemented a phonics catch-up programme across the whole school to address this need. Pupils read books that are matched to the sounds that they know. This ensures that they become fluent readers quickly.

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The school’s provision for pupils’ wider development is a strength. All pupils are offered a wide variety of extra-curricular clubs, including those for netball, knitting, choir and Spanish. Pupils enjoy taking part in competitions. They spoke eagerly about a forthcoming dance festival, and were proud of the netball team’s recent success. Pupils experience a range of trips linked to the curriculum, including to a science centre, a local art gallery and the theatre. Children in Reception enjoy getting to know their local area and visiting the village bookshop. Leaders also invite visitors into school to deliver workshops to enrich the curriculum. Recent visitors include an author who has written books about inclusion, and parents and carers who have led workshops on managing money and engineering.

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Staff teach pupils to care for others. Leaders have made links with a school in Ethiopia and pupils have raised money to build a playground for this school. Pupils have also raised money for local charities that are important to them. Prior to the most recent Olympic Games, pupils sent letters of support to local Olympians.

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Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They say that leaders and governors are mindful of staff well-being and workload. Leaders ensure that staff can focus on the aspects of their work that have the most impact on pupils’ learning.

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Parents are also positive about the school. They speak warmly about the nurturing ethos and high expectations. As one parent said, ‘Holy Trinity is a wonderful school – nurturing, challenging, encouraging, enjoyable. All things one hopes for their child.’ 2 and 3 March 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a strong culture of vigilance. They have clear processes to record incidents and to identify pupils who are at risk of harm. Leaders readily seek advice and support from other professionals when necessary. They deal with concerns swiftly to ensure that pupils and their families get the help and support that they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, both online and when out and about in the community. Pupils are confident that they have trusted adults in school to speak to if they are worried or upset. This helps pupils to feel safe in school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum is not yet effectively sequenced in some subjects. This means that pupils do not learn deep knowledge across the whole curriculum. However, it is clear from leaders’ actions that they are in the process of bringing this about. Leaders need to complete and embed a coherently sequenced curriculum from Reception Year to Year 6 for all subjects.  Teachers’ subject knowledge is less developed in some foundation subjects compared with others. They do not always identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge effectively so that pupils achieve consistently well across the curriculum. Leaders need to continue to deepen teachers’ subject knowledge to ensure capacity and expertise in all subjects, so that teachers can lead their subjects well and implement the curriculum effectively.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in October 2015. 2 and 3 March 2022

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 2 and 3 March 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Yasmin Thorn-Davis

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Date of previous inspection

7 and 8 October 2015, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a Church of England voluntary-controlled primary school.  Its most recent section 48 statutory inspection of Anglican and Methodist schools took place in October 2016.  The school is smaller than the average one-form-entry primary school.  The headteacher was appointed in May 2020.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and two members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The inspector also met with two officers from the local authority and a representative from the Diocese of Oxford. 2 and 3 March 2022

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, science and PE. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also looked at curriculum plans for other subjects.  The inspector reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising safeguarding records and interviewing staff, and through discussions with pupils.  The inspector considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View. She gathered the views of pupils and staff through surveys, interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  The inspector reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including self-evaluation reports, minutes of governing body meetings and behaviour incident logs.

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Inspection team

Sue Keeling, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 2 and 3 March 2022

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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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