Trinity Academy Richmond

Inspection of Trinity Academy Richmond Frances Road, Richmond, North Yorkshire DL10 4NF

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Inadequate 1 and 2 February 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school, now under new leadership, shows the capacity for improvement. However, there are weaknesses that need to be addressed quickly. Pupils have not had the chance to achieve as well as they should. This is because leaders have not thought carefully enough about how to organise pupils’ learning. Over time, improvements have been too slow.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils do not show positive attitudes towards their learning. Some pupils are easily distracted and do not show a commitment to learning. Expectations for how pupils should behave have not been high enough until very recently. Pupils do not learn in a calm environment. Some pupils misbehave and stop others from focusing on their work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that bullying does happen. They say that some adults deal with it quickly, but not all. They know there can be different types of bullying. They know how to stay safe online, around water and when crossing the road.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years are well looked after but do not receive a curriculum that helps them to get off to a positive start. Leaders have low expectations of what children can achieve.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils do not have access to a wide, rich set of experiences. There are limited opportunities for pupils to develop their interests or talents. While some pupils find it hard to talk about what they like at school, they were clear that they feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know if they have a worry there is an adult to talk to. Pupils like to be active at breaktime. They make the most of these opportunities. They like playing with their friends.

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better?

Over time, the trust has not been effective in addressing weaknesses at this school. Leaders have not paid sufficient attention to areas of significant weakness. This is particularly the case with the quality of the curriculum. Only recently have subject leaders been based full time in the school. The previous model of subject leaders working across schools was not successful. This decision, taken by senior leaders, is helping to address historic curriculum weaknesses.

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better?

The curriculum has not helped pupils acquire the knowledge they need. Due to insufficient training, guidance and support, subject leaders have been unsure as to what a high-quality curriculum looks like. Consequently, the curriculum is fragmented, disjointed and does not enable pupils to learn successfully. However, now leaders are focusing on the curriculum, there are signs that weaknesses are being quickly addressed. 1 and 2 February 2022

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Adults in the early years have good relationships with children. The children are happy and enjoy the activities they are given. Two-year-olds are given appropriate care, support and attention. However, the curriculum is not ambitious or designed well enough to help children to develop the knowledge they require. Children are learning a set of disconnected concepts that lack purpose or meaning.

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The approach to early reading is not clear across the early years and key stage 1. Different year groups are using different approaches, and teachers are changing the order in which sounds are taught. Children can sound out words and apply the phonics knowledge they have learned. However, they often struggle to read fluently. Pupils read books that are appropriately matched to their reading knowledge.

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Pupils show positive relationships when interacting with each other at breaktime. Leaders provide opportunities for pupils to be active, which they enjoy. However, behaviour in lessons is not good. Where the subject content or delivery of the curriculum is less strong, pupils quickly become disengaged and distracted. This means that vital learning time is lost.

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Leaders have not provided a stimulating wider curriculum. Pupils are not given the opportunities to try new experiences or develop their interests. Pupils are not enthusiastic about school or the curriculum.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive support to meet their needs. Teachers adapt the curriculum where required. Pupils with more significant challenges receive one-to-one support from teaching assistants. Adaptations to the curriculum are generally working well. Pupils who find school more of a challenge receive high-quality social and emotional support. Leaders provide well for pupils who struggle to manage their feelings and behaviour. These particular pupils receive high-quality support.

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Governors have been unable to hold leaders to account effectively and accurately. COVID-19 has impacted their usual school visits. However, inaccurate information about the performance of the school has taken them off track. Support and monitoring from governors and the trust have not successfully addressed ongoing weaknesses.

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The new interim headteacher has quickly identified key priorities. He has started to make the necessary improvements. These have been shared with governors and the trust. There is now a clear plan of action to address weaknesses across the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) work effectively as a team. They have implemented systems that all staff understand. They have ensured that appropriate training has taken place. DSLs provide a supportive link between external agencies and the school. This means that families often engage with support workers more 1 and 2 February 2022

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readily. Staff are proactive. They quickly put in place strategies that prevent longer- term, more serious problems from occurring. Leaders monitor attendance rigorously. Leaders use a range of strategies to ensure that pupils who are often absent improve their attendance. Pupils are aware of potential dangers outside of school and know who to speak to if they have a concern.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not coherently planned. It does not have sufficient focus on what knowledge pupils should learn. As a result, pupils do not acquire a solid foundation of knowledge on which to build when they move on to the next step in their education. Leaders should review the curriculum to ensure that knowledge is taught in the right order and ensure that pupils learn and remember what is taught.  Middle leaders do not have the required knowledge to lead their subjects or phase of the school effectively. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The curriculum does not meet their needs. Leaders need to make sure that high-quality support and guidance is put in place so middle leaders can carry out their roles effectively.  Leaders have been self-evaluating the school’s performance inaccurately. This has resulted in key priorities for school improvement being neglected. Where action

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

should have been taken, it has not. New leaders need to make sure that their action plans are rigorously monitored so that improvements are swift, successful and sustainable.  Expectations for children in the early years are too low. The curriculum is incoherent and lacks precision. Therefore, children are receiving a scattergun approach to learning without any real purpose, order or structure. Children are not developing the knowledge they should. Leaders need to quickly implement a curriculum that is ambitious and knowledge rich.  Expectations for pupils’ behaviour are not high enough. Therefore, pupils become easily distracted in learning and cause low-level disruption. This negatively affects their own and other pupils’ ability to learn effectively. Leaders need to raise the culture of expectations among all staff and monitor the consistency of behaviour across the school.  There is no clear approach to the reading curriculum in the early years and key

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

stage 1. Children receive an inconsistent curriculum that does not help them become fluent readers. Leaders need to decide what approach works best for pupils and ensure all staff are confident to implement the curriculum.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted 1 and 2 February 2022

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Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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

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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. 1 and 2 February 2022

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School details

Chair of trust The Right Reverend Paul Ferguson

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 In December 2021, the executive headteacher left the school. The trust appointed an interim executive headteacher who took up the post in January 2022.  Subject leaders who worked across the Trinity partnership of schools now work solely at Trinity Academy Richmond.  The school does not offer any alternative provision.  The school provides nursery provision for two-year-old children.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform. 1 and 2 February 2022

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This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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 Inspectors did deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and music. Here, inspectors spoke to leaders about the curriculum and met with teachers from the lessons visited. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work and spoke to pupils.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects.  Inspectors listened to a range of pupils read from different year groups.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator, members of the local governing body, a representative from the local authority, the school improvement adviser and an education adviser from the Diocese.  Inspectors looked at the single central record and spoke to leaders, teachers, governors and pupils about safeguarding.  Inspectors considered 22 responses made by parents to Ofsted Parent View, the online questionnaire, including 22 free-text responses. Inspectors also considered

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11 responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

David Milligan, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tim Jenner Her Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 February 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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