Trinity School

Inspection of Trinity School Strand Road, Carlisle, Cumbria CA1 1JB

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 10 to 12 May 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils, and students in the sixth form, enjoy attending this school. They understand and apply the school’s values of community, trust, endurance, hope and compassion. They appreciate the new school chapel as a place of which they are proud, and that gives them a space for reflection and calm.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and students know that leaders have high expectations for their behaviour and achievement. They understand the behaviour policy and the consequences if they do not meet the high expectations. However, some pupils do not behave as well as they should. Occasionally, pupils’ learning in lessons is disrupted.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and students feel safe in school. They said that if they report bullying, leaders act quickly to stop it happening. However, despite there being a range of ways for pupils to report bullying, some pupils are unwilling to do so.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who are taught in the small ‘home group’ feel well supported. They enjoy learning a range of subjects. However, other pupils with SEND do not always feel that they have enough help to access their learning.

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better?

Leaders and governors have set out a clear vision for the school. They have developed a community that is caring, tolerant and supportive. For example, pupils and students are keen to raise money for local charities.

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better?

Leaders have planned a well-sequenced and suitably ambitious curriculum in many subjects. Leaders understand what pupils and students should learn and when they should learn it. However, the activities that some teachers choose to deliver learning do not always help pupils to know more of the curriculum. This means that not all pupils make as much progress as they should. This is not the case in the sixth form, where teachers are skilled at choosing appropriate activities for students. Teachers use assessment strategies increasingly effectively to identify what pupils have missed or forgotten.

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better?

Leaders have effective systems to identify pupils who may have SEND. They provide useful information for teachers about how this group of pupils should be supported with their learning. This is especially the case for those pupils who attend the specially resourced provision. However, pupils with SEND do not always receive the support they need. They do not achieve as well as they should.

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better?

Leaders have prioritised individual support for those pupils who find reading difficult. They make sure that these pupils are identified and use a range of methods to help them to catch up. 10 to 12 May 2022

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Most pupils behave well in lessons, but some do not meet the high expectations that leaders and staff have for them. This means that pupils’ learning is occasionally disrupted. Most teachers apply the behaviour policy effectively to prevent such disturbances.

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Leaders do not ensure that all pupils and students attend school as regularly as they should. This is particularly the case for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. Many of these pupils are absent from school too often. This hinders their learning.

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Leaders have developed an effective programme of personal development for pupils and students. This provides a range of opportunities for pupils to learn about British values, citizenship and how to keep themselves safe and healthy. A suitable careers programme prepares all pupils and students for the choices they will make for their future education, training or employment. For example, pupils have the opportunity to go on work placements to help them decide what they want to do in the future.

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Programmes such as the ‘give a year to Trinity’ scheme have provided students with opportunities to take on responsibility and to support younger pupils in the school. This helps to build the feeling of community in the school. Students are supported to become independent learners through the study programmes that are in place in the sixth form.

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Leaders consider staff well-being and workload in the decisions that they make. Leaders provide access to a wide range of professional development opportunities for staff.

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Governors understand their statutory duties and carry them out well. However, they do not always provide enough challenge to leaders, for example about the quality of education for pupils and pupils’ and students’ rates of attendance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are aware of the local risks for the pupils and students attending the school. They provide an age-appropriate programme to help pupils and students to learn more about how to keep themselves safe. This is delivered through tutor time, assemblies and visiting speakers, and is woven into lessons.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive suitable, regular safeguarding training. They know pupils and students well so that they can quickly identify those who may be at risk of harm. Staff build supportive relationships with those families who are in need of support. Leaders and staff work closely with external agencies when required. Leaders have built a strong pastoral team to make sure that pupils are supported well. 10 to 12 May 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some teachers lack the expertise and knowledge necessary to deliver some aspects of subject curriculums consistently well. They struggle to design appropriate learning activities. As a result, some pupils do not progress through the curriculum as well as they should. Subject leaders should ensure that teachers have the support that they need to deliver the new curriculums consistently well, so that pupils can deepen their knowledge and understanding of subjects over time.  Some teachers do not use the information that they have about pupils with SEND effectively enough to support this group of pupils to access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. As a result, some of these pupils do not receive the support that they need to access learning in lessons well enough. Leaders should ensure that teachers are trained well to implement the identified approaches to support pupils with SEND.  Too many pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, do not

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

attend school regularly enough. Consequently, they are missing out on opportunities to learn. Leaders should ensure that they have clear and effective strategies to reduce pupils’ absence, particularly for pupils who are persistently absent.  Members of the governing body do not ask sufficiently challenging questions of leaders about some aspects of their work, including the quality of education and pupils’ attendance. They do not hold leaders to account effectively for the quality of education that pupils receive. Members of the governing body should ensure that they have the knowledge, expertise and information required to provide an effective level of challenge to leaders.

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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 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. 10 to 12 May 2022

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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 to 12 May 2022

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,641

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sixth form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

13 March 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher is new in post since the previous inspection.  This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Carlisle. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection took place in October 2016.  This school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with hearing impairment. This provision caters for two pupils in key stage 3.  The school uses seven alternative providers. This includes three registered and four unregistered providers.  The school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 10 to 12 May 2022

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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

 This was the first routine inspection the school had 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.  As part of this inspection, inspectors carried out deep dives in mathematics, science, design and technology, history and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited some lessons, spoke with pupils, students and teachers, and looked at samples of pupils’ and students’ work. Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in other subjects.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, the special educational needs team, subject leaders and teachers. The lead inspector also spoke with a representatives from the local authority and the diocese, and the school’s improvement partner.  The lead inspector met with governors, including the chair and vice-chair.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors also considered the minutes of several governors’ meetings.  Inspectors checked safeguarding procedures, including the recruitment checks made on staff. Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead, staff and pupils to discuss wider aspects of safeguarding. They scrutinised a range of documentation in relation to safeguarding. They also considered survey responses from staff, parents and carers and pupils around safeguarding.  Inspectors considered a range of documentation, including that relating to the curriculum, pupils’ and students’ behaviour, improvement plans and leaders’ self- evaluation summary.  Inspectors observed pupils’ and students’ behaviour in a range of situations, including in corridors, at breaktimes, at lunchtimes and in lessons. They also spoke to pupils and students about behaviour and bullying.  Inspectors spoke with pupils and students about the school’s programme of wider

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Information about this inspection

personal development.  Inspectors considered the responses from parents to Ofsted Parent View. This included the comments submitted via the free-text facility.  Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey and staff survey.

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Inspection team

Elaine Mawson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Edmondson Ofsted Inspector 10 to 12 May 2022

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Emma Gregory Senior Her Majesty’s Inspector 10 to 12 May 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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