Trinity Catholic College

Inspection of Trinity Catholic College Lacy Road, Middlesbrough TS4 3JW

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Sixth-form provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 25 and 26 May 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

There have been significant changes in leadership since the last inspection. New leaders at trust and school level are passionate about improving the school in difficult circumstances. Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ conduct and academic potential. The majority of pupils meet these expectations. Older pupils are positive about the improvement in behaviour recently. Despite this, a minority of pupils repeatedly make the same mistakes. Some are regularly removed from some lessons. Some pupils’ behaviour can be boisterous during social times. Leaders have taken action to address this.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils all have a trusted adult in school. Pupils are taught that bullying is unacceptable and are encouraged to report it. The majority of pupils feel that when bullying occurs, teachers take effective action. Bullying logs reflect this. However, some pupils feel that bullying is not always tackled effectively enough. They feel that some teachers take it more seriously than others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a range of extra-curricular activities. At lunchtime, Year 7 pupils enjoy playing chess and board games. Sixth-form students benefit from visiting local universities to raise their aspirations. Pupils value the support that they get to help to improve their mental health and well-being. Leaders have also introduced a wide range of rewards to improve attendance, and recognise pupils’ effort and positive behaviour.

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better?

Leaders have prioritised developing the curriculum. They have carefully identified what they want pupils to know and remember. The curriculum is ambitious and designed to allow all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to build knowledge over time. Curriculum plans have been organised so that pupils’ understanding builds over time.

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better?

Vocabulary is a key focus in all subjects. Pupils are deliberately introduced to ambitious vocabulary that will help their studies. Leaders have also introduced a reading strategy across school so that pupils develop their confidence when reading aloud. There is effective support provided for struggling readers to make sure they can catch up with their peers.

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better?

Leaders recognise the importance of pupils being able to link their prior knowledge to new information. Recall tasks are planned to check what pupils know. However, some staff do not do this routinely in lessons. Questioning is not always used effectively to check pupils’ understanding. This means that gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not always picked up, meaning that some pupils struggle to make sustained progress. Some explanations from staff are not precise enough to help pupils move through the curriculum securely. This is also the case in sixth-form lessons. Some 25 and 26 May 2022

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activity choices do not help pupils to build upon what they already know. Some pupils find it difficult to remember their learning over time.

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Most classrooms are orderly and purposeful. Typically, pupils are engaged and want to learn. However, low-level disruption is not always challenged by staff. There is inconsistency in how staff deal with misbehaviour in the classroom. Often, there are positive relationships between staff and pupils around school. However, this inconsistency in standards can lead to negative interactions between some staff and pupils. Pupils are often removed from classrooms and the number of suspensions is high. Pupils have mixed opinions about how staff help them to make better choices. Some pupils feel that staff are keen to listen and support them with their behaviour. Other pupils disagree. Behaviour in the sixth form is notably more positive.

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The behaviour of some pupils at social times is disruptive. Leaders have introduced a range of strategies to encourage a calm environment. New lunchtime systems and lining up routines are beginning to have an impact.

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A new curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE) has been recently introduced to support pupils’ wider development, including in the sixth form. Pupils are taught about respect and tolerance. They talk sensibly about consent and sexual harassment. However, as this curriculum is new, pupils have not learned about the full range of knowledge which will prepare them for life in modern Britain. Some pupils make inappropriate comments to each other. Leaders take decisive action and provide targeted education to pupils who use unacceptable language.

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Leaders have ensured that pupils are supported by effective careers advice. Pupils learn about the local job market and their full range of options when they are ready to leave school. Older pupils receive personalised support. Sixth-form students encounter a range of experiences to ensure they make well-informed decisions. They have valuable individual support during form time. 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.

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Leaders from the trust and governors have a clear view of the school’s challenges and priorities. They are introducing a range of supportive measures to tackle behaviour and attendance. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly hampered the ability for improvements to take root. There is a strategic plan in place for how leaders are moving the school’s improvement forwards. Sixth form leaders are ambitious about developing the sixth form further. They have plans to broaden the choice of courses available to students. Leaders are already introducing improvements to enrichment activities.

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The majority of staff feel they are well supported by leaders. They recognise efforts made by leaders to manage their workload, while trying to bring about positive change. 25 and 26 May 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe, inside and outside of school. Leaders work closely with the police to make sure that pupils get clear messages about local risks and how to avoid them. Pupils also learn about online safety and talk sensibly about cyber-bullying and online risks.

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Safeguarding

Leaders know which pupils are vulnerable, and these pupils are tracked in weekly meetings to make sure they are kept safe. Leaders work persistently with a range of external agencies to ensure that pupils and families who need additional support are able to get it.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils find it difficult to regulate their behaviour. The number of suspensions and internal exclusions is high. Low-level disruption is not always challenged by staff. Learning time is lost. Leaders should take further action to work with pupils to improve their behaviour in class and around school.  Some teachers do not routinely check what all pupils know and remember. This means that some gaps in learning are not identified as quickly as they could be. Leaders should ensure that assessment is used effectively in lessons to ensure that pupils are able to move through the curriculum securely.  The new PSHE curriculum is still being embedded. This means that pupils have not learned about some important topics that will prepare them for life in modern Britain. Leaders should ensure that this new curriculum is embedded across all year groups, including in the sixth form, to ensure that these messages are

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

effectively delivered to pupils.  There is a lack of clarity from leaders around some aspects of school improvement, notably around how the behaviour policy is implemented. This leads to confusion from staff and pupils about expectations. Leaders should ensure that policies are consistently applied to ensure swift improvements in behaviour.

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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. 25 and 26 May 2022

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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. 25 and 26 May 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227430 Type of school Secondary

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,342

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 26–27 September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Trinity Catholic College joined Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust in September 2019. Its last section 48 inspection took place in April 2018.  There have been significant changes in the senior leadership team, including a change of headteacher since the previous inspection.  The school uses three registered alternative providers: River Tees High Academy, River Tees Home and Hospital and Keys Tees Valley College. The school also uses two unregistered alternative providers: Reintegrate and Educ8, both located in Middlesbrough.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 25 and 26 May 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 school leaders and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with a range of school leaders including the headteacher and deputy headteacher. They also met with leaders responsible for personal development, sixth form, careers and reading.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, history, design and technology, modern foreign languages and science. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator. They looked at a range of documentation regarding support to meet pupils’ needs. Inspectors also

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checked how these pupils were supported in lessons.  Inspectors scrutinised the single central record. They also looked at a range of documentation regarding safe recruitment practices.  Inspectors met with leaders responsible for safeguarding. They looked at examples of logs of actions taken by leaders to keep pupils safe. Inspectors spoke with a wide range of staff, formally and informally, about the school’s safeguarding procedures.  An inspector visited two unregistered alternative provisions. They checked the quality of provision for pupils who attend there.  Inspectors met with pupils who have been suspended and discussed their experiences.  Inspectors met with leaders responsible for behaviour and scrutinised a range of data regarding punctuality, attendance and exclusions.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils formally and informally during the inspection. Inspectors observed pupils at social times.

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 Inspectors met with representatives from the interim advisory board, including the chair and vice chair.  Inspectors met with representatives from the trust, including the chair and the chief executive officer.  Inspectors considered the 81 responses to the staff survey and the 74 responses to the pupil survey. They also considered the 42 free-text responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Katherine Spurr, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jill Bowe Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 May 2022

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Graham Findlay Her Majesty’s Inspector 25 and 26 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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